I have a 96 Max GLE with over 277K miles. I have had exactly 3 starters since I got the car in 98. The one that came with it and the two that I have put in it. The last one was put in this past July but the problem I had didn't go away.
For some reason it has always had a starting problem that has continously degraded over the years. At first, I was the only one that could crank it. My ex could when we were together but no one else. If I put it in the shop for tires or something, the techs would have to get me to crank it. I just turned the key and that was that.
It was brought to my attention that I did turn it quite hard and fast. Apparently I had learned to do this and the car learned to respond. Over the last year, it has gotten much worse. It is at the point where I have to repeatedly crank it until it "catches." Then I have to hold it there while it cranks.
The new starter did crank it faster than the old one but the problem with how it cranks was not fixed. I just recently had to tow it home cause it died on me over a friend's house. I went to do the usual but missed its attempt to crank. It usually just starts after a couple of more turns but it never cranked again.
I was told it was the new starter. The towtruck driver touched my starter with a long flat-head and you could hear it spinning but not catching the engine. He said that meant the starter was bad. I just want to know what it is.
Has the ignition switch gone bad and if it has how can you tell? Should I find a way to put a switch in it to get it to crank? What and how can I tell what is the problem? I do most of the repair work on my car but I have not been able to fix this one.