today i went to start my car and it would barley turn over. i figured that battery had quit but it was charged (13.47v). then i tried cleaning terminals: battery, battery ground to frame, starter. still barley turning over. then i tried hooking up another battery in series and even at 24v it turned over slowly although the wipers went REALLY FAST. what else could it be before i take the starter out?
john

Did you check the ground strap from engine to frame? That is another critical part of the circuit.

If all these check out, then I think replacing the starter is next.

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Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

Be careful with 24V, you can burn things out. It does sound like the starter has had it. A quick and easy way to check the engine ground is to use a jumper cable and connect the negative battery terminal to a sold if spot on the engine block.

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1989 J-spec 420SEL -passed onto its new keeper
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1997 E290 Turbo Diesel Wagon -traded for above
1992 BMW 525i -traded in
1990 Silver 300TE -hated the M103
1985 Grey 380SE Diesel Conversion, 2.47 rear end, ABS -Sold, really should have kept this one
1979 Silver 300D "The Silver Slug" -Sold

i was very careful with the 24v. i did it just for a second just to see if the starter would spin faster i just happened to bump the wiper switch while pulling the gorilla knob. i jumped the starter by shorting the solenoid terminals and it spins freely. ??? i did check the ground strap from the bellhouse to the frame. is there one on the block i am missing? i'll try to ground the engine using a jumper cable to see what happens.
thanks,
john

i just hooked up a battery cable from the water engine to the neg. battery terminal and it turned over very slowly and then started clicking. i did it a few times more and now mainly clicking. the battery voltage had dropped to 12.5v.

i took the starter out and had it tested at autozone and it passed. they said maybe it was the alternator. does that make sense since the battery was fully charged? i have to admit i'm a little stumped.
john

UPDATE: so i did a load test on my battery and i turns out that when i crank the engine the voltage drops to 4.7v. i take it out and have it tested at local auto parts store and sure enough it is bad even though it shows 12.5v. now here is the new part. i install the new battery and the battery light doesn't come on when i turn the key. i start the car and it fires right up but i decide to check the voltage while it is running and it is only 12.67v. so out comes the alternator and it tests fine at the store. what should i be looking for now? voltage regulator?
john

If the bulb for the battery light is burnt out, the alternator won't charge properly. It's part of the charging circuit. Search the forum for battery light bulb for lots more info. Replace the bulb and then check charging voltage.

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Bingo. Maybe it didn't like 24 volts?

__________________
Respectfully,
/s/
M. Dillon
'87 124.193 (300TD) "White Whale", ~392k miles, 3.5l IP fitted
'95 124.131 (E300) "Sapphire", 380k miles
'73 Balboa 20 "Sanctification"
Charleston SC

maybe it didn't like the 24v but it was for literally 1 second or less. it was pretty obvious when i pulled the gorilla know it wasn't turning any faster. well i'm off to take the cluster out and check the bulb.
thanks for the help.
john

i finally had a chance to check the battery light bulb and it is good. the alternator has been tested and has passed at the local parts store. could the alternator pass and still have a bad voltage regulator? if not i guess i have to check the wiring. i think i read that the small wire that goes to the voltage regulator is the D+ that goes to the battery light.
john

Sorry 1 second is like an eternity for electricity, which travels at the speed of light. What ever was on at the time with 24V is potentially fried. Glow plug relay? Radio?

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ok i think i found the issue. it wasn't the 24v. i check continuity from the wiring loom at the back of the gauge cluster to the alternator and that was good so next i checked to see if i could get the bulb to light (i know the bulb is good because it works on other circuits) and nothing. so i open the gauge cluster and notice that the pin that completes the circuit is loose. there is continuity on the board the the battery light bridges but not at the pin unless i push against the board, so i think that when the loom is pushed in it looses contact. time to break out the soldering gun and see if i can get it to work.
john