Just drove the car down to school, got in and the car started right up, then i drove to school, turned off the engine to go inside, came back out and now the car wont turn over. When I turn the key to position 1 and 2, all the dash lights come on and head lamps, but when I turn the key to position 3, the starter doesnt crank. any ideas??

thanks

Kasper

 

yeah, I tried turning the key in neutral, just to try it, but other than that the shifter was in park.

 

I am 9 posts below you with an 01 S500 stuck in park won't turn over. I have the question on 3 web sites and no one is responding. Since mine won't turn over also, we could have the same problem. I've changed the brake light sensor which didn't work. If you find a solution I would appreciate a shout. Thanks

 

Hi Flyhawk, I left the car over night, and the next day the car fired right up... took it to the local shop and they spend about 5 hours going through all the systems and didnt find a single thing wrong with it! think they turned the engine on and off atleast 200 times without the problem occuring. The only thing they did was to secure that all the wires were connected proberly to the relay, and I havent had the problem with it since, the only thing that is still happening is that the car is having problems starting on hot humid days, and since i live in southern florida, it happens offen... The mechanic said that the problem could be one of three things: starter lockout/up lamp switch, starter lockout relay module or a bad ignition switch. Another thing you might want to check is fuse number 5 in the engine compartment.

 

Kasper, thanks for your suggestions. My search still continues. As for your problem, I have a 98 E320 that would stall out on me after a trip of more than a few miles. After researching on the various sites the faulty part that kept showing up was the crank shaft position sensor (CPS). On the E320, it sits on top of the transmission bell housing. Not easy to get to, but I could see it with a mirror and flash light. It has an electrical connection that is removed by pressing the two clips that hold it in it's slot and of course pulling gently to remove it. After replacing it the problem was solved. The part costs $130
and looks like it should cost $1.

 

Also, what fools you is that a faulty CPS doesn't malfunction until it heats up (most of the time). After it cools down the car will start.

 

Flyhawk, hope my suggestions will solve your problem. and thanks for you suggestions with the CPS, I will take a look at it and see if it helps. thanks

(yeah i have notices that the smallest parts from MB usually are really expensive compared to its size!)