After running smoothly for about a month since coming out of storage my 1980 230G has begun failing to start correctly. <br><br> Sometimes when I get in and turn the key it is perfectly normal and starts fine. Other times it makes this terrible grinding sound, with no engine turnover whatsoever. It sounds like what you would expect to hear if you turned the key in a car with the engine already running. It's quite loud and sounds very bad, and there is no in between, either it starts totally fine, or it completely misses and makes this noise with nothing from the engine.<br><br> As I said, It ran fine for about a month and just began to do this, and it's frequency has been increasing. It's not specific to the car being cold or warm either, it seems to be random.<br><br> Clearly, it seems as though some connection is just plain being not getting made. Of course I will be getting it into my benz-mechanic as soon as I can, but that unfortunately cannot be as soon as I'd like.<br><br> If anyone has any ideas or insight taht could help me out it would be incredibly appreciated. I imagine that it is a starter problem, but since it either works perfectly or not at all, any ideas as per what might be wrong, or what I could do to fix/help the problem? <p><br>Infinite Thanks,<br><br>-tom<br><br>1980 MB 230G<br><p>
I haven't looked at the starter on my G yet, but I have experience with many others. The basic problem is that the nose gear on the starter is not getting fully engaged with the flywheel (or ring gear if you have AT). First rule out easy things, liek the starter attachment bolts being loose. If the starter is properly affixed to the engine, then the problem lies either with a sticky Bendix Drive (a bendix drive is a steep helix on the statrer armature shaft that "throws" the nose gear toward the flywheel due to inertia when the starter armature starts spinning), or with a sticky solenoid (some starters use a lever from an integral solenoid to move the nose gear into mesh with the flywheel). In either of those cases, removal of the starter is required. Once the starter is out, the offending piece (bendix drive or solenoid plunger) can likely be cleaned and replaced. Unfortunately, the labor rate at your mechanic may make that option more expensive than a simple replacement of the whole unit. <p>If they need/want to replace the whole starter, you may wish to ask if you can have the old one. It willl cost you a "core charge" but if the old one is repairable, you could have a spare starter for much less than the cost of a new one. If you're not a shade tree mechanic type, you might call around to an independent starter/alternator service to ask if your starter can be rebuilt, and how much they might charge.<p>Now here are a couple funky things brought to mind when you said the problem is occouring with increasing frequency. I had a 1971 Firebird that had the same problem you describe. Starter would grind rather than engage. It was winter, I was lazy, and it started happenning more and more frequently. I eventually found out there were a number of contributers. 1- the PO had installed the wrong starter, so the nose gear was only engaging the flywheel 1/2 way, on the best day. 2- The engine had developed a small crack in one of the heads that caused the #8 piston to run at slightly lower compression than the rest. 3- The previous problem resulted in #8 cylinder being first to die every time I shut off the engine, and the engine would stop at teh same place in it's rotational cycle every time it was shut down. 4- Due to #3, the starter was chewing away at the flywheel in the same spot each time I started the car.<p>Before I found all this out, it had quit starting altogether. I would get in, try the key (neighbors loved THAT at 5am every day..), and if it didn't catch, I'd pop the hood, grab the crankshaft pulley, turn the engine 20 degrees or so by hand, get back in, and start the car......<p>Now all this goes if the sound you hear sounds like gear grinding. If the sound you get when you try to start is more like a bearing squeal, then the part to suspect is the over-running clutch on the starter's nose gear. This is an arrangement of rollers and springs that is supposed to allow the starter to drive the flywheel, but to not allow the flyweel to spin the starter once the engine starts. If this piece is slipping, it will squeal and the starter won't turn the engine.<p>That about cover it, I think.....<p>-Dave G.<br><br><p>
I had the same problem and fixed it by replacing the starter motor. Check by reaching down and try to move the starter motor, if there is any movement, the starter bolts (very difficult to get to, but I did it without taking it to a mechanic) are loose and need to be tightened with new locking washers. If the starter motor is not on tight, sometime it turns and engine and sometime not--and the noise it makes when it is loose and spins freely can be very loud like you described. <br><p>
Tom,<p>I concur with the above and would only add that I had a similar problem with my 230 G (1980) but the starter would either grid or spin without engaging - I replaced the starter with a rebuilt one -OEM from a mercedes sedan - it cost me about $80 as I recall but that was in Alaska so it might be cheaper in the lower 48? <p>While I had the starter out, I installed an engine heater too - good for Alaska and more difficult to do with a starter in place.<p>If you do the job yourself you may want to replace the top bolt holding the starter in place with a hex head rather than a recessed allen head which was on mine. Difficult to get a long enough allen head wrench to reach but the conventional 17 mm hex head works great!<p>Good luck!<p>Adam<br><p>
It's probably the solenoid which throws the Bendix gear into the gear teeth onthe engine flywheel. It is quite common that they get fouled with oil and grease; and this prevents the complete "throw" of the solenoid to fully engage the gear = grinding.
I cleaned and reassembled the one on my 280GE, and it worked for years after that.
In order for the starter motor to spin, the solenoid MUST complete it's stroke. The solenoid only engages the contacts that put power to the starter motor AFTER the gear is fully engaged with the flywheel. That's the way it's designed anyway. If the starter is lose or the linkage from the solenoid to the bendix drive loose/broken/worn out, then the solenoid may turn the starter before the gear is engaged, but these things aren't as likely as another problem.
Worn out bendix drive. The bendix drive is a simple over-running clutch, kind of like a ratchet (only with slipping rollers instead of teeth). It allows the starter to drive the flywheel, but then allows the flywheel to run faster than the starter after the engine fires and you still have the ignition key turned to "start". Eventually the springs and rollers in the Bendix drive get worn and instead of the engine turning, once the starter engages the flywheel the bendix drive just slips. It makes a grinding noise because the gear teeth of the starter and flywheel rattle together as the drive repeatedly tries to engage, but slips.
The Bendix drive alone is usually replaceable. For instance, the one for your 230 G is MB part number 0001517113 if the engine number is before 002683 and 0001518713 if the engine number is later than that.
You might want to check with a local independent MB mechanic to see if there's a reliable starter rebuilder in your area. Once the starter is out it's probably a good idea to replace other wear items like the bearings, brushes, and maybe the solenoid too at the same time, depending on how much cash you have at your disposal.
All the best,
-(the other) Dave G.
PS - please fill out your profile so we know some things like where you're located, and what vehicle you have, so you don't have to repeat them in the body of the message any time you post.
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