Ok, so a few months ago my starter started acting up where suddenly the car wouldn't wanna start. Whacking the solenoid has usually done the job, but not anymore. For about the last week or so the car'll act weird when I first turn the key in the ignition, like there's not enough power, but after a second or two and I give it some gas it'll fire up fine. And of course, the random times where it won't start. But now whacking the solenoid won't work. When I turn the key I hear a click, but nothing else. A guy yesterday was able to jump me, and the car started as soon as I got the jumper cables connected, no wait time at all.

So yeeeah. I dunno if I'm gonna have to replace the starter yet again, or if it's the alternator, or what. There's also an issue with the gas gauge and temp gauge needles staying up even after taking the key out of the ignition, but that's only happened twice. Dunno if that's related.

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1983 240D, 272K+ miles (odo broke)

Check the voltage at the battery and the alternator output.
Often it seems that failure of one of those 3 (battery, alt, starter) leads to failure in the others. Luckily replacing any/all of them in a 240D is a snap. You could replace all of them in an afternoon if necessary.

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Current Mercedes
1979 maple yellow 240D 4-speed

Gone and fondly remembered:
1980 orient red 240D 4-speed

Gone and NOT fondly remembered:
1982 Chna Blue 300TD

Other car in the stable:
2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI / 6-speed MT

Took it to AutoZone to get tested. Battery tested fine, voltage regulator in the alternator is bad. Derp.

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1983 240D, 272K+ miles (odo broke)

Did replacing the Voltage Regulator fix the Starter Problem.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Haven't gone about fixing anything yet. Wouldn't it warrant replacing the entire alternator?

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1983 240D, 272K+ miles (odo broke)

That is one of those decisions not so easy to make.

People have claimed you can get another Voltage Regulator for $15-$20.
But, how long will the rest of the alternator last. It could be Months or several Years.

If you get a rebuilt Alternator and it is not a Bosch rebuilt one how long will that last. It will have a warranty but Paper Work gets lost and there is the aggravation of changing it.

You could go the Junk Yard route and get another Alternator or pull off a few Voltage regulators.

I am not sure what can be done if you happen to have a Motorola Alternator instead of the Bosch One. The Voltage Regulator on them is expensive.

For Myself I would change the Voltage Regulator because I have had My Bosch Alternator and other apart before to change Bearings and the like. So doing that does not bother Me.

Another option I am thinking of is to move on to a Higher amp Alternator. But, since that requires some rewiring and you are in the middle of what might be a Starter issue also it would be additional problems for You.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Be careful about believing what Autozone tell you.

I was down in SC and was getting some codes on my E320. Thought it might be low battery voltage because that does cause issues with comouter controlled cars.

AZ said my battery was good, but I needed a new alternator. I didn't believe them, so went to another store and had them check it. This time the guy was knowledgeable. He said there was no problem with battery or alt. 2 years later he has been proven correct. Problem was something unrelated.

Usually the problem is the starter itself. Bad contacts on commutator. Take it to an aut-electric shop and have them check it. I had similar issue about 12 years ago on 300D. Shop rebuilt starter back then and it is still good.

Mind you I changed a bunch of stuff myself first all to no avail (ignition switch, neutral switch, grounds, etc)

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Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

If you have the voltage regulator out, you can feel the rings where the regulator collects the power:



If they are severely worn out, it might be time to overhaul the alternator.

Update:

Still have not done anything (no time), thinking about swinging down to Harbor Freight and buying an ohm meter, if only to rule out certain things. If the car refuses to start I HAVE discovered that jiggling the key in the ignition will work, sometimes after one try, sometimes after ten. All the lights on the instrument cluster DO come on. This leads me to believe it may be the ignition switch.

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1983 240D, 272K+ miles (odo broke)