Just started a project on my turbo and oil leak issue last week ,parts are in and Im getting back to start reinstallation .I look right down at the starter each and everytime I open the hood and it begs for replacement .A rebuilt one at Oreillys seems like a good deal ,anyone do this purchase ? Its an american rebuilt.

I can't answer your question directly, as I've bought two rebuild starters from two different places and had completely different experiences with them. However, you may learn something from my stories.

Number one was a rebuild done locally by a specialty auto electric shop here in town. They apparently used crap Chinese parts, since I had weeks of problems with the solenoid that refuse to do its job. I finally spent $55 to buy a Bosch solenoid from a specialty import parts house, put it in myself, end of problems. Post rebuild operation was completely indistinguishable from how well the starter worked prior to the starter problems that led me to bring it to the local rebuild shop. This was on my 240D.

For starter number two in the 190D, I just went to the specialty import parts shop, verified that they could sell me a Bosch-rebuilt starter, shelled out $225 and took it home. I put it in (with a little advice from the forum), and WOW, there was a difference! Not only was the solenoid problem solved from the get-go, but I swear the new starter cranks the engine significantly faster than the old (at least 25% faster is my guess). It could be better quality parts in the rebuild, could be that they sell a single starter for a range of engines and the 190D's 2.5 liter is at the bottom end, could be any number of reasons, but for my money I will go Bosch from here on out.

Kurt

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- '79 240D - engine swap complete! Engine broken in! 28-31 mpg! Lovin' the ride!
- '86 190D (W201-126) - 2.5 NA engine, 5 speed, cloth interior, manual climate controls, 33-34 mpg (sold to forum member).

How does a starter beg for replacement? If it works, don't mess with it. If it doesn't, make sure everything else in the chain - key switch, NSS, battery, 12V and ground cables, glow system, etc. - is in good shape.

Sixto
83 300SD
98 E320 wagon

I bought a rebuilt from a "reputable" shop and it failed while on a cross country roadtrip while I was in the Portland area.

The replacement was from an O'Reillys and it has lasted about 40,000 miles since then. I believe I have a lifetime warranty and I have all of my receipts for everything in the trunk.

Dkr.

Ill give it a try ,hate to waste a golden oppurtunity for its replacement,these are beast to replace for the difficult location.FIY on the dressing of the engine ,to go after what I call "the messy side of the engine" I started with just wanting a cleaner engine bay .Well so far the parts list are the turbo gasket kit,drain tube grommet under air cleaner ,turbo return tube grommet,air filter ,pan gasket ,starter, and hopfully a rebuild kit for turbo .If its all put to a price I beleive its just over $200 , w/ out the turbo kit .Once done I feel it will be ready for another 150k ,this service done diy can be completed on a weekend taking your time and having all parts ready. A few cans of parts cleaner wont hurt either.

We have a great local rebuilder and they seem to pick and install good parts - so far 100% good stuff from them. They did the starter and the alternator in Mutt as well as the starter in Truck, the Dodge/Cummins and some other stuff over the years. So I guess "your results may vary" applies in this situation.

Dan

My SDL came to me with a "brand new" Auto-Zone starter in it. It worked fine for roughly a year while I worked on getting the car back on the road, but then it started hanging up and not engaging the switch for the motor.

The internal rebuild of the motor was fine, but they phoned it in on the solenoid. Whoever rebuilt it slathered the plunger with very heavy axle grease and was just seizing the whole mess solid. Cleaned the grease off (the plunger is supposed to be dry!) and it hasn't given me a single issue since.

If you do go the O'reilley's route, it's worth pulling that solenoid and checking it before you install it. The 617 isn't as easy to pop the starter in and out of as the 603.

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Current stable:
1995 E320 157K (Nancy)
1983 500SL 125K (SLoL)

Gone but not forgotten:
1986 300SDL (RIP)
1991 350SD
1991 560SEL
1990 560SEL
1986 500SEL Euro (Rusted to nothing at 47K!)

Gone and wanting to forget:
1985 524TD 167K (TotalDumpster™) [Definitely NOT a Benz]

My experience is that you should have them test the new one before you leave the store. If they don't want to then don't buy. The worst time to find out that it doesn't work is after you've already installed it. Plus, while I've always had the first one work, one time my buddy when through two in the store that didn't work and finally the third one did and was fine after install.

It really does seem to be a solenoid issue if something does pop up with the rebuilds.

-Rog

Well this answers my question ,the starter from Oreillys is junk ,havent even pulled the car off the jack stands yet .I did take the time to ask them for a test on their bench unit.This confirms that they cant sell quality electronic car parts ,had the same issue with their alternators back a few yrs .Bye Bye O-riell-lie.The Bosch unit is $190 and well worth the extra bills ,this note for those future diy-ers .

