review my diagnosis...HELP

[Anonymous]

66 mustang inline 6 200

Starter would try to engage when turning the key. If it didnt start right away, the solenoid would make a growling noise, and the positive battery cable would spark and smoke. Occassionaly, the starter gear would stay engaged , car trying to start, even after I took the key out of the car and I would have to yank the battery cable off to kill it....I disconnected the battery, tested it - 12.4v....cleaned the posts...removed all connections from the solenoid and cleaned them till they were shiney...I reconnected everything except the hot wire going to the starter. I circumvented the solenoid and touched the starter wire to the battery. It just sparked, no sign of the starter pinion kicking out.....Apparantly a bad starter?....I tried to eliminate bad ground by cleaning all the connections I could

 

[CobraSix]

I think you are probably right, but go cheap early. I would replace the solenoid first since it's cheap. If that doesn't do it...check all your grounds everywhere...and then look to get a new starter, sounds like it may be shorting out.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that occassionally the car continues to try to start after you have turned the ignition off and pulled out the key? If that is true, then the starter relay must be hanging up in order to continue energizing the starter motor. I would also check the wiring and make sure it is correct and in good shape.
Doug

 

[Anonymous]

Doug,

Yes, on occasion, if the car didnt start up, the starter will still be engaged, turning the motor and I have to yank the battery cable off to kill it..Got a new solenoid last night, no luck, still either wont crank, or the new(and old)solenoid growls. wiring is correct, checked all connections, and the grounds , including the one from the starter to the firewall. I gotta think it's the starter itself, like I say, I jumped over the solenoid with the starter wire and all it did was spark (the starter wire) when i touched it to the battery, no cranking at all from the starter.
....Or would a bad ignition switch at the dash do this

 

[Anonymous]

It would be easy enough to run the starter to Autozone etc and have it tested. I have had a couple of ignition switch failures. However, mine have failed where the switch started to separate, and then it had trouble not making contacts. I have not had one hang up, but that does not mean it could not happen.

You might have had a case of multiple failures. It just seems that in order for the starter to continue getting power after the key was turned off it had to come through the relay which could be getting the signal to stay open from a failed ignition switch. Assumming the battery is up to snuff, I would suspect now your starter is fried. If at some point the starter relay hung up and failed, then the starter motor probably overheated and burned something. They are not a continuous duty motor and will burn up if over used.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, well I was gonna take the starter off today, but it looked pretty daunting with the accelerator linkage in the way, and I just didnt feel like wrestling with it. Out of curiousity, I jumped the solenoid again. With my wife outside I wasnt so nervous about blowing something up. Well the starter turned just fine after minimal sparking, .....I did try to start the car with the headlights on just to see what would happen with the key turning the ignition, they went completely out when I tried to crank it over...Battery still checks good, all wires snug and clean at the contacts, and the solenoid is new, I even put my old one back in (same result). Im gonna spend the 12 bucks at John's Mustang tomorrow and change out the ignition switch. Man, I love working on my mustang, but sometimes they can be very tempermental. Thank goodness they arent the jumbled mess that todays car are under the hood