Hi folks,

My starter is not disengaging, and I think it is the starter itself, which is a rebuilt Bosch.

My '92 245 has been making a brief screeching or grinding noise upon starting, very infrequently, for a couple months. It has been so short lived and infrequent, that it took me some time before I suspected the starter of not disengaging.

Saturday when I was leaving a concert with my girlfriend, I started the car, and the noise was continuous. After a couple seconds, I turned the key off and removed it - the noise continued without the key. Crap. By now, I knew it was the starter. Luckily, I bumped the key to position III a few times and the starter disengaged.

I suspected a faulty ignition switch. Yesterday, I removed it, opened the housing, and cleaned/inspected the switch. I burnished contacts, flushed out old grease, regreased, and reassembled. I squirted some graphite into the lock cylinder, worked the key back and forth a few times, then connected the battery and started it up. Still, the starter would not disengage. I had to run across the yard to get a 10mm wrench (because I had left it in the shop like a moron) to disconnect the battery. I tested the ignition switch with my ohmmeter, using a screwdriver to turn it through all positions - it seems fine.

I think I am on the road to solving my problem, but I thought I would start a thread about it in case somebody has some advice that might save me further missteps. Starter is removed from the car already.

Should I suspect the solenoid of sticking, and clean that? Is it a problem with the starter itself (I'm not yet familiar with the innards of a starter)? As expensive as rebuilt starters have become, I really cannot afford that right now, but a used one from the junk yard might happen.

I'm headed out to diagnose, but I'd appreciate any input!

Sean