I have them rebuilt whenever possible. That isn't always possible but keep your core until you're sure theirs is working well. You don't want to buy garbage and get screwed out of your core.

All of the shop manuals used to have rebuild instructions - even books like Haynes. Parts are cheap if you find a source.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Try to establish the solenoid is both new and a good brand if possible on a rebuild. The ones rebuilt in Mexico in my experience often have the old solenoid on them. Perhaps this is why the bosh rebuilt units cost more.


It is a pretty trouble prone part. The rebuilders have a major issue with rebuilding starters and alternators. There are really cheap replacement parts that do have many issues. Some if not most good rebuilders refuse to use them. So it makes them costly to repair at the rebuilders end when doing it properly.

A large rebuilder went out of business. Being an opportunist I went through their replacement parts inventory. There was little doubt why their returns put them out of business. After hours of looking I only purchased a very few things as 90 percent of their inventory consisted of just cheap junk parts. Also picked up a very large vice from them. It was an older firm that had not even properly equipped to check the comparative strength of each phase in the alternators . A twenty dollar expenditure on ebay as technically the scope can be pretty crude or obsolete for this function.

At the cost of some alternators today especially. If you can locate a good local rebuilder it is probably worth using them. I do not know how they stay in business though with all the cheap inferior junk in the auto stores as competition.

I have a growler and a multi horsepower alternator tester. Just for my own use though. Actually one of my daughters boyfriends many years ago was the supervisor of a very large chains rebuilding operation. They closed up their Canadian shop and moved it to Mexico a long time ago now. The product that chains sells today is really hit and miss.

Anyways. On the five cylinder 617. Make sure your hex socket on the bolt is bottomed by the tool. Especially the top one. Use only 1/2 inch extensions. Plus a good power bar. That top bolt in my experience will just snap loose a lot of times. You cannot do so if the extensions are torque twisting as the 3/8 ones sometimes do.

It may be a misteak but I put a little blue lock tight on the bolts and do not really torque them too heavily on re installation. A fair amount but not excessive. I never want to have to deal with a stripped head top bolt..

Ive got bosch written on the box ,the stickers on the solenoid and a plate on the body of the starter.The thing kickks smoother and on a dime after glow ,priceless.I do wonder what will happen to that stater that oreillys got back from me ,seems like they wanted to say it was good because the solenoid kicked out the starter gear during their little bench tester ran electricity through it .I told them that the task of the starter is not complete until the high compression diesel motor has started without fail. The roundey rounds startered and I told them to give me my money back ,not interested in a lifetime warrenty to come back with next week ,that message got the drawer open.Did I tell you they also sell autolite glow plugs ,on sell this week .

I did come up with a much easier workable approach to starter removal and installation .The steps are to remove the air cleaner,the short downpipe off the exhaust and the back of the turbo ,just a few more bolts to deal with but makes an easier job .Youll need some wd-40 for the exhaust nuts and interestingly are brass if they are the factory ones , no worries on corroded nuts ,I was pleasantly surprised for that detail. .If done this way youll find you can insert the hex socket into the top bolt before finding your extension with ratchet to the bolt underneath the car .This is the hard one to get too and much easier to tackle when the socket is in place in the bolt.Again ,their are a few more parts to take off but it makes the world of difference ,the starter you can pull up and out from the top of the motor bay also .I pulled both bolts then went after the mounts on back of the starter all from up top.

The Mexican and perhaps others check the solenoid trigger at a full 12 volts. If it works they use it again.


There are several realities here. Most important in place there never is 12 volts as the trigger at the terminal in service.


As soon as the slightest amperage is drawn the voltage sags immediatly. By design the wiring gauge was just barely up to scratch when the systems where new. Thirty years later all the terminations will have probably increased their resistance a little.


The electrical designers never designed for the lifespan these cars are seeing. Volkswagons of the same period suffered the same fate.

To navigate the issue of replacement I asked a few questions to the Bap Geon manager ,he gave me the indication that alot of starters from bosch are sold at his outlet and a few interesting stories with it.He indicated it might be the internal components that the other starter company is using and to not have conflict with the distibutor (oriellys)offers the lifetime warrenty.He then gave it a diffrent analogy that the manufacture gauges the part possible with components that are for a gas engine and not equiped to handle the stresses of what a diesel motor throws at it.Anyway
,the solenoid had its current running to the starter ,the starter had a failure or something else like a weak system due to weaker parts.Periodic engagment of the flywheel ,other times just spinning with no engagement.
Looking back on it their were alot of mysteries that the O reilleys counter help could not answer ,like where the parts to build the starter came from ,no stamps ,no stickers to help the guys out for the answer .Does say built in the U.S.A.? / Import Direct should give this lie up ,a place of origin and putting the U.S. is a B.S. tool.The name of the company has very little cloaking factor.