Car won't start
 

Ok, my 85 (300D/240D) is sitting in the parking lot at my work dead. the battery voltage is good, even under load, but it won't even turn over. Everything works inside the car, i.e radio, lights, windows. When I turn the car on, the glow plug light lights up and goes off like it is supposed to. When I turn the key, I don't even hear a click. I have a feeling that my starter is bad. My reasoning behind this is that at the very least I should hear the solenoid throwing out the gear to engage the fly wheel. I don't even hear that though. My question is this, will a starter out of an 80 300D work on an 82 240D? If so, I am in business. If not I guess I am ordering one. The same question applies to the alternator. Are they interchangeable? Thanks in advance.

Mike

I think are right about the starter.

The starters are different, so I am not sure if that will work, but the altenator might.

I have searched for the thread but can not seem to find it, but I recall someone stating that they had put a starter from a 300D into their 240D. I believe the individual said he did this because it was bigger and made it easier to crank when cold. I am really hoping that someone can tell me for sure whether I can do this or not. I don't really want to leave my car there any longer than I have to. I also don't want to have to drive this company van any longer than I have to. It is a Ford windstar. It is bad enough that it is a minivan, but a Ford on top of it all.

Mike

Suggestion
 

Here's a suggestion from experience. Try tapping on the solenoid while turning the key sometimes the smallest amount of moisture will stick it. I had this happen on my 85 two taps with a long screwdriver and away we went.

Just a thought. On my car, only when it is very cold, and only once in a while, the neutral safety switch does not always work properly. When this happens I have exactly the symptoms you describe. Absolutely nothing from the starter, but, ov course, everything else is o.k. If I move the shifter to neutral and back to park, or just move to neutral I can then start. I probably need to replace the switch, but I believe I'll wait until the temp gets back up to 20 degrees F.

sublettm,

As Bill noted, the 5 cylinder turbo engines have a heavy duty starter, and it is physically and functionally interchangeable with the 240D "wimpy" starter. I was the one writing about this as I did it on my 1982 240D which is now starting in below zero weather in Troy, NY on a regular basis. So, yes, your 300D unit will fit.

However, if you are not getting any dimming of the interior light or dash lights when you go to engage the starter, it may not be getting any power from the key switch - to the solenoid or the starter motor. The intended sequence is to have the solenoid drive the pinion gear out to engage the ring gear teeth, and once out the prescribed distance, it closes contacts that apply battery Voltage to the starter motor.

No clicking or any other indication the solenoid is being energized is a sign the unit is not getting any juice. This is can be a problem with the connections at the starter or it can be the switch on the dash you activate with the key. It can also be a problem with the solenoid itself. If rapping the starter helps, the solenoid is dying. If shorting the solenoid terminals gets it to fire, the wiring or dash key switch is dying/dead.

By the way, if your car is a manual you can try push starting it, which works remarkably well. Run the glow plugs, get it rolling and drop it into second or third and let clutch out really quickly. Should light right off. Good luck, Jim

Good luck, Jim

More info about starter interchange
 

I have and '82 240D and I am soon going to have to replace the starter. What year models for the 300D , SD, TD, will work on my '82 240D. I want to upgrade if possible.

BTW, this is the best site on the whole internet. I love it. There are two things that I read regularly- The Bible and Diesel Discussion!:D :p :)

oilslick,

The fact that all the 5 cylinder and 4 cylinder Diesels making up the 240D and 300D/TD/SD series from 1977 to 1985 use a starter that is physically interchangeable was noted to me by the parts guy at the local MB dealership. They apparently only stock the bigger unit.

I would suggest you call Phil at the PartsShop (click on the link at the top of the page to get the number) after doing some research on part numbers at FastLane (also a link at the top of the page, I believe). I am not sure if the 6 cylinder models are also interchangeable because I just can't remember. I got the highest rated starter FastLane offers for these cars and I am very happy with it.

Good luck, Jim

Thanks everyone for their comments. I am off to see what I can do for the old girl. I'll report back later with the results.

Thanks again,
Mike

Well I beat on the starter a little to see if I could get it to work, but it was to no avail. I got it started by pushing it and then didn't shut it off. I located a starter for it and picked it up on the way home. Pulling the starter on one of these cars isn't that bad. One of the bolts was a little tough to get to, but other than that it went very smooth. I think it took about an hour and a half to pull and replace. I imagine it would have been a little harder to do if this car had a turbo in it. Without the turbo, you can see the starter clearly and it will even come out the top. In the weeks leading up to the starter dying completely, my car was very hard to start. I basically had to put the pedal to the floor and really crank the get it to start. With the new starter, she fires right up.

Thanks for the advice,
Mike