I was having problems with an older MB 240D, 1974, I believe. Anyway, the pull-start would not function everytime so I decided that I would just get under the hood and "arc" the starter to fire it up.

The moral to this story is this: Make sure the car is in "park", not "reverse", before you attempt this procedure. A 240D may be slow on the road but they are not too slow when you're chasing one on foot!
No joke! Stupid me!