SL500 Engine Won't Turn Over on Keyless or Key .. Clicking Sound in Gearshift Area.

[Dale Minton]

Hi all, can somebody please give me a clue as to what is happening with this SL of mine as it's starting to drive me nuts. I pulled into my driveway this afternoon. When I stopped, I pushed on the footbrake and put the gearbox in park. I then decided that I wanted to start the car again to turn it around. I noticed there was a little resistance on the stick when I pulled it from the park position down to reverse position (but not much) this being because the drive is on a very slight incline and the footbrake was not on that hard. When I put my foot on the brake, put it back into park and hit the keyless button nothing turned over, I tried the manual key and still it wouldn't turn over. All I get now is a clicking (like a solenoid click) beneath the shift stick area every time I hit the keyless button or turn the manual key plus a click from the starter solonoid. Nothing appears on the instrument cluster that illustrates a fault and the lights do not dim. Is there a Park/Neutral safety switch below the gear lever area that may have gone awry after I pulled it out of park. ..... advice or answers would be gratefully received --- thanks.

Dale.

 

[television]

It looks as though the starter has failed, unless there is a starter relay, I will try and check

 

[Dale Minton]

Hi Malcolm, I'm sure it's not the starter. I've been evaluating the issue a bit more since the post. The clicking happens (and the click certainly sounds and feels like it coming from around the gear selector area) when one pushes the brake peddle down, so it's not the action of the keyless button that's making the click noise happen - it's the action of the brake pedal. It's like it's activating a switch/solenoid but that element isn't allowing the current to flow. Everything else works, there is no dimming of lights or anything like that, there is just a click when the brake pedal is depressed and thereafter nowt, is there something like a starter lockout relay module? if so what would make it go ape

 

[television]

Hi Malcolm, I'm sure it's not the starter. I've been evaluating the issue a bit more since the post. The clicking happens (and the click certainly sounds and feels like it coming from around the gear selector area) when one pushes the brake peddle down, so it's not the action of the keyless button that's making the click noise happen - it's the action of the brake pedal. It's like it's activating a switch/solenoid but that element isn't allowing the current to flow. Everything else works, there is no dimming of lights or anything like that, there is just a click when the brake pedal is depressed and thereafter nowt, is there something like a starter lockout relay module? if so what would make it go ape

You have the starter lock out on the gear shift,, but nothing that could click that I can think of, I will try and take a look later tonight

 

[Dale Minton]

..... well, something is definitley clicking, and its cause is by depressing the brake pedal. On some more investigation the clicking seems to be coming from behind the passenger side transmission tunnel, and from I can detect its from the area just infront of the seat ... is the starter motor housed in that area ??

 

[Dale Minton]

Wakey Wakey Malcolm, I hope you slept well. Can you please give me some more help on this, firstly, is the starter motor in this location ?