Battery testing can be pretty tricky.
With 6 cells it take single cell to make battery bad that is why load test is the best test you can get, but I have seen new gizmos, where pocket-sized tester will test your battery on several levels. It sounds too good to be truth for me, but it is recommended by one of reputable MB mechanics on youtube.

I saw that MB-Source video. The meter looked neat. But the ones that I could afford probably wouldn't work as well.

HF have one, I think, but we have no HF up here and our Princess Auto HF lookalike doesn't have them yet. They also cost as much as new battery!

I have a total of eight 12V batteries in service in our cars, boat and tractor. Then there is the rest of the family cars. They think I know something about this because I worked in the electrochemical industry. But there we turned DC power into chemicals instead of vice-versa

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

Do you have Costco?
8 batteries is what I had in my motorhome as the coach was 24V.
Anyway, Costco not only have best prices on batteries, but they have no questions ask warranty.

We do have Costco, but after one year we gave up our membership. We didn't see any benefit.

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

Well, it finally gave up the ghost! 6 years after I started this thread!

Had been doing a lot of work on car, including chasing interference between new exhaust and chassis. Numerous start, but engine had been starting OK. Then it reverted to the barely turn, just catch, fire and start.(even after overnight charging)

Except then it didn't.

So now, car is dead in garage. I double checked battery, jumped from another car, cleaned grounds and other connections, thumped starter with short broomstick & hammer. Tried remote starter on terminals near battery. Nothing doing - just a click coming from solenoid, I guess.

Time for new starter even although it sounds like it might be the solenoid contacts that are not connecting.

I have been looking for a Bosch SX67X reman here in Canada. US sources like Rok not practical because of core charges. They also are useless if we have a warranty claim.

One alternative, is an AC/Delco. They claim to use Bosch cores. NAPA only have their own brand rebuilts, so unknown quantity.

I may be able to get existing starter rebuilt locally.

I am going to have to get car towed either to a local shop who does not know these cars or to a young friend with hoist who owns a number of the same cars and is wiling to pull the starter.

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

Click actual comes from glow plug relay. No sound from solenoid or starter. Have full battery voltage to starter. Also get voltage at solenoid to motor terminal when using remote starter. For some reason voltage spikes high and is all over map - 17-> 10v on DVM (but a bit hard to measure)

So it looks like solenoid at least partially closes contacts, but motor does not spin.

Going for reman starter regardless. Just messing around because today is a civic holiday and most auto shops closed.

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

it's simple really

a known good battery

the big wires clean and good connections on both ends

a small trigger wire from the key switch

and a known good starter and relay

unless the engine is hydro-locked or frozen it WILL spin

If I had a known good starter this thread wouldn't exist
Starter would then spin when it received 12+V. Relay?? Solenoid contacts appear to function because I do get power to motor which has a verified good ground. Just no spin! Starter finally kaput.

Thanks for the interest

Starter will come out soon once car gets towed to hoist location!

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

Both ends of ground and ground strap must be clean and tight.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I've been burning through starters pretty regularly in my swap. Thinking I need a starter blanket, but my swap also uses a Toyota starter and I think cranking that diesel is asking a lot out of it.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

I redid those a while back. They still look fine, no corrosion. But just to be sure, I ran a temporary ground from the ground strap under the air cleaner to the battery negative.

Also hooked DVM to each side of solenoid while operating remote starter. Seemed like solenoid was functional, starter was getting power, but motor did not rotate. Local rebuilder said likely bad brushes.

I could not find a Bosch SX67X here in Canada, except at crazy prices. Core charges eliminated US sources. Decided to buy an ACDelco reman Bosch from Rok. Nearby shop will install - Then at my leisure either rebuilder or I will refurb existing starter as a spare. The ACDelco rebuilt Bosch is an unknown quantity, so not expecting too much.

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

Graham ;

I lost an OM617 starter far, far from home in Washington state, of course it was raining, night time and so on.

In the end the NAPA starter I bought and installed had a BRANDY NEW solenoid and is still working fine over a decade of hard use later .

I hope you get this sorted out O.K. ~ getting that ding-dang starter off is a serious PIA, I used pretty much every 1/2" drive extension in the shop to get that top bolt out .

Some W126's came with a sheet metal starter heat shield, I realize you're where not many junkyards / shop have old Mercedes Diesels lying around .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

I did check with NAPA. In Canada, they had no starters for the W123. And only one they previously carried was their own brand. Because only Bosch starter were crazy prices here, I would have liked to go with NAPA because of easy warranty exchange etc. Much harder to deal with Rok across border, but that is where the ACDelco is coming from. They say they are Bosch rebuilds and all wear parts are replaced. I guess I will find out! Arriving Monday and local shop will change starter out. On my 107, which has worse upper bolt access, they charged me for 2.5 hrs.

By the way, we don't have many junkyards, but I do know some guys who have a horde of 123 parts.

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

O.K., Rock Auto has the Bosch rebuild, it's NOT CHEAP but, it will be the best one .

The ACDELCO one is a mystery rebuild of an original BOSCH starter, nothing like a BOSCH branded rebuilt one .

Now that you know the Bosch rebuilt part number is SR70X you could have searched KIDJI or other local places to find the best price on that specific unit .

The life span of any starter depends more on how quickly your engine starts than anything else ~ in Canada (BRRR) it means cycling the glow plugs twice and following the factory cold start drill to the letter every time the temps are low .

It also means every September should be your valve adjustment time and change the filters and add Diesel fuel additive....

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Rok bosch price was high enough, but the real problem, is the core charge. C$100 and I have to ship core back. ACDelco may turn out to be ok, but I will still have my original which I can have rebuilt locally.

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