well, since I believe that you mentioned using wood earlier in the thread, you have exactly the right attitude to keep an old heap on the cheap.
my truck has 1/8 stainless steel floorpans and cab supports, and an old rubber bedliner that I replaced the carpet with, I like it.
at 50 mph and 50’ away, its a beaut…
every ride is an adventure…
(its actually dependable, and fairly safe, right now, but it took awhile)
…but don t use 1/8 stainless steel , it s a real pain in the neck…, and the back…, and the shoulder…, and the drill bits…
Back in my poor days I used to keep the hood and trunk lid of whatever car I junked to make floor pans for the next one. A large ball peen hammer and the curb in front of my house served to shape them.
Who knows how copper wire was invented? 2 Pennsylvania Dutchmen fighting over a penny. As they like to say, “It ain’t the income that matters. It’s the outgo.”
Well well well. Now that I have captured the “Duct Tape Specialist” award, I see the rest of you have begun to hang on my every scintillating word of advice so that you can jerry-rig your hot rod to perform as well as my dragster. I expected as much!
Now, can someone please tell me what to check to see why my 300SD engine doesn’t make a peep when I inject her with electricity and turn the ignition to start the beast? I decided to go back to investigate the original problem, the reason I put her out to pasture in the first place. Turning the key to trigger the glow plugs, I hear a buzzing sound which lasts for 20 to 30 seconds that seems to confirm the glow plugs have lit. Then, I twist the key the rest of the way and get nothing. Could this be the alternator? The solenoid? (I threw a temporary battery in to the wiring.)
THE Duct Tape Specialist
“Let’s take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” Joe Heller Catch 22
First things first . . .
The first thing I’d do is see if the engine even turns over by hand. If it doesn’t, you should consider scrapping the vehicle, IMO. You need a 1/2" drive 27mm socket, extension and a 2 foot long 1/2" drive breaker bar
How do you know the “temporary battery” is any good . . . ?!
Are you getting voltage at the starter solenoid when you turn the key to run position?
Do you even have a digital multimeter?
How about your ground . . . many people never check the ground
Forget the alternator for now . . . it’s got nothing to do with starting the engine. It only comes into play IF you ever get it running
Nothing diesel-specific or Benz-specific about the pointers I just gave you, by the way.
I mean the starter! Battery has juice according to digital vm-12.38, enough to turn the lights on and get a buzzing sound. Thanks db, I’ll check to see if solly is getting voltage. Not sure how but will check online. I’ll buy a 27mm socket. Got a 1/2 inch drive and extension but need the breaker bar. I’ll look up where I attach the socket to try to turn it over.
Ground? Unsure what you mean.
Get the socket and breaker bar at Sears. The extension will only be 18", but the prices are good, and the warranty is hassle-free, unlike some other places
Are your engine ground straps good and tight, and not frayed? How about your negative battery terminal and cable?
A fully charged battery actually has about 12.6 volts, but 12.38 should be enough for now. Are you certain that “temporary battery” was able to start another vehicle?
Hey Unc, It’s Terrific For You To Try This Project, But Have You Got Anybody Nearby, A Shade Tree Mechanic Neighbor Or Even A Chickadee With Some Wrenches Who Could Lend A Hand?
CSA
@“common sense answer”
More likely a chickadee 
So, you boys had to rub it in, didn’t ya? I suppose it is all over town by now. To think I trusted wesw! Wouldn’t you know? She’s like all the rest. She took one look at my face and called the police. So, NO, I have no sweet little chickadees who want to do anything but have me arrested, pay overdue child support or send alimony checks.
If the neutral starter switch is busted, shouldn’t the car start in any gear, after all, its purpose is to prevent starting in all but park and neutral? But from my research, the broken nss is apparently a reason for these cars not to start.
hey, I only wanted you to come down so that my old ford would look good in comparison to that german heap of yours…
I didn t know that you wanted another child support payment to worry about…
Inside the black strip on the fender well there are three Philips screw wire connections. The smallest wire connects directly to the trigger screw of the starter solenoid. If I take a jumper wire from there to the positive of the battery and the starter is good and the battery is charged and engine not locked up, the car will crank over.
So, if this doesn’t work, then the problem is either the ignition sw or the neutral safety sw?
I’ll check the ground straps now that I know what they are.
Put your test light or volt meter on the white/violet wire terminal on the starter and turn the ignition to the start position. Is there power to the starter?
I hate to say this but…, you did make sure that your battery wires were in good shape, right?
not corroded under the insulation? terminals and connections good? no excessive greenness or whiteness about?
Thanks for the tips, guys. The starter is a monster to get to and I am almost all thumbs. You have given me hope. Appreciate it.
Also keep in mind that the standard battery for a diesel Mercedes is a BIG bruiser. If you are trying to start it with a sub par battery or a jumper box, it probably won’t be successful.
My last, of four or five, diesel Mercedes disappeared from my life about 29 years ago, but I do remember some things. For instance, I do not recall the glow plug “ready” indicator being a buzzer. It was always a light that went out, or a earlier, a glowing indicator on the dash that got red hot, at which time the engine could be started. I’m not sure which system your '82 uses. Are you sure the buzzer you heard wasn’t just the “key in switch-door open” buzzer?
MG brings up a very good point . . . the battery you need is a group 49. A truly massive beast
Don’t bother trying to start your engine with a wimpy little group 35
You guys are too much. Thanks to each of you (except you know who-yes her, the one who called 911). I’ve not only received much good and helpful advice, no one here has claimed to have gone completely out if his mind interacting with me, YET. That’s a world record.
The battery in the old girl right now weighs approximately 17 tons. It came out of an aircraft carrier. Just want the old bomb to kick; doesn’t have to start, just turn over. Or half way over, or grunt, or something!
