W124 won't crank--help please - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

lvbizbroker · #1 02-16-2009, 09:59 AM

My '95 e300d won't crank, won't turn over. Nothing. Battery fully charged. Yesterday on the freeway, I noticed my gauges stopped working. No tach, oil pressure gauge, or fuel gauge. I thought "fuse". So I exited the freeway, shut down the engine (mistake) and checked the fuses. All good. Got back in the car and tried to crank engine, and NOTHING. No solenoid click, no sounds of any kind. Tried to jump-start with another car. Nothing. Towed vehicle to repair shop. Of course it broke down on a Sunday, shop closed. Walked many miles home. Awaiting diagnosis from shop. Hope they are open today. Relay problem? Hidden fuse? It may be time for a Toyota.

Brian Carlton · #2 02-16-2009, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lvbizbroker

Nothing. Towed vehicle to repair shop. Of course it broke down on a Sunday, shop closed. Walked many miles home. Awaiting diagnosis from shop. Hope they are open today. Relay problem? Hidden fuse? It may be time for a Toyota.

Corroded battery clamps and/or cabling to starter.

Should have asked us first..........

A Toyota will do the same thing.

lonewolftek · #3 02-16-2009, 10:07 AM

Forget the Toy; time to check your ground strap and battery connections.

lvbizbroker · #4 02-16-2009, 10:24 AM

Brand new battery, no corrosion. Where is the ground strap?

vstech · #5 02-16-2009, 11:10 AM

don't these cars have an OVP relay? if the battery is new, and the cables are clean and tight, something electrical has shut it out. also, the 95 falls into the realm of the MB wire harness meltdown era... serious bucks to fix that... get the NEW harness from MB if it's that. aack! serious irritation... um, you did make sure the car was in park/neutral before you tried to start it right?

RAYMOND485 · #6 02-16-2009, 11:35 AM

1984 300d turbo 148k
check alternator output had this happen to my 300d, replace alternator or new brushes

vstech · #7 02-16-2009, 11:37 AM

heh, that's a good point. your battery may be NEW, but is it charged? if you drove for a while with zero alternator output, you could easily have a dead battery... it won't start for sure if that's the case. did you try the headlights?

vstech · #8 02-16-2009, 11:39 AM

hmm, the "tried to jump start with another car" kinda eliminates the dead battery track... assuming you hooked the jumper cables up correctly...
hmm, does the 124 have the "tow startable automatic" capabilities of the 123/126?

Brian Carlton · #9 02-16-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

hmm, the "tried to jump start with another car" kinda eliminates the dead battery track... assuming you hooked the jumper cables up correctly...
hmm, does the 124 have the "tow startable automatic" capabilities of the 123/126?

The gauges went out at the same time as the inability to start was observed. Jumping with another battery had no effect.

There must be a bad connection at the battery or the starter. Nothing else makes sense.

tankowner · #10 02-16-2009, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lvbizbroker

My '95 e300d won't crank, won't turn over. Nothing. Battery fully charged. Yesterday on the freeway, I noticed my gauges stopped working. No tach, oil pressure gauge, or fuel gauge. I thought "fuse". So I exited the freeway, shut down the engine (mistake) and checked the fuses. All good. Got back in the car and tried to crank engine, and NOTHING. No solenoid click, no sounds of any kind. Tried to jump-start with another car. Nothing. Towed vehicle to repair shop. Of course it broke down on a Sunday, shop closed. Walked many miles home. Awaiting diagnosis from shop. Hope they are open today. Relay problem? Hidden fuse? It may be time for a Toyota.

Are you sure the battery is holding a charge? No alternator problems? You can pull the battery and take it your local auto parts store and have them test it and charge it up for you. Then, take it home and take a reading with a voltmeter prior to replacing it - then slap it back in and hook it up - don't try to start it, just let it sit for an hour - then take another reading to see if anything is draining it. If no noticable change, give it a shot and see if it starts.

- Could be a bad battery - even if new.
- Could be a bad alternator - could also pull it and have it tested at parts store.
- Could be the wiring problems others have proposed. Especially the wiring harness which could be grounding out somewhere and draining your battery. If you weren't aware, these '95s come with an eco-friendly wiring harness in which the wires are wrapped with biodegradable plastic. The only problem is that it degrades a little too rapidly in the presence of heat and diesel fuel. I'm not saying that's your problem, but if nothing else checks out - it's an option.

Toyota? What's that?

compress ignite · #11 02-16-2009, 08:39 PM

Eh?

2nd Pump (Rear) in Transmission 722.418 Deleted 1992 model year.

Tankowner,

'Things keep going the way they've been,
we may be buying our MB parts at the Toyota Dealership.
(EDIT:WRONG ! Dr. Porsche's outfit would step in and "Acquire" MB before they'd
let the Asians take it.)

lvbizbroker · #12 02-16-2009, 11:48 PM

The K38 starter lockout relay (somewhere under/behind the dash) had come slightly loose. Also caused the #5 fuse to blow (although it looked ok visually). The shop "tightened" the relay pins, and now it starts perfectly. The gauge lights also work now, previously the fuel gauge was not illuminated. Tow charge $85, labor & materials $54. 6 1/2 mile walk home.

tankowner · #13 02-16-2009, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lvbizbroker

The K38 starter lockout relay (somewhere under/behind the dash) had come slightly loose. Also caused the #5 fuse to blow (although it looked ok visually). The shop "tightened" the relay pins, and now it starts perfectly. The gauge lights also work now, previously the fuel gauge was not illuminated. Tow charge $85, labor & materials $54. 6 1/2 mile walk home.

Well, gald you got it figured out and it didn't cause any additional grief. PITA, I'm sure, but at least you aren't chasing down some faulty wiring problem.

lvbizbroker · #14 02-17-2009, 12:43 AM

Good thing it didn't quit the day before, I took a 600 mile trip into remote rural Arizona. Breakdown there would be a memorable PITA. Attained a brief top cruising speed of 109 mph, between Boulder City and Laughlin, NV. Those new Bilstein heavy duty struts & shocks made for great high-speed stability. Could have gone faster, but chickened out because of dry-rotted yokohama tires. Didn't want to push my luck.

milner351 · #15 02-17-2009, 11:53 AM

Glad to hear you got it figured out - thanks for sharing with the rest of us.
My '95 wiring under the hood was a disaster - I've rebuilt two underhood harnesses so far.