OK,
84 300d
I'm at my folks house upstate for T-Giving weekend. I've been having an issue with the starter for a while now, sometimes it just whirrs as if it is not engaging the engine. When this would happen previously, I would always just turn the key off and try again, and she would start right up. This morning though, when I turn the key the engine fires and almost turns over but then cuts out and I all I hear is the dreaded whirring of the starter. Over and over. If I could just start her once I could drive home...which would be nice. Any suggestions?
Thankfully yours,
Greenjed

could be a bad bendix in the starter, could be a damaged flywheel.
your car will pull start, not on a hill, you will need a towing car to pull you.

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Pull start with automatic tranny? Never heard of that can you please describe? Thanks...

You can try to turn the engine by hand a few degrees. If it is a bad flywheel doing that will move it to a place where there is still teeth to engage.
You can also try smacking the Bendix drive (long tube on the side of the starter where the relay is located) with a long piece of wood (closet rod) and a hammer a few times to loosen it up. That MIGHT work for you

Good Luck!!

__________________
"I have no convictions ... I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy"

Current
Monika '74 450 SL
BrownHilda '79 280SL
FoxyCleopatra '99 Chevy Suburban
Scarlett 2014 Jeep Cherokee
Krystal 2004 Volvo S60
Gone
'74 Jeep CJ5
'97 Jeep ZJ Laredo
Rudolf ‘86 300SDL
Bruno '81 300SD
Fritzi '84 BMW
'92 Subaru
'96 Impala SS
'71 Buick GS conv
'67 GTO conv
'63 Corvair conv
'57 Nomad

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showpost.php?p=2594232&postcount=10

Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Most likely your starter bendix is hanging up from wear and friction from lack of lubrication. If you could pull the starter and clean and lube the bendix shaft and gear it would probably work again for a while (several months in my case). Eventually you should replace the starter.

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Western NC
1987 300SDL W126 Turbo Diesel 335,000 + miles
1976 300D W115 275,000 miles+

A long with what the others said.

I do not know how you get at the Ring Gear (on the Flywheel on Manual Transmission models and on the Flex Plate on Auto Trans) but if you inspect the Teeth you may find that there are burrs on the Teeth.

The result is that it can prevent the Starter Gear from engaging.

The burrs can be filed or ground off to return the Ring Gear to the proper width/Thickness. However, I do not know how you would gain enough room to do this as the other vehicles I have done this to and a removable pan under the Ring Gear.

Of coures if the tips of the Ring Gear Teeth are worn the Ring Gear needs to be replaced or the Flex Plate if that is what you have.

Sometimes the Over Running Clutch on the Starter Gear goes bad and the Starter Gear engages and the Starter Motor turns but the Gear does not due to an issue inside of the clutch.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

pics
If you can file off the mush over meatal burrs you can get some more life out of the ring Gear although the one in the first pic looks pretty bad (but it does show the mushed over metal well).

Attached Thumbnails

   

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Caveman mechanics prevail (I hit it w/ a hammer)
At least it'll get me home... thanks for all the ideas!
gj