W210 320CDi starting problem

[uk174]

Hi All,
Just had a funny one with my 2000 model w210 320cdi. Have not driven it for about a week and when I went to start it I found that the car was stuck in Park, and that when I turned the key...I had no response.All the dash lights were there as they should be but no cranking of engine.
Thinking that it might be a weak battery, ( shouldnt be ..not after a few days)I went to take the battery out and put it on charge , only to be disturbed by a phone call...so I had to put battery back in .When I came back to the car later I tried to start it once again and hey presto it started!!
I did have earlier problems with the car being stuck in park but it turned out to be damp in the selector as the car had been left standing for nearly a year.
Could this be a faulty gear selector... preventing the car from staring and possibly being reset when I disconnected the battery ?

 

[a111r]

More likely it's an under voltage battery or a poor terminal connection.
I've had all the same symptoms, same model and year.

To add, when in the low / under voltage state, the starter pinion would not disengage properly and ran on after the engine started.

 

[bob6600]

I think charging your battery will solve your issues

 

[uk174]

Many thanks for the replies, and yes a111r I did notice that the starter pinion did not disengage properly and ran on after the engine had started.However all seems to be fine at the moment, starting as it should.Lets hope it stays that way