Starter solenoid acting wierd

Hey everyone. So I know my starter motor works because I can arc the solenoid and make it spin but the ign switch won't work at all for the starter. The guy at advance said to replace the solenoid and gave me a new one for $25 (wow). Well I installed it exactly like the old one and as soon as I plugged the battery in it wouldn't stop cranking until I disconnected the battery. Any tips anyone. Thanks. And while I'm here I'm gonna say I'm going to keep the 144 for right now to save money if I can manage to make it run right the timing is a nightmare ok this thing. So I can instead invest into my brakes. Is it a DB idea to just replace the wheel cylinders only but not the springs or shoes if they look ok. Trying to save every penny I can. Then for the interior I'm really bamboozled. The back seat is beige color like my Vin code says it should be but the front is red and doesn't have seatbelts. Even though seatbelts were standard for 64 falcons. Is it possible because my car was manufactured in May 1963 that it was before they actually put seatbelts standard in 64 cars since it was 63. Idk everything about this car is just wierd. Thanks alot

If the key is in the on position when this happens it sounds like the I and S terminals on the solenoid are hooked up backwards. The I terminal should have 2 wires connected to it, 1 to the coil + and one to ignition switch run; the S terminal should have 1 wire connected to ignition switch start. Take your test light and remove the wire from the S terminal and with the key on see if it lights up the test light. If it does, see if it goes out when the key is off. Then take the wire that's connected to the I terminal that is not the coil + wire and do the same. If it doesn't light up with the key on, have someone turn the key to start and hold it and see if it lights up. If it does then those two wires are reversed.

If you don't have a test light buy one. Or use a 12v bulb, like a dome light bulb, and hold the body to ground while you touch the wire to the filament end nub.

I had a similar problem and it ended up being a battery cable.
Just old and crappy. Not letting enough juice through.

How could the starter running endlessly be caused by a bad battery cable(s)?

Thats impossible. That was a coincidence. They're supposed to fail open. In other words it takes energy to make it and when it's gone it springs open. If it failed closed, which it could do like welded at the contacts or shorted secondaries, it would still be the solenoid, not a battery cable. He's making the solenoid somehow, but hasn't tested it yet afaik, never gets back.... He thinks it's a bad ignition switch. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

I'm sorry ,jeez I haven't looked back here in awhile. Thanks for the input. I'm in AZ for school right now but in a month when I get back up to the car I will most certainly do your test and get back to all of you on what i find. Thanks alot for the info. I actually have another question. I recently bought a new MC a 67 dual resivour master cylinder. Well this guy at the local parts store is 100% convinced power brakes are a necessity for me. I've never driven a car without them but I hear the have more "feel" whatever that means. Any feedback?

You bet, I'm here to help. Do those tests and report back. It's all pretty simple really and you'll see that when you get into it a little more. I'm not disparaging you, just coaxing you on The fact that you are getting into figuring this all out at all tells me a lot about your character. It's like anything else, you can lead a horse to water but it's up to them to drink it.

On the brakes, after having been gone through manual brakes work just fine. Under normal conditions drums are at least as good as discs. You do want a dual master for safety b/c it separates the front and back circuits. So if you have a leak you still have some brakes besides the e brake. The main thing is to completely go through them and replace everything but the backing plates and the drums, if they're within spec. And have all of the drums turned. It's cheap. Then the main thing is to bleed the system out well or have it power bled. I've had good luck with using a bottle 1/2 filled with fluid and tubing at the bleeders. Bleed them until there's no bubbles left in the output. Fill the master as you go.

*disclaimer is I swapped to power discs in my van and it was the best thing I did to it so far. But it was all custom and unless there is some kit you could afford it's probably too much right now to put together/engineer. You just need to get this girl on the road and manual brakes are just fine

2X Seth's paragraph! Yah, no power needed, Sven!

"Feel"? WTheck? Tellem U gunna put on Hydroboost 4 his feel! :rolflmao:

Dual res. is the best change I seen ya make so far Pilgrim.

Remember the two sides are a mirror image. One pad is longer than the other and one of the adjusters is left hand thread. Keep the fwd arrow in mind.

Use anti-seize on all contact points, like the spring lands, the pads on the backing plates, threads of the adjusters ect. If the pads on your backing plates are grooved, file them flat. If they are really thin or worn near through fill/build them up with weld then file them flat.

There's nothing like knowing what you've got b/c you went through it and understand exactly how it works. Esp when we're talking about a 55 year old rig you dragged out of the dirt or behind some barn somewhere. Even some daily driver. Basic maintenance gets lost along the way and when they get that old it gets serious, but the beauty with these old cars is that it's all pretty cheap and simple if you put in a little time and care.

Thanks alot Seth. Man I feel like a jerk I keep not responding to you. I did those tests and yeah I had the wires incorrect. It works fine now thanks. And as for the brakes well I have not been able to get a another vehicle to pull this one out of the bush it's in so I can only access the passenger side. Because of that I have not taken off wheels yet or done brake work. But when I do I will keep what you said in mind. Thanks
Jarod