Flatlander1961

I changed my starter this weekend. During the re-install, the starter connections were reversed and the key was on. I had no electrical flow of any kind. We switched the connectors back to the right way, and as soon as I attach the battery posts, the starter fires, even with the key turned off. With the key on, the car will start and the starter keeps running. My parts guy said it is possible the ignition switch is causing this. He swapped the starter anyway, and I got the same results. Could this be the ignition? Has anyone replaced the ignition themselves? And what special tools do you need? Just how stupid was I? Any help would be great! My car is a 1983 240D ; 334,444 miles

ohlord

never work on the electrical systems with the battery connected or the key in the ignition.That horse is out of the barn now,so a solution needs to be found.Either the starter relay was fried or the ignition switch was toasted.
Cheaper by far to find a good auto electric shop with the wiring diagram to trace it to the fault.You could spend days replacing parts and spend a lot of money throwing parts at something that they can find in a half hour with a tracer.
ohlord
It's all part of the learning curve so don't kick yourself,we have all done similar
ohlord

Flatlander1961

I was stupid. I was blind when I disconnected the starter and the one single connector became 2 and I hooked up the now split connection on both solenoid studs. Now that I have both on the top stud, it works great! Good news is, I can get the starter out and re-installed in 45 minutes if I need to.

ohlord

all you needed was a good auto electrician,YOU
And now you can see,so that is some kind of miracle

tanktube67

number one rule, always disconnect the battery