123 charging system problem
 

so my neutral start/safety switch in my '82 300d died. in doing research here i discovered that bridging the three pole junction on the right side wheel well of the engine bay can bypass the nss and engage the starter. this junction is called "C105" in the MB electrical troubleshooting manual. well, at the time i couldn't find detailed information on which poles to bridge other than "the skinny wire to the fat wire". so i bridged terminals 2 & 3. the car started. great! but i noticed later that the alternator doesn't seem to be charging the battery anymore. The funny thing is that the red light on the instrument panel which indicates a charging system problem does not illuminate (other than when the ignition key is first rotated as part of the power-up test). In looking at the schematics, it appears i should have bridged terminals 1 & 3 (the outer ones). Does anybody have any idea what i have shorted or damaged and what i need to do to fix this?

Have you put a DVOM up to the battery and see what voltages you have when the car is running?

not yet, as i am out of town and away from the car. but i will do that first thing when i get back. i suspect it will read nominal battery voltage. like i said, the battery got totally drained when i was driving around at night for an hour. the headlights were basically out.... fun times.

At least it runs with no electricity!

Except that your Heater will now come on full blast when you want Cold! :mad::D

case recap: the jumping of the relays happened to coincide with the death of the alternator voltage regulator assembly. once i replaced the voltage regulator and neutral start switch, all was well.