Car wont stop cranking

[defln70]

So the car wont stop cranking, i pulled the battery cable and it still didnt stop for a good bit. Ive replaced the starter, solenoid, and battery cables and it hasnt happened recently. But it randomly happened again tonight so i pulled the ignition switch thinking that it was sticking. I tried hooking the battery back up but its still live and trying to crank even with the switch out. I just purchased the car and it seems someones done a hack job already. Ive looked over the forums and i haven't seen the same problem yet. Sorry if this is a repost guys. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[caspianwendell]

Your getting power across the solenoid either because it's stuck or wired wrong...post a pic of the wiring on it so we can see. If you disconnect the starter wire from the solenoid you can locate the problem without damage to the starter

 

[defln70]

Your getting power across the solenoid either because it's stuck or wired wrong...post a pic of the wiring on it so we can see. If you disconnect the starter wire from the solenoid you can locate the problem without damage to the starter

Alright, ill get a picture and post it in the morning. I looked at one of the threads on here and by that Ive got it wired up right to my knowledge. So ill see what you guys think tomorrow. Thank you

 

[72HCODE]

That is really weird you pulled the battery cable and it kept cranking,

I'm thinking the harness from the alternator to the voltage regulator and starter solenoid is wrongly wired. Possible missing junction block isolator causing ground loop.

Post pics high res of that area.

 

[JimNiki]

I would've thought pulling the main fat + battery cable would stop everything.

I'm surprised it didn't melt the thinner alt cable if that was how it was cranking....!

 

[FastEddie]

This is going to be a little sketchy as it's from a weak memory of when I changed out my starter. The stock was a single wire (I think) and the new had 2. I seem to recall the instructions saying that you should not use a small jumper across the solenoid to get away with running only one wire to the starter. It said something along the lines of doing so will create a situation where the solenoid would actually store up a charge and eventually fail. Wondering if this is why yours still cranked with battery disconnected.

It's a long shot but thought it might help.

 

[droptop73]

I think you have a small PM starter with an integrated solenoid fasteddie.

What MAY be going on in the OP is a bad bendix. It may engage and not want to disengage. If it were mis wired it likely would not be intermittent. When my switch went bad the starter would not disengage every time.

 

[defln70]

That is really weird you pulled the battery cable and it kept cranking,

I'm thinking the harness from the alternator to the voltage regulator and starter solenoid is wrongly wired. Possible missing junction block isolator causing ground loop.

Post pics high res of that area.

Like i said, I just bought the car and it seems that a backyard mechanic has gotten a hold of it once or twice.


Red cable closest to the battery was 12v, the connection beside of it which was the "I" was 12v, and the wire to the starter was 12 volts. Remember I have the ignition tumbler out because i thought it was sticking. This is the second solenoid I've had on this car.

 

[hyena429]

It is mounted upside down..It should look like this below...The main wire to your starter is going to your battery and vice versa..Looks like you need to install it right side up...I would get a new one thou and install it properly..They are cheap and after it having the power going the wrong way like that, i would not trust it anymore.

A chevy guy must of installed it! hehe jk

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forums/attachments/classic-talk/71689d1244407848-1973-mustang-mach-1-starter-solenoid-wiring-2.jpg

 

[CZ-75]

Is that the voltage regulator underneath teh starter selenoid? Whatever it is is upside down also.... not sure if that matters. And there are 2 disconnected wires... shouldn't they be connected?

 

[defln70]

Yes its the regulator underneath. I just installed it the way the old one was, so if its upside down then i just copied what the other guys did hahaha. But i went and got another solenoid and paid 2 dollars more for the better one and she just fired right up. Now the one i just bought looks like the picture you showed me. So we'll see how she does. Thank you so much for the information guys. I'm a noob with a new toy to play with so I'm sure you'll see plenty more of me from now on. Thanks again.

 

[73vertproject]

::goodjob::

 

[CZ-75]

Cool! This is such an awesome forum!

 

[caspianwendell]

Glad to hear you got it fixed

 

[hyena429]

Yes its the regulator underneath. I just installed it the way the old one was, so if its upside down then i just copied what the other guys did hahaha. But i went and got another solenoid and paid 2 dollars more for the better one and she just fired right up. Now the one i just bought looks like the picture you showed me. So we'll see how she does. Thank you so much for the information guys. I'm a noob with a new toy to play with so I'm sure you'll see plenty more of me from now on. Thanks again.

No problem at all...And it hope it fixed all the issues.

Ya..and reason why i said a chevy guy must of installed it..cause they not use to Fords solenoids on the firewall instead of being stuck on the starter..lol

 

[74proii]

Those disconnected wires is/are the am noise suppressor. If it goes bad it will cause a short on the coil side. Unless you care about period correctness use the late model efi starter solenoid. It is a much better unit and can take more amps.

 

[Danno]

That is really weird you pulled the battery cable and it kept cranking,

I'm thinking the harness from the alternator to the voltage regulator and starter solenoid is wrongly wired. Possible missing junction block isolator causing ground loop.

Post pics high res of that area.

Like i said, I just bought the car and it seems that a backyard mechanic has gotten a hold of it once or twice.


LOL!!!!!!!!! You didn't buy your car from 'Vegas did you? I bought mine there and the PO had the exact same solenoid orientation. He also had the taillight harness wiring wire nutted and taped together, using house wiring in some locations. MIDLIFE sorted it all out for me and sent my harness back 100% good.

Red cable closest to the battery was 12v, the connection beside of it which was the "I" was 12v, and the wire to the starter was 12 volts. Remember I have the ignition tumbler out because i thought it was sticking. This is the second solenoid I've had on this car.

 

[secluff]

Had a similar problem with a 67 289 4sp Mustang. While cranking sometimes the starter would not disengage, or would engage on its own. After several starter bendix and starter replacements and the same problem that would reappear as quick as it disappeared after each part replacement, I finally just gave up. I figured the car was possessed and just didn't want to be fixed. I would just park it in neutral and set the park brake. That way it could just crank itself all it wanted.

That worked ok for a while until my co-worker got a service call at the base I was stationed. I was in a power production unit and we had a unit that was being tested at our headquarters bldg. It was an urgent call and of course all the service trucks were out. Drove my car to the site and jumped out to see what we could do. Half way to the unit I heard some people yelling at me to "Look Out". In my hast to get to the job site I had left my car in gear and not set the park brake. So in order to reward me my car had applied its self start system and run across the front lawn of our headquarters. Only this time with all the strenuous cranking the starter solenoid poured smoke and finally showed me what was wrong the whole time. It was an aftermarket unit so I bought a Ford replacement and never had a another problem. I know this post has run a little long, but it goes to shows that sometimes it can be the simple stuff that drives you crazy!!