Starter problem

Lately my starter has been acting up, when i turn the key my starter does not want to turn off.I can take the keys right out of the ignition and the starter just screams away.I thought it might be the starter relay so i got a new one, that didnt help.Is my starter shot or maybe the ignition switch? I thought i saw something about an ignition switch recall but i cant be 100% sure.Any ideas on whats going on here? This tends to be embarrasing when people are around

ANy help would be appreciated.
Thx

.

bgjohnson said:

or you could have a sticky solenoid or relay.

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I already replaced the relay (the one under the hood on the fender)
Is there one on the starter also?

motor said:

Having the same problem with a brand new relay from ford.... I take the relay out of the car and put a meter (continuity test)on it and see that its still in the closed position. Wondering if this is arcing itself to the point where it sticks (slight weld) if so what causes this to happen,,,, a Bad ground????Do you also have the batt in the trunk? I take the relay shake it around and you hear it open and not rattle as much. Put the meter back on the relay and its now open. Put the relay back in the car without the starter wire on just to hear it click open and close when i turn the key, it works fine , put the starter wire back on , give it a 3 second crank and it sticks in the closed position again. Its diving me nuts i have a s-trim now installed and this isue has me at a stand still. Help???????

P.s this also was an isue with my previous relay

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Battery hasnt been moved. Is your starter doing the same thing as mine? It just stays on and screams after you try to crank it over.I noticed if i give the relay a quick tap it seems to fix the problem, only temporarily though.I am going to take this relay back tomorrow just in case it is faulty.
One thing we noticed while trying to figure this out is that my Alt is not charging my battery, i really cant see how this could affect the operation of the starter.
Anyone else have any ideas?

I will probably end up getting a new battery also, mine is fairly old.This is making a bit more sense now after hearing that you put a good charge on your battery.I read an old thread that i found when i did a search about an Alt charging problem.The guy wasnt getting a good charge and the low voltage was causing the relay to stick.
Heres what he quoted "I had similar problems with my 3G Alt...I then started killing Starter relays because the low voltage was causing the contacts to weld together during starting (took a couple days each time)...I replace the battery to starter relay with a 2 gauge, the negative battery post to block with a new 4 gauge. Double check your alt to starter relay cable (MUST be al least a 4 gauge) for good connections. Once I replaced those cables and the starter relay....16 volts at battery (just above the middle of the gauge...never drops below that middle mark on gauge by more then a mm or 2, even with the elect fan, AC, lights, and radio on at once sitting a light). Try it. Your wires are probably original and could use being replaced anyway and may save you time and fustration"
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=504161&highlight=starter+problems

I'm crossing my fingers