starter staying engaged after car starts and key is released!!!!

tording · May 3, 2006

Hey guys. I am having an issue where my starter stays engaged after the car starts and I let go of the key. It does not do it all the time and sometimes it will disengage after about 3 secs and sometimes it will keep doing it until I unhook the battery. I have tried unplugging the signal wire from the top post on the starter solenoid on the fender and that does not stop it, only unhooking battery does. I have a mini starter on the car. My question is can I hook the signal wire that goes from the ignition to the top post on the solenoid straight to the signal post on the starter itself?? That will eliminate the solenoid (relay) on the fender itself. I have already installed a new starter and although that seems to have helped it is not gone completely. I have also added a ground wire to one of the starter mounting bolts as well as the solenoid on the fender to make sure they are grounded good. Any suggestions would be awesome but I really want to know what will happen if I hook that signal wire from the ignition to the signal post on the starter??

HISSIN50 · May 3, 2006

What you want to do would be how I would wire up a mini with its own solenoid. Otherwise, your engaging two solenoids, which could allow for a slight delay in engaging and disengaging, it seems to me. I would extend the S-terminal wire to the mini starter's solenoid trigger terminal.

That said, I think some folks have wired it up like you have it and it works alright for them. I dont feel this is the best way to do it though. I would do it so there is only one relay being used.

Good luck.

tording · May 3, 2006

HISSIN50 said:
I would extend the S-terminal wire to the mini starter's solenoid trigger terminal.

So you just mean basically what I said I wanted to try right?? Just connect the blue and red wire that normally connects to the relay on the fender straight to the trigger on the solenoid on the starter right?? That eliminates the relay on the fender completely out of the circuit. Right??

HISSIN50 · May 3, 2006

tording said:
So you just mean basically what I said I wanted to try right?? Just connect the blue and red wire that normally connects to the relay on the fender straight to the trigger on the solenoid on the starter right?? That eliminates the relay on the fender completely out of the circuit. Right??

Sounds like a plan to me. The new starter has the solenoid on the starter itself (piggybacked) so that really makes the oem solenoid unnecessary, other than as a power distribution block (to get power to the new starter solenoid and all the other power circuits on the car).

I would have the new starter's solenoid set-up with battery power from the OEM starter cable, and extend the little red wire that was at the top of your OEM solenoid so it goes to the corresponding terminal on the new starter's solenoid (just like you said).

Good luck.

tording · May 3, 2006

Has anyone ever done this successfully? I am afraid of frying some other devices in my ignition or something is why I am asking.

HISSIN50 · May 3, 2006

If concerned with the chance of overburdening the crank circuit, perhaps you could improve your stock solenoid wiring.

The big fat starter cable should be on the battery side on the stock solenoid. Then a new wire can be run from the starter side of the solenoid (where the starter cable used to be) to the new starter solenoid. Is that how yours is?

Not knowing how it is wired exactly, you might be getting a feedback issue from the starter after the starter is shut off.

Good luck and bump for you.

jrichker · May 3, 2006

the only reason for the two relay setup was the that the relay mounted on the starter had an excessive current draw for the wiring. Here's a copy of the 91-93 starter wiring for the mini starter. It should be very similar in layout.

tording · May 3, 2006

yes, that is exactly how I have it hooked up guys. I have put a multimeter on the solenoid while the starter is stuck cranking and on the small signal wire that goes to teh starter there is a 10.5 V reading. I tried pulling that signal wire off of the solenoid while the starter is cranking and it doesn't stop like it should. This leads me to believe that the starter is getting 10.5 V from somewhere else or this starter is bad already but I jsut replaced it like 3 days ago. It is the cheaper one, it was like 89.99 or soemthing. Last time I did this starter upgrade on my other fox body I got the 130.00 dollar starter from autozone so I wonder if this could be the difference??

postalbunny · May 3, 2006

I bet your solenoid is stuck... mine did this when it got hot under the engine bay. It woudl just start the car... was worn out from a bad starter that drew too much current through it. Replaced the starter, then had problem where the starter kept running even /w key out.

Bout the $19 relay instead of the $9 relay from autozone and havn't had the problem since. Keep a 1/2 inch socket in my glove box now for the batt or solenoid bolts in case it does it again.

tording · May 4, 2006

postalbunny said:
I bet your solenoid is stuck... mine did this when it got hot under the engine bay. It woudl just start the car... was worn out from a bad starter that drew too much current through it. Replaced the starter, then had problem where the starter kept running even /w key out.

Bout the $19 relay instead of the $9 relay from autozone and havn't had the problem since. Keep a 1/2 inch socket in my glove box now for the batt or solenoid bolts in case it does it again.

Went and got a new relay from Ford today and still does same exact thing.

postalbunny · Oct 8, 2006

tording said:
Went and got a new relay from Ford today and still does same exact thing.

Sounds like something isn't hooked up right then. If you read +10v on that wire with the ignition jumper pulled... try checking right at the solenoid. Mabey you got another bad one, it should read 0v /w the key out. I'd keep tracking that wire down until you find out where the +10 is coming from.

tording · Oct 8, 2006

I guess I should post and say that I found the issue on these threads. The issue actually ended up being that the starter gear and flywheel teeth were meshed together with no lube at all. When the bendix would come out on the starter and mesh with the flywheel because there was no lube it would stay held out against the flywheel. Because it was held out it stayed energized even though the +12 V had been removed from the signal post coming from the relay on the fender. I simply added a little lube to the flywheel and starter gear and I havn't had a problem since. That was 5 months ago I did that and it has not done it once since then.

postalbunny · Oct 8, 2006

Good to hear =)

starter staying engaged after car starts and key is released!!!!

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