Has anyone had a similar experience with a starter solenoid? The other day i went out to start my 65 283 and something happened that has me a little baffled. The engine fired right up but the starter stayed spinning. When I, slightly panicked shut the key off the engine kept running! Finally after sitting there in a stupor wondering what the &^#% I popped the clutch to stall the engine but even with the engine off the starter kept running, disengaged from the flywheel. I have one of those quick disengage switchches on the negative batt lead so was able to stop the starter but when I engaged the battery the starter would again spin without engaging the engine. A couple of light taps on the solenoid would restore everything and I could start it up and shut it off normally. The thing is this is a new starter and solenoid that I installed less then a month ago on account of the old starter's bendix was a little sticky. This stuck solenoid has happend 2 or 3 times since and each time I have to dump the clutch to stall the engine. A couple taps on the solenoid does the trick. My guess is that somehow with the solenoid pulled in it is somehow backfeeding the ignition which keeps the engine running. I checked the ignition switch but it is fine. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. I have a new solenoid coming in a week. Thanks Dave
ive had a starter do that to me before, my problem was my wires (were connected to the starter) were to close, and with a little vibration from the motor, they ended up touching and the starter motor stayed spinning, the solenoid did release thou, same as yours. id check your wires and make sure there not to close at the starter, if not there, then work your way backwards on the wires and see if your grounding out somewhere.
Thanks 66 Kustom, I'll crawl under there and check the wiring. Still seems damn odd that the engine would remain running with the key shut off, and that with a couple taps on the solenoid everything is back to normal.
I have seen several "brand new" starters from Napa in Eagle River do that and the solution was swap it for another one, my guess is that there are some sticky contacts in the solenoid, IMO, take it back and warranty it out. Where did you get it?
Hi Joe 123, Funny you should ask.. It was bought at Napa in Fairbanks by the previous owner but he never installed it and I don't have any receipts. He was taking the truck 600 miles down the Alcan in janurary and i guess he wanted some spare parts just in case he broke down in Canada. When I bought the truck in Juneau it had a new starter, water pump and alternator sitting in the boxes on the seat! Sounds like napa had a run of bad solenoids. I just ordered a new solenoid from napa in Juneau. I hope it isn't another bad one. On a brighter note, I have been using the truck a lot the past few days and the solenoid issue hasn't resurfaced again. This reminds me of a voltage regulator problem Napa had with my old 65 Dodge van. I went through 4 of them before giving up and went to another parts house and their regulator worked perfectly.. Dave
This will stop the running but you have another problem with the starter staying engaged. There are two small wires on the solenoid, the one closest to the block is the solenoid wire and the one closest to the frame is the ignition bypass wire which is hot ONLY when the starter is turning. If you disconnect the bypass wire the engine will die when you turn off the key. It will still start and run okay since this wire feeds a full 12v to the coil just when the starter is engaged and if not extreme temps or weak engine it will still start fine. You still need to find the reason your solenoid is sticking. The spring on the copper contact ring in the solenoid may be weak and letting the head of the stud your battery cable is hooked to "weld" to the contact ring. You could check and clean both but it sounds like a different solenoid might be best. Good luck
This sounds right to me. I guess I don't follow the reasoning that the solenoid contacts need to supply the power to the coil durring the starting process. Why doesn't the ignition switch supply the power to the coil when the key is turned to start? The good news is the solenoid seems to have gotten past this event and is working good.. knock on wood! Dave
