Starter Problems

"That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms" (thatbastardkurtis5) 07/24/2016 at 20:33 • Filed to: None

0

9

I’ve got an intermittent issue with the starter on my wife’s ML350, which to me is the worst kind of issue. Give me something that either works or doesn’t. Make it not work at all so I’ll know I’ve got something to fix. But this, this is just irritating.

Every once in a while, like every 2-3 months, her car won’t start. Turn the key, single big click, and that’s it. Sometimes it starts after a few tries, sometimes it doesn’t. Inevitably you let it sit for a day, it starts, and then it goes and works fine for months.

What I’ve never gotten to do, or had to do, was whack it with a hammer and make it start. You can’t get at the starter from the top, so I don’t know if that would make it work. That would say dying starter or a dead spot on it, but the fact that it just starts after sitting for some time is weird to me.

It also doesn’t seem to be effected by temperature. Hot out, cold out, hot starts, cold starts. There’s no real rhyme or reason to it.

So today I pulled the wheel and pulled the fender liner, which gives me a good look at the starter, pictured here:

I was able to get a ratchet onto the connections, and I was able to tighten both of them about a quarter turn. Then I backed them both off, tapped them with a hammer to free up some rust, hosed it down with Deoxit, and tightened them back up.

It's going to need a starter eventually I'm sure, I just wish the damn thing would quit once and for all instead of just being an occasional inconvenience.

HammerheadFistpunch > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 20:43

3

Sounds like worn or stuck contacts

OPPOsaurus WRX > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 20:47

2

You should replace it at your soonest convenience insted of getting fucked one day

PS9 > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 21:00

3

How to fix the MLs intermittent starter issue:

1) Trade it for the equivalent Lexus

2) Start Lexus and drive it

3) Forget about anything breaking ever again

Toby F., Manager > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 21:07

1

I had a similar issue, except it wasn’t the starter, but instead the $1000 ecu. No codes, no nothing, just intermittent no-starts (starter clicks or silence). Turns out a solder connection would loosen whenever the ecu reached a certain temperature.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > OPPOsaurus WRX 07/24/2016 at 21:15

0

Yeah totally. I'm going to call around for some prices on it tomorrow. The part is cheap enough, if I can get it done for $300-400 I'll just do it.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 21:48

2

“I just wish the damn thing would quit once and for all instead of just being an occasional inconvenience.”

I’ve got the solution for you:

After that, it will definitely never start again... in a very reliable fashion!

cbell04 > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/24/2016 at 22:26

0

This is going to sound weird but we have dodge caravan that actually uses some borrowed tech from their MB partnership days to start the car. Long story short have the same symptom in a 2009 dodge grand caravan. As an experiment next time put the vehicle in neutral and let it roll an inch or two and try again. If your on flat ground you will have to wiggle it/push pull it. The condition is caused by two possible areas of failure regarding the neutral position switch that tells the transmission the the car is in neutral or park. It’s basically a simple selector that lays the voltage across the post when the car is in neutral or park and if gummed up or miss aligned the posts don’t meet properly. From a linked article on a quick search but there are way better ones if you search more http://www.ehow.com/list_7425651_s… . “

Failure to Start

While specific designs vary, the neutral safety switch usually acts as an interrupter between the starter relay and the starter, or the key and the starter relay. During normal operation, the switch’s internal circuit will only close while in neutral or park. In no other position will power make it from the ignition key to the relay or the relay to the starter. If your vehicle’s starter does not engage in any way when you turn the key in park or neutral, the neutral safety switch may be at fault.”

sonicgabe > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms 07/25/2016 at 02:07

0

Yeah, I speak from experience... Get a new starter in there ASAP or you will have a really crappy day. That day could be tomorrow. It could be in a month. You won’t know when, but it will happen.

You’ll get stuck by yourself at the wrong end of parking lot where the only direction you can go to try to pop the clutch is slightly uphill, which will eventually lead to you giving the last of your cash to some pseudo-homeless man to help you push it up the aforementioned slight incline. The only reason he doesn’t rob you is because he thinks you have it worse than he does. And once you do get it running, you’ll have to leave it running in the parking lot of the auto parts store while you buy a new starter, all the while hoping that no one steals your ride while you’re inside. And then that one last bolt will take two hours to pry off, but only after you broke several sockets and had to walk back to said parts store for more tools.

Get a new starter.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 07/25/2016 at 06:07

1

Personally I’d like to toss the ML350 in a bag, throw the bag into a river, and hurl the river into space. But that looks almost as satisfying.