250SE refusing to start and the importance of not jumping to conclusions

The other day I had to move the 250SE out of the way to access the 280SE.   The 280SE was parked in a fairly inaccessible spot until I had sorted out the fuel injection.   With that looking promising on the test gauges, it was time to take it for a proper test drive.   I had not been driving the 250SE of late, as the rear brakes are sticking and its booked in to have that repaired in June.    There are also a few other minor issues to look at, such as the bonnet being stuck closed.

To get the 280SE out, I had to move both the DS and 250SE.   This was attempt number two, as the first time I couldn’t locate the keys in the lock box.   Of course they had been there all along, right in front of me.   Maybe I was too tired to be moving cars around in tight spots that night anyway!   This time I moved the DS and 250SE out without incident.   The test drive of the 280SE was successful, so it was time to put the other two cars back in.

At this point the 250SE wouldn’t start.   Moving the key to the start position did nothing.  I tried in both Park and Neutral.   As the bonnet was stuck shut, I was a bit limited in options.   I tried crawling under the car and tapping the starter with a length of wood, to no avail.   Next I called roadside service, and they helped me get the bonnet open.   I wiggled the latch while they pulled it up.   They also helped me push the car back into the garage.

At this point I should have gone back to basics, but I had it in my head I must have an ignition switch problem.   I wanted to get the car going again, so I could drive it up to the mechanic’s shop in June, rather than having it towed.   I have a remote starter switch, so I rigged that up.  Getting to the starter solenoid is a bit fiddly on the M129 engine.  Its hiding behind the long ram intake manifold.   It’s quite hard to get your hand in between the rams to attach the wires.   In the end I did and was rewarded with the sound of the starter firing into life.

Given my mechanic’s appointment was coming up in June, I also ordered an ignition switch.   Sadly, the factory switch is now no longer available.   According to the forums it was still available only a few years ago.   I was able to secure an aftermarket switch, but it wasn’t clear what brand I was buying so I had no idea of the quality.

Unfortunately I had not gone back to basics and checked things properly.   It was only a couple of days after I ordered the ignition switch that I went to have another look.   Turns out the ignition switch is fine, and the rod from the column shift linkage had come off the neutral safety switch.   The stupid thing is that this has happened before, and I was able to quickly diagnose the problem and get back on the road.    I had even briefly considered this when the bonnet was stuck shut, but since I couldn’t access it, had proceeded to try something I could do – which was to look at the starter.   From there, I had my blinders on and had not gone back to properly think about the root cause of the problem.

In the end there was no real harm done.   The ignition switch is probably not so bad to have as a spare.   The car runs fine, and I can take it up for the brakes and other minor issues to be sorted out.   I probably should replace the pictured rod between the switch and the column shift mechanism, as had a minor crack that causes it to sometimes fall off.   I also got to use my remote starter switch for the first time.  At least I know it works!