1989 W124 starter goes "click-click"
 

Friends - searched on "starter" and did not get my answer. Yesterday when I went to put our 1989 300TE (187,000 miles) in the garage it would not start. The starter makes a "click-click-click..." sound but does not turn the motor.

Have never dealt with a starter on a MB before, so just wanted to verify that the starter is the likely culprit and NOT some relay/circuit (OVP anyone) between the key and the starter.

I also assume replacement of the starter is a candidate for an experienced DIY'er -

TIA for your time -

Brian
84 733i 5-speed
89 300TE
01 Eurovan GLS

Brian

I would check the battery. Often this is a symptom of a bad battery. How old is it? Water in the cells? Use a volt/ohm meter and see what volts it has. You might not need a starter ....

Haasman

I would BET on the battery. usually, dead starter does nothing

Ahah - don't forget the simple/obvious - so glad I asked! Things are so hectic at my house it's difficult to think clearly at times.

The battery *is* 5-6 years old IIRC, and we've used the car several times over the last couple of months to jump-start my dead 733i.

I'll check the battery first -

THANKS for your input!

Brian

You are welcome!

Be sure and report back to this thread so it has a conclusion for other readers.

Haasman

Starter problem resolved!
 

Battery was only two years old, but very low on water. Filled with distilled water and took to Batteries Plus where it was purchased. Delivered about 500 cranking amps but dropped to under 6 VDC in doing so - evidently not enough to turn motor over.

Left at Batteries Plus overnight for free charge, everything is back to working order.

Remember - check the water on your "maintenance free" battery!

THANKS to all for taking the time to respond to my simple query.

Brian

Brian Thanks for the reply.

May all our car problems be this easy to solve!

Haasman

Glad you're back on the road, but why was the battery low on water? Often this is a sign that the voltage regulator is not working to spec and allowing too high a voltage to boil away the electrolyte.

I've always found that the water gets low over time, and I simply had overlooked checking this battery.

I've always assumed that since some of the car electronics are always on, there is always a low-current drain on the battery, and lead-acid batteries don't like this. Additionally, we have a Nokia cell phone car install kit in the car, and up until about a year ago my wife would often leave the phone in the car, and it would be charged with the car battery. Throw in a couple of jump starts for my old BMW and I'm assuming that did the trick.

I'll check the voltage across the battery just to be sure.

THANKS

Brian