1996 SL INTERMITANT NO START PROBLEM- NEED HELP

My '96 SL with about 190K on the clock has been running like a champ.
About a week ago, I stopped at a store and it would not turn over.
it was at night, and when I turned the key it made no click or any
other sound, at the lights did not dim. It just seemed like the key
switch was not doing anything. Since it is a standard transmission, I
was able to easily push/bump start it and drive 3 miles home. When I
parked it in the driveway, same thing, turn the key to start, and
absolutely no reaction from the car. Lights were good and bright, and
did not dim at all.

Then It sat for a week while I was out of town, and I went out to
see what might be the problem, and the dang thing started right up! I
shut it off and started it 2 more times and it worked perfectly. I
guess I will keep driving it until it fails again, but hopefully I
will be in a good place to bump start it.

What do you think it most likely could be? Key switch, relay,
starter, or?

Larry

 

Check the heavy wiring between the battery and starter. Sometimes you get a
loose lug on the starter solenoid which makes it intermittent.

Chances are that the starter solenoid or starter motor are on their way out.
Sometimes you get lucky when it won't start and can get it to crank by
giving the starter motor a good rap with a breaker bar.
If you short the heavy battery wire to the small stud on the starter
solenoid, it should crank. This bypasses all the upstream stuff. Divide and
conquer...

 

It could also be a battery on its last legs. I have experienced this
phenomenon on several cars I have owned over the years. Sometimes the
battery will short out internally; then the short will go away -- for
awhile.

 

OP claimed that the lights were bright and did NOT dim upon trying to crank.
That implies a good battery and battery terminal connections.

 

Been driving the SL several days now and the starting problem has not
occured again. A friend suggested that maybe the switch on the clutch
pedal that locks out the starter if the clutch pedal is not depressed
might have gotten stuck that one time.

Larry

 

Don't know it it applies to you, but it's been above freezing here in metro
NY. Any water that might have gotten into the starter is no longer binding
things up.

afik, the neutral safety switch and/or clutch down switches are both in
series with the switched power from the ignition switch and the starter
solenoid. When you can get to the starter, it is easiest to troubleshoot by
shorting the terminals as I had previously written.
My L300 has the starter so burried that to change it, I had to use a mirror
to see what I was getting into. Not a fun task.