Diagnosing Starter Problems
 

Hey everyone. Where would you start in the diagnosis of a possible starter issue? My 300SD sat for a while and would not start. When you try to start it you get a click like something is trying to engage but then nothing. I thought it was the battery but after replacing it I found that I was wrong. Needed a new battery anyway so no major loss there. :)

I have some ideas on where to start but just wanted to get some other opinions. Normally at this point I would just give up and haul it over to the mechanic but I would like to avoid towing it. :)

I guess start off with the ole hammer to the side of the starter while somebody cranks......

I like your car description "rear ended harder than Elton John". Kinda scary :)

Yep, and at 273K it is way less miles than Elton.....;)

Heh heh. Yea even my 300SD has less miles than Elton. Elton Lives in Atlanta maybee I could convince him that the top of my OM617 was a piano and it would start from the hard finger action on the cam lobes? I would just have to quickly install the valve cover before oil started squirting everywhere so Elton would not get too excited. :)

Do the cables from the battery to the ground and to the start look okay?

Why the hate on Elton? Good music...

I would suggest a voltage drop test, if you know someone who can.

First check all the battery connections. Make sure your ground cable on the battery has a good connection. Make sure the ground strap on the trans. bell housing is good, and has good connections. Make sure the connections to the starter are good. After that then I was test the alternator to make sure it's pushing enough juice to charge the battery properly. Then on to the starter.

What a hijack...
 

We're goofing on Elton, not hating on him. Still the best concert I ever went to was Elton back in the mid 80's......

Ding Ding Ding Your A Winner!
 

The hammer trick worked. I was so busy diagnosing the electrical side of things I completely forgot about this old trick. Thanks for the help! :)

I'm going to see what happens with the starter and put off replacement for a little while. This is not my primary car so if it does not start its not a big deal to me. What have other people found when you get a starter that jams for the first time? Will it be ok in the future or will it continue with its old tricks? The part is cheap so I may have this dealt with when I find time to drop it off at the mechanics for a while.

Starter
 

I finally replaced the starter on my 81 300D. It would start some days but some times it wouldn't start. It would start in the morning but refused to start when I got in to go home after work. The starter seemed to spin slower than normal. I finally just bit the bullet and had it towed to my indie who replaced it. Works fine now. I replaced the battery and the cables but still had the same problem. However, the cables needed to be replaced anyway as they had a good bit of corrosion on them (both positive and ground strap). I could have replaced it myself but was tired that day and just had the indie fix it.

clint

At the moment this car is driven once a month or so for pleasure trips. It used to be my primary everyday driver until I was seduced by my bank vault on wheels with its 11 speaker bose audio system. I can't seem to not drive the 140 these days. I'm going to see how things go with the starter and hope that its a once in a blue moon sort of thing and my 126 is showing its personality slightly and saying please drive me. If it acts up again ill just have it replaced. I have a list of things that need to be done to the car anyway. :)

best concert was garth brooks foolowed by brooks and dunn with reba That is saying sumthin when i have seen Led Zepplion Stones Billy Joel Bruce Springsteen The who J Geils bout 8 times Boston Aerosmith Gawd I'm old I missed Tony Bennett