1978 300CD, Automatic. History - I've been having to hold the shift lever in the upper right position, or put it in neutral to get it to start. Also, a few times, when getting ready to start, the glow plug light hasn't come on, indicating to me that there might be a contact issue somewhere.

Today's problem is this - no matter what I do, it won't crank. I have pulled the leads going to the neutral safety switch and tried jumpering to see if that switch was bad, but that didn't help. I have tried the "hammer on the starter" trick, and that didn't help. I do know that I need to replace the shifter linkage bushings, which are long since gone. My suspicion, at this point, is the ignition switch. It is my understanding that I can purchase the electrical portion of this, which seems to make sense. Before I do, I would like input from folks here who may have been down the same road before. If there is anything else I may have overlooked, please let me know.

This is an urgent matter, since this is my daily driver, and I have just a few days to get it back up and running.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

__________________
"If we can't have fun while we're here, we might as well go to the house".

1978 300CD
1985 300TD
1999 Land Rover Discovery II
rover1@sbcglobal.net

Check to see if there is a plastic junction box on top of the right fender in front of the battery. If so, open it and jump terminals 1 and 3. If the problem is in your ignition switch, the starter should function by jumping these wires. Glow it before jumping if you want it to start.

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1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

That got my hopes up, but no such terminals. Surely there is another location to try this.

__________________
"If we can't have fun while we're here, we might as well go to the house".

1978 300CD
1985 300TD
1999 Land Rover Discovery II
rover1@sbcglobal.net

You could jump the terminals directly on the starter itself if there is no junction box.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Will do. And if that works, then I can assume that the ignition switch is the culprit? And if so, is it just the electrical portion that needs to be replaced?

__________________
"If we can't have fun while we're here, we might as well go to the house".

1978 300CD
1985 300TD
1999 Land Rover Discovery II
rover1@sbcglobal.net

There's a thread here somewhere explaining how to clean the contacts in the ignition switch.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

when my roommates '77 Datsun B210 would not start because of electrical demons we would just use a long screw driver and bridge the starter, just make sure to have your key in the run position before you try it, otherwise the fireworks were for nothing. but either cleaning or replacing the electric side of the ignition switch look like your best option.

on A side note, is it possible to disengage the device that prevents the car from starting if the gear shift is not in park? and how would one go about doing that?

__________________
'81 300D - swapped to a 617.951 turbo motor with a 150 amp alt.

I tried the screwdriver on the solenoid. The starter spun just fine, but didn't engage. Was I doing this incorrectly, or do I have another problem?

__________________
"If we can't have fun while we're here, we might as well go to the house".

1978 300CD
1985 300TD
1999 Land Rover Discovery II
rover1@sbcglobal.net