Turn ignition key, starter delay or inoperative?

[warmblood58]

Hey Forum! Lately, my ignition is acting strangely. When I turn ignition key, glow signal and other lights come up but starter fails to crank! After 2-5 attempts, starter will engage, turn over engine with immediate fire as usual. Bad solenoid or parking gear switch failing? Any thoughts? Seems like it does this on very hot days in particular -thanks!

[4thesporty]

Does it do this when trying to start in N. My first thought is NSS. What is the condition of your shifter linkage bushings?


What car?

[vwnate1]

Starter solenoid , Bosch starters are famous for this .

I told my brother and he didn't listen , replaced the NSS and a buncha other small things , one fine night it stopped completely on us in nowhere , Wa. , far from help .

While you have the starter off , replace the brushes and clean and lubricate it , it'll work As-New again for years to come .

[Diesel911]

I am not seeing what year, model or chassie type you are driving but see if this applys to you.
84 300D
the neutral safety switch or the ignition switch.
Above the accelerator pedal is a 4-wire plug with a harness that runs down to under the accelerator pedal and to the transmission tunnel. Unplug it, jumper across the two purple wires in the female plug and try to start again. If it starts, you need a NSS.”

I do not know if your cars wiring is the same but I got part of this quote from another Forum concerning a no cranking problem with an 84 300D.

“First make sure the selector is in P or N. Cycle through all the gear positions and try in N.
In front of the battery is a small rectangular box. Use a jumper wire to jump from one of the large posts to the small post with the purple wire. If it cranks, you've got an issue with the neutral safety switch or the ignition switch.
Above the accelerator pedal is a 4-wire plug with a harness that runs down to under the accelerator pedal and to the transmission tunnel. Unplug it, jumper across the two purple wires in the female plug and try to start again. If it starts, you need a NSS.”

[kerry]

Very common problem typically caused by poor connections in the ignition wiring system. Jump terminals 1 and 3 in the junction box on top of the right fender in front of the battery. It will probably start when those terminals are jumped. I carry a short piece of copper wire to jump the terminals when it happens on my 85TD. Typically it will happen a few times, then return to normal for six months or so before doing it again. Very hot or very cold seem to trigger it.

[warmblood58]

Good comments all - I assume Phil stocks NSS (Neutral safety switches)? I do have a backup remanufactured starter that I bought many months ago. Car btw is a '82 300sd -sorry for not including model type earlier! Best!

James

[vwnate1]

Remember there is a white plastic locking ring holding the plug to the NSS , you must twist it a bit to unlock it before prying the plug loose or it'll shatter .

When a NSS fails , the starter won't operate , not slowly operate after you've held the key over for a moment .

A simple test for the NSS is to hold the key over with your left hand whilst you s_l_o_w_l_y move the shifter through the park and neutral positions as the contacts might just touch sufficienly - if so , the starter will then operate as normal and you've found the problem .

Bosch starters rarely need rebuilding , usually just a new solenoid and cleaning & re greasing .

Have fun getting it off , I find it easiset to cobble up a 4' long 3/8" drive extension .

[vstech]

before you replace the NSS, check this.
when it's giving you trouble starting hold the key in the start position, then push the shifter all the way forward. if it cranks, it's not the NSS, it's the shifter bushings.
that is the MOST common problem with starting these older cars.

[warmblood58]

Thanks, another good tip -seems like it always does better in the morning when cold so heat related somehow?

[kerry]

Originally Posted by warmblood58

Thanks, another good tip -seems like it always does better in the morning when cold so heat related somehow?

Yes, try the experiment I suggested. Heat is increasing the resistance in the wiring and not providing enough amperage to operate the solenoid. If you search on the problem you'll see that some people have installed Ford starter solenoids near the battery to solve the problem.