m104 starter.Well this is my 2nd rebuilt starter from advance auto for $118.Do you think a Bosch rebuilt will be any better.The 2nd starter acted up yeterday.Had to get cold before solenoid engaged.I'm tired of paying $80 tow bills

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

well the Bosch starter offers two towing its a $239,compared to my $118.one.

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Don't be so quick to blame the starter just yet. ( it might be bad, we don't know just yet )

Make sure the wire that triggers the solenoid is capable of passing high current. Make sure the circuit is good through any neutral safety / anti theft systems, to the ignition switch then back to the battery + from the ignition switch.

There are two windings in a starter solenoid that pull in the drive / switches battery power to the motor, here is how it works.

The first is a pull in winding, this is a high power / intermittent duty winding that gives the drive a initial tug towards the flywheel. One end of this winding is tied to a positive solenoid wire, the other is tied _to the positive side of the motor_ . ( remember this, it is a concept that is used later )

The second is a hold in winding, this is a low power / near continuous duty winding that keeps the drive pulled in. One end of the winding is tied to the solenoid wire, the other is tied _ to ground _.

So, the sequence of events is:

Positive battery power is applied to the solenoid wire,

As a separate action from below, the hold in coil is energized.

The starter motor starts to rotate slowly because it is in series with the pull in winding,

At the same time the drive is headed towards the flywheel ( this slow rotation assists in meshing of the gears )

When the solenoid bottoms out and the drive is fully shifted, a contact disc bridges battery + to the motor causing it to rotate at cranking speed. The electrical engineering guys will see that the pull in coil now has + voltage on both sides effectively taking it out of the circuit.

Do a search for " hot start kit " , air cooled VW / Porsche and oval track guys use a remote mount Ford type solenoid as a fix for a weak starter solenoid circuit.

As a quick test you can rig up a 12 Gauge wire from the battery through a heavy duty push button switch ( like 50 amp ish ) to the starter solenoid. This bypasses all of the car cranking wiring. Be careful, the neutral interlock is now bypassed and the car can start in gear and drive away.

Someone told me years ago to use Bosch rebuilt starters and alternators.My SD I had a rebuilder build my alternator and It was done twice,and still having deadbatteries.

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

My experience has been that every time I have tried to go the cheap route with a non-Bosch or Behr unit, I ultimately ended up having to send it back and go with the rebuilt Bosch or Behr. For me, this has applied to starters, alternators and a/c blower motors.

The savings on the cheap Chinese stuff just isn't worth the trouble. I would always go for a rebuilt Bosch or Behr over a new Chinese knockoff. Just my two cents.

__________________
1993 400E, 256,000 miles (totaled)
1994 E420, 200,000+ miles
1995 E420, 201,000 miles

Thats what I figured Bosch has 2 years towing on their part

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran