My starter worked fine for a few days, but I stopped at the post office on the way home today and when I came back the starter would not work.

I put the rubber end of a long hammer on the starter and then hit a sledge hammer against the long hammer. Repeated tries did not work.

So, I got the car rolling with the transmission in neutral and the key in number 2 position. I rolled down a hill and then put the transmission in S toward the bottom of the hill. It was not enough to build up pressure in the transmission fluid to turn the engine.

I let the car roll into another parking lot and then tried tapping the starter again. The starter is not very accessible and hard to reach. I tried a small hammer and reached down and tapped he solenoid toward the front. I turned the ignition switch and the car started! Now I think I know where to hit the starter to get it to work.

I suppose I'll save my money for a good one. Maybe my tax return will help. I'd like to install a used starter to save money, but I'd hate to install it and discover it doesn't spin as fast as it needs to. And on the W116 body style the starters are a pain to swap out.