Call Phil and tell him what you want.

__________________
Terry Allison
N. Calif. & Boca Chica, Panama

09' E320 Bluetec 77k (USA)
09' Hyundai Santa Fe Diesel 48k (S.A.)

Local stealership is your best bet.... There are apparently 2 or more different types of K40's....

Two years ago at the change of the seasons, my '96 E300 did the same thing. It turned-out to be a deteriorating wiring harness.

I had similar problems over the past year. Resoldered the joints twice, worked for a while then crapped out again. Bought a brand new K40 and all is well. Old K40 stays in the trunk as an emergency spare.

Buy it from Phil. You'll actually get an MB-branded part shipped to you from an MB dealer, but at a lower price than you'd pay the dealer directly. Just give Phil the part number on your K40 so you'll get the correct one.

K40 relay
Phil can order a K40 relay for you but it will probably end up costing nearly as much as it would from your local dealer and take longer (not to criticize Phil, it's just how things work – he has to inquire, get a price and OK it with you, place the order, receive it, and finally ship it to you). BTW, an MBCA membership will get you 15% off at most dealers.

Ignition switch
The '96 E300D has a relatively simple and completely mechanical ignition switch. Don't let people scare you with tales of $500 electronic switches, they came with later models. The switch in the '96 can be removed, taken apart, the contacts cleaned, and put back together. PM me for details should you choose to go this route. I had problems with my '96 cranking but not firing; it was the ignition switch. In any case, I would recommend replacing K40 first, it's a lot easier.

Jeremy

__________________

"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970

Mine was doing the same thing. I went to the dealer, got a K40, installed in under 10 minutes, no problems since. Thanks, M.B. Doc!

__________________
Byron Herrington
'96 E300D 162,000 miles
'97 Toyota Land Cruiser
'92 400E (sold)

My '96 E300 did the same red/green flashing mirror lights and it definately was the K40 relay. Forget trying to solder the connectors and just buy a factory-new one!

I've resoldered every joint about a month ago now and all is still well but I ordered a new one for the winter time - I don't want to be caught in a situation where I loose the engine on a slippery road. It's around $100 from Phil.