I have been the happy owner of a pre-owned 1990 740 turbo wagon for a little over two years. It has been a fine car except for two problems that make for an exasperating combination:

1. For most of time I owned the car, I have had problems with no-cranks, ie, nothing happens as if trying to start in gears other than P or N. As long as the engine cranks, it starts promptly.

The problem is more likely to occur in warmer weather and when the car has been recently driven. It will almost always crank immediately after shutting off, but almost never cranks from several minutes until several hours after shutting off. It will start about half the time after sitting overnight of through a workday. Hot weather seems to increase the problem.

My workaround has been to wire an SPDT switch that normally connects the starter solenoid tab to the normally connected wire, but will switch the tab to the positive battery terminal to provide a 100% reliable "backup start".

It seems to be a thermal problem that limits current in the starting circuit to below that required by the solenoid. Sometimes it will "clunk" and start in a few seconds, sometimes I hear nothing. If it "clunks" but does not start, I will not hear it on successive attempts.

I am tempted to replace the SPDT switch with a 12-V relay, with the starting wire driving the coil and the contact connecting the battery terminal to the starter.

2. During a recent spell of cold (by southeast Texas standards) weather, I noticed the engine temperature would barely rise. Accompanied by this was slow (<500 RPM) idling and stalls that are most likely to occur after 10 or 15 minutes of driving. Idle is even slower in P or N than in D. Someone suggested that the thermostat is stuck open, which does not allow the engine to heat up, and thus idle poorly after the inital fast idle. When slowing at a light, I have learned to watch the tachometer and shift to neutral and increase speed >1000 RPM. Also, tapping the accelelator a few times restores normal idle. After one stall or near stall, It will often idle normally from then onwards. I am thinking replacing a few "easy" parts like spark plugs, fuel filter, air filter, and PCV valve.

Any feedback on either problem would be apprediated, either by brickboard or to apone@mindspring.com