i have an 83 240d (manual transmission) and have been experiencing an intermitent condition where the starter will not turn over the engine; i.e. not even the slightest sound when i turn the key to the start position. stress intermitent. searches here pretty much suggest that i should consider replacing the starter. or at the least the solenoid. also noted here somewhere that one gentleman stated that the pep boy rebuilt starters had a high failure rate. was entertaining the purchase of said item from pep boys based on convenience and price. can someone share some light/thoughts on reliability of starter from pep boys? thank you.

I had to do a starter last summer. Bought a Bosch unit through this site. Can't recall exactly what I paid for it, but the unit has a great warranty and is original equipment. I'd do this before going to the dealer.

Who rebuilds the starters for Pep Boys, anyway?

If you have the time to leave the car sitting for a little bit, you can take the starter to a rebuilder yourself and save about half the price. I did this with a Triumph starter and alternator, and for a lot less actually got a better rebuild, cleaned, tested and warranted. Truck mechanics do this all the time, as big reig starters and alternators cost big $$$. Call a semi repair shop and ask who they go to. Just a thought.

Gil

I've been through many starters on 123 diesels. The problem you describe could most likely be fixed by simply replacing the solenoid as long as it was not a cheap rebuilt to begin with.

If it WAS a cheap rebuilt, get a Bosch rebuilt or get one from the dealer. The good news is that the starter is a piece of cake to change on the four cylinder. You definitely cannot say that for the 300D, however.

Good luck,

gentlemen, thank you. as a follow-on to mr. bible's suggestion to replace the solenoid i ask the following question. where can i locate a solenoid? swear the other day i was in fastlane and there was a choice of solenoids. i can't find a listing for the item anywhere today.

hold that last post. had a moment of adequate blood flow to the brain and called phil. he was able to locate the solenoid by its part number. 000 152 3010. hope this may be of some help to anyone in a simular circumstance.

Do you recall what the solenoid cost? I was in shock at what my indy charged for a rebuilt Bosch starter, but I was kind of stuck.

That was the only time my Mercedes has had to be towed Not like the car hadn't given several reluctant-start warnings. And it did finally die in my driveway, so I wasn't really stranded. Still, the memory of my SD winched to the back of a tow truck is something I won't soon forget ...

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

mr. roe, the solenoid was $23 and change. and approximately $7 shipping. did see after the fact that another site had the part for $20.

Hello, part number 000 152 3010 (Starter Solenoid) is for the 240D only? Does anyone know the part number for the starter solenoid for a '83 300D?

Thanks,
Adiel

If the starter is so easy to replace on the 83 240D, can anyone give any good instructions? I have a starter from a 300 sitting here ready to go in.

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1983 240D
www.againsttcpa.com
www.hydrogenaudio.org
www.ntfs.org

FWIW, I've got a Pep Boys rebuilt starter in my truck right now, and it's been going strong for over 2 years. I wish I could say the same for the flywheel ring gear (I almost regularly get the starter teeth not engaging fully, and the loud obnoxious noise that accompanies that)...

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2001 VW Jetta TDI, 5 speed, daily driver
1991 Ford F-350, work in progress
1984 Ford F-250 4x4, 6.9l turbo diesel, 5 speed manual
Previous oilburners: 1980 IH Scout, 1984 E-350, 1985 M-B 300D, 1979 M-B 300SD, 1983 M-B 300D
Spark-free since 1999

Janko, your original post mentioned NO SOUND sometimes.... you may want to jump wire your starter to see if it is the starter... or perhaps your key switch.... or neutral safety switch... or clutch pedal switch.....
If hot wiring it starts it up just fine then it is probably one of the other items...

I'm pretty sure PepBoys won't carry that starter. At least they couldn't find the heavier duty turbo version (which is the one you want to install) when I checked with them a few weeks ago. Autozone has them, however, for around $100.

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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

Warden: You better check to see that you've got the right starter in there. Sometimes there is a slight difference between starters for automatics and standards. That slight difference can result in your symptoms ( happened to us when we replaced a starter on an F350). The ring gear is a mother to get to in order to replace...

BTW, how's that boat project going?

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1982 Mercedes-Benz 300CD
1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D - stick

I am under the impression that if there is a clicking sound but no 'turning over', then the solenoid is fine. Is that accurate?

I have the same symptoms but when I jump the starter (wires on the fender), something clicks down there but still no 'turning over'.

Don

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DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

I just got my starter from autozone ($109). Their rebuilt starter has the solenoid on the opposite side of mine (mine has the solenoid on top of the motor, theirs would be below when installed).
Does this make a difference? will it fit? is it the right part? I would like some idea of whether this will work before I start bench-pressing this heavy motor above my head while laying on my back. As many of you know, it isn't much fun to change the starter on a 300(CD).
Also, for those of you that tap the solenoid when it starts acting up, my question is this: How the hell do you get at the solenoid to tap it?

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1985 300CD 279k
2000 F250 powerstroke