And if your shifter bushings are worn out then your car thinks it is not in neutral or park when you're starting. Try shifting from neutral to park and starting and see if any success. Your shift rod bushings may be toast. Seen this a number of times in cars towed into the shop.

If there is 12 volt to the starter battery cable and the starter is grounded and there is 12 volt to the little wire at the solenoid...no crank = bad starter.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

I wish it was as simple as "no crank = bad starter"

That's what one of my customers thought when he towed his 84 300d into my shop a few years ago. Turned out his engine was frozen up from a blown head gasket! Took his head off and two cylinders were completely filled with water! No starter or electrical diagnosis will overcome mechanical failure!

Make sure mechanical stuff is sound first, then shift linkages. Basic easy things to test. Then look into electrical. Starters are simple. Jump the solenoid to the 17mm nut, engine should at least turn over on its own if the battery is indeed good and fully charged and you're in park and neutral. BE SAFE when doing this (wheels chocked, etc).

Here's one more thing to check if you actually get the car to crank but still no start.....make sure the vacuum to your shutoff valve is actually not sucking the shutoff valve to the fuel pump, depriving the vehicle of fuel. Unplug that line on the back of the injection pump and see if it starts.

This may sound silly and I certainly mean no disrespect, but we had a similar issue with a car that we had towed in. The customer said that even with a new battery that he put in, it still wouldn't crank. besides the alternator light on with the key out, a huge battery draw and a host of other unexplained gremlins, my workmate and I were extremely embarrassed at how much time we had in it when we noticed that the battery was hooked up backwards.

Okay as I mentioned you will always have 12 volts at the main starter terminal if the cable from the positive battery post to the starter is good. Your next test is from the negative battery post to the engine block. I just take a booster cable from the negative terminal to a good engine block connection. That is a substitute ground to test if the original one is bad.


Once that is established and attempting to activate the starter by bridging the solenoid terminal to the battery cable at the starter. . Does not work. The starter is bad.


It really is not that hard. Do not overthink it. Other than making certain the battery is charged. Plus the battery cable connection at the starter is good.

Post number 4 pretty well covers the basics.

"I wish it was a simple as no crank = bad starter".

I agree with check the simple things first and that a seized engine etc. are things to check; but, in the OP's first post he wrote nothing happens when jumping the starter so I'm modifying my response to:

No noises/nothing to a directly wired starter = bad starter and/or solenoid.

A good starter/solenoid assembly should make a noise, clunk or something when grounded and energized.

Upod, I value your opinion and appreciate your input. I'm not trying to start a debate. The next step I'd take is as you suggested, make sure the motor turns, if yes, confirm ground and power to the starter solenoid and the starter motor, if yes and no crank remove and bench test the starter.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

Barry, thank you.


My confusion is coming from the failure of the glow plug relay to engage as well, and that the last the battery was completely drained when I got back to the car after it sat for a day before the failure to start.


I think I am diagnosing something more than the starter, but this should be ruled out as an issue separately.

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jt20, Yes it sounds like two unrelated issues IF the block is properly grounded. Two different issues can be difficult to diagnose, try a diagnostic approach focused on two separate problems to see if we can get this figured out.

IIRC no glow light on that model occurs if more than two glow plugs are bad.

Good luck!!!

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"Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength" - Eric Hoffer

A faulty glow plug relay can drain a battery. So disconnect it until you figure out why the starter will not work. Trying to find the common denominator for both. At the same time. May or may not be solved so go for one first. Why the starter is not working.