Starter won't stop cranking!!!

[LanceM]

On my 73 240 when you go to start the car the starter won't stop even if you shut the key off! I thought it was a bad solinoid and put in a new one and it does the same thing! The only way to stop it is to pull the battery cable, luckly I guess the engine doesn't seem to be firing either??? If you reconnect the battery then everything is fine until you try to start it again. This started all of a sudden and I'm sort of stumped as to what the cause is... I don't see that there is a relay in line but maybe I'm missing something in the wiring diagram. Any and all help on this stumper would be apreciated!

[Daniel]

Off the top of my head thoughts.If you put a test light between the battery neg and the battery neg cable does it glow?if yes,remove the starter wire from the solenoid.Does it glow? Does turning the key change things? My first thought is either the starter bendix is not releasing or the key switch is sticking.There are relays on the passenger side that MAY be involved but the test light will go out when you find it.With the starter wire removed from the solenoid you can create the problem and you will see(or not )the light----errr aahhh grasshopper. oh --Just for fun when you have it in fail mode ,tap the starter lightly with a hammer.It's an old mechanic trick but it never stops amazing me.

[LanceM]

Well I've got it troubleshot down to the starter!! With all wires removed from the starter except the = - from the battery, jump it with a screwdriver and away it goes!!! This falls into the catagory of way too weird, so time to pull the starter again and figure out just what is going on with it!!

[Daniel]

I dont know,the soleniod is the relay.Bendix?maybe. But it would just not release.That solenoid must have power to it to engage the starter.I think they are both only doing there job.Whats powering that solenoid to stay latched????

[Daniel]

O.K. A little more thought.Starter bendix is not a problem.The only way the starter gets power is from the relay made through the solenoid.It can't decide to power on.Something is telling the solenoid to engage and hold.Perhaps some wd40 in the key hole may help or a worn key is not turning the switch from start mode.If removal and reinstall of the pos cable is a temp fix that means a relay is dropping out when the power is removed.Perhaps with a friend removing the pos. you will hear the tick inside the car of the relay dropping.It 's not the starter..It's only doing what its told by the solenoid.

[LanceM]

This is getting too weird, out of the car the starter works normally, I have it hooked up the same way as I did in the car and I'm jumping it with a screwdriver, works fine!!! When I did the same thing in the car it wouldn't stop! Going to clean up the ground connection and put it back in and see what happens....

[Daniel]

The haynes book wiring diag shows no relay from the keyswitch.That may or not be correct.I put my bet now on sticking key switch tumbler but what does the pos. on/off have to do with that??.Please let me know. Thanks Daniel

[LanceM]

Well back in the car it does the run away starter thing still!!! I'm not using any of the cars wiring except for the battery cables, just like I did on the bench where it worked fine... Think it's time to go have a few cold ones and think about this for a while....

[Daniel]

you mean with no car wiring attached to the solenoid ONLY the battery pos and the wire from the starter it stays engaged?Maybe we need to tap that solenoid!!!It decides starter on or off.Just a thought if you wire a solenoid backwards(get the wires crossed) one would think it would stay latched.

[m240]

I had the same thing happen to me in my old f150 about a year ago. Put a new starter in and no more problems.

[LanceM]

I was finally able to duplicate the problem on the bench using a hunk of 2x4 to load the starter when it was running!

Took it apart and found that the grease in the bendix was all hard from sitting 15 years. Dumped some assorted fluids in it and worked it around a million times and now it works fine. Well at least good enough for me to get it in and out of the shop to work on other things until I get it on the road next year, then a new one will be probably the best thing.

Of course now that that's fixed my coil took a dump on me, anyone got a stock one they want to get rid of??? I don't want to buy a new one as I'm not sure yet what kind of ignition I'm going to swap to...