[Okiebenz]

A little background. This 08 GL320 has always been slow to crank. Sometime it would crank fine though Sometimes cranking so slow it did not seem like it would start but it would. It has keyless go and it seemed like if you hit the button and it cranked slow, hit it again to cancel and then hit button once more and on the 2nd go it would seem to crank like normal. A while back I had planned on having to replace the starter because the battery is new, cables are all good etc but decided to do a voltage drop test. Its been a while but it seems like all the lines were fine but I was getting too much drop between the battery connection at the battery and the jump post under the hood. No drop between post and cable, or from starter to connection behind alternator, or from there to the jump post.

First question, is there a connection point somewhere between the battery and the jump post? This could be where my drop is.

Now, new problem perhaps related to old problem. Wife was at the store yesterday, went to start it, nothing. No click, no nothing. Key seems to activate everything when turned to position 2 just no cranking. I hooked it up to SDS today and all systems appear to be go as far as drive authorization. Perhaps I was wrong in my previous testing of voltage drop and it was OK and the starter was going bad, and finally kicked the bucket. Its currently sitting in the driveway and I have not been able to do much with it yet beyond the SDS scan. If I do need to replace the starter I have a W116 on the lift I need to try to get finished up tomorrow so I can get this up in the area. I am going to have to get it into the shop anyway to do any major testing on it. Do these have a connection point anywhere that I can connect a remote starter switch to see if the starter cranks? Is there any sort of starter relay, or fuse that might be bad I need to check?

 

[Witek_M]

Since you have SDS you should have WIS. Anytime there is issue with the starter. First article I look for is "connect compression recorder"
Direct search for document AR01.10-P-0010-01GZ

 

[StenoPete1911]

A little background. This 08 GL320 has always been slow to crank. Sometime it would crank fine though Sometimes cranking so slow it did not seem like it would start but it would. It has keyless go and it seemed like if you hit the button and it cranked slow, hit it again to cancel and then hit button once more and on the 2nd go it would seem to crank like normal. A while back I had planned on having to replace the starter because the battery is new, cables are all good etc but decided to do a voltage drop test. Its been a while but it seems like all the lines were fine but I was getting too much drop between the battery connection at the battery and the jump post under the hood. No drop between post and cable, or from starter to connection behind alternator, or from there to the jump post.

First question, is there a connection point somewhere between the battery and the jump post? This could be where my drop is.

Now, new problem perhaps related to old problem. Wife was at the store yesterday, went to start it, nothing. No click, no nothing. Key seems to activate everything when turned to position 2 just no cranking. I hooked it up to SDS today and all systems appear to be go as far as drive authorization. Perhaps I was wrong in my previous testing of voltage drop and it was OK and the starter was going bad, and finally kicked the bucket. Its currently sitting in the driveway and I have not been able to do much with it yet beyond the SDS scan. If I do need to replace the starter I have a W116 on the lift I need to try to get finished up tomorrow so I can get this up in the area. I am going to have to get it into the shop anyway to do any major testing on it. Do these have a connection point anywhere that I can connect a remote starter switch to see if the starter cranks? Is there any sort of starter relay, or fuse that might be bad I need to check?

Hello. Let's work this from the back to forward. There is a starter relay. One relay might control more then just that specific part/s. So, open the hood and in front of you, left hand side, fuse box. 122 and "I" are the culprits that you're looking for. I will double check tomorrow on my car - doing oil change - but it should be the same. I don't remember what the voltage is for the relay, but you can just swap it out with another one of the same kind and see if that works.

If it was slow to crank then it could be a glow plug control module or fuel pump relay or pump going bad or the turbo starting to seize.

After reading your post, I think you just have a bad starter and nothing else. When starters used to be inexpensive, people would just change them out without giving it a thought. Nowadays, everyone will over-diagnose the simplicity of a problem and get themselves into bigger problems by doing what they're not supposed to. On top of the fact that now starters are expensive and you have to pay for installation, everyone will try to find something else other then the starter. In my situation it was a bad battery and a seized turbo. GL.

 

[Okiebenz]

Since you have SDS you should have WIS. Anytime there is issue with the starter. First article I look for is "connect compression recorder"
Direct search for document AR01.10-P-0010-01GZ

I did dig thru WIS a little bit but it can sometimes be difficult to find what you are looking for. I will check that document.

 

[Okiebenz]

Hello. Let's work this from the back to forward. There is a starter relay. One relay might control more then just that specific part/s. So, open the hood and in front of you, left hand side, fuse box. 122 and "I" are the culprits that you're looking for. I will double check tomorrow on my car - doing oil change - but it should be the same. I don't remember what the voltage is for the relay, but you can just swap it out with another one of the same kind and see if that works.

If it was slow to crank then it could be a glow plug control module or fuel pump relay or pump going bad or the turbo starting to seize.

After reading your post, I think you just have a bad starter and nothing else. When starters used to be inexpensive, people would just change them out without giving it a thought. Nowadays, everyone will over-diagnose the simplicity of a problem and get themselves into bigger problems by doing what they're not supposed to. On top of the fact that now starters are expensive and you have to pay for installation, everyone will try to find something else other then the starter. In my situation it was a bad battery and a seized turbo. GL.

Yes, it could be the starter but boy it sure looks like a pig of a job to change it. I had no idea glow plug module, fuel pump relay, turbo etc could cause it to turn over low. As far as the turbo is concerned, anytime I have had the batwing off the turbo seemed to turn free, and power seems like it should be compared to other 642s. I will check the relay in the morning. I guess it would kind of be nice if it was just a bad starter and I just buck down and replace it.

 

[Witek_M]

I did dig thru WIS a little bit but it can sometimes be difficult to find what you are looking for. I will check that document.

It takes a wiz to use WIS.

 

[StenoPete1911]

Yes, it could be the starter but boy it sure looks like a pig of a job to change it. I had no idea glow plug module, fuel pump relay, turbo etc could cause it to turn over low. As far as the turbo is concerned, anytime I have had the batwing off the turbo seemed to turn free, and power seems like it should be compared to other 642s. I will check the relay in the morning. I guess it would kind of be nice if it was just a bad starter and I just buck down and replace it.

Hello. The job is not as hard as it seems. As long as you can turn a wrench you'll be ok. GL.

 

[Okiebenz]

So I read the document mentioned in WIS and now have an understanding of the relay etc. Swapped a couple around, still nothing. Removed the relay and jumped the pin indicated in WIS with power and I get a faint click. Hard to say for sure where its coming from but sure sounds like its coming from the starter. That would tend to indicate the starter is in fact bad, or else power to the main lug on the starter is not getting there for some reason. I will go ahead and get a starter on the way and I guess I should have just replaced it when I had the car up on the lift and had it torn apart to allow access to get to the starter. This thing seems like it might need motor mounts soon, perhaps I should replace those while I am there.

 

[StenoPete1911]

So I read the document mentioned in WIS and now have an understanding of the relay etc. Swapped a couple around, still nothing. Removed the relay and jumped the pin indicated in WIS with power and I get a faint click. Hard to say for sure where its coming from but sure sounds like its coming from the starter. That would tend to indicate the starter is in fact bad, or else power to the main lug on the starter is not getting there for some reason. I will go ahead and get a starter on the way and I guess I should have just replaced it when I had the car up on the lift and had it torn apart to allow access to get to the starter. This thing seems like it might need motor mounts soon, perhaps I should replace those while I am there.

Hello. Good to hear. Go with OEM motor mounts and while you're there doing the starter and motor mounts it wouldn't hurt to change your transmission fluid. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure... GL.