Starter Troubles? 11/8

[Nick26]

Im changing the clutch in my truck and ofcourse i had to remove the starter but i made the stupid mistake of not disconnecting the battery when I removed the starter so i think that is what caused the start of my problems... and sorry for the long write up but i just wanted to give all the details of the story...

After I got the clutch all changed and the tranny back on, I bolt the starter back on and try to start it. It started right up but i heard this loud clattering noise too, so after it ran for like 10 seconds I shut the car off, but the starter was still spinning (even though the key was out of the ignition!) put the key back in and just turned it to the on position and it started again without having to turn the key to the start position. pulled the key out and again and the starter was still going so i disonnected the battery and it stopped... trying to figure out what was wrong i reconnected the battery (starter didn't continue to run) tried to start it and it immediately blew the 50 amp ignition fuse. So i got back underneath unbolted the starter again to check the terminals to make sure nothing was shorting out, everything looked good so i put it all back together, replaced the fuse and tried again. it blew that fuse too. so i just took the starter off and took it to advance auto for them to test it and they said it did't look like it was retracting like it should. So i got another one from them and put it in (side note, when i was putting it in i heard a random booong noise just as the bolts were almost tight). As soon as I reconnected the battery i heard this clicking noise which sounded like it was coming from the starter and i got under there and put my hand on it trying to tell but wasn't positive. so i disconnected the battery again reconnected it, and then no noise but the interior lights wouldn't come on either and trying to start it did nothing. I checked alll my fuses and and tested the starter relay and they all seemed fine. Now i was playing with some other stuff like rewiring my fog lights and in the course of turning them on and off i think I probably killed the battery. the multimeter read like 10.8 volts so i was going to try and jump it with the battery out of my mustang tonight but is seems like that may not be the end of my problems. the solenoid is attached the starter right? so when i replaced the starter it should have had a new solenoid on it too? think i got a bad starter, i have a lifetime warranty so i can get another if thats the case? any ideas at all please let me know, thanks!

 

[chico]

Well your battery is dead and i would put it on a slow charge, you have a warranty on your starter...take it and get a new one...remeber to disconnect the battery though..before taking it off and re-connect after installing it. (double check your wiring to your starter and make sure it's not touching anything either. You should be good then, Later, chico

 

[Nick26]

Well your battery is dead and i would put it on a slow charge, you have a warranty on your starter...take it and get a new one...remeber to disconnect the battery though..before taking it off and re-connect after installing it. (double check your wiring to your starter and make sure it's not touching anything either. You should be good then, Later, chico

ok thanks ill see what happens tonight when i jump it if i get a new starter... but any idea why the starter would spin without the ignition even on?
is it the solenoid that piggy backed on the starter and thats what turns the starter on and off or is there something else before it gets to the relay/ignition switch? It's odd because everything was working fine when i took it off, i even replaced the starter last fall so it wasn't that old.

 

[savant]

I don't know what the wiring diagram for the starter circuit is like, but I am familiar with solenoids. The thing about solenoids is they don't like being turned on and off very quicky (like, hundreds of times per second type quickly). That means that if you had your battery connected when you were removing and re-installing your starter, you could have pretty easily smashed the living daylights out of your solenoid, and it could have welded itself into the on position.

Just a guess.

 

[Nick26]

hey everyone, I finally got a new starter last night and installed it (with the battery disconnected this time ) and then hooked up the jumper cables to the battery of my mustang and it started right up! normally too, no more psycho starters. I let it run for a few mins to charge the battery back up and it was all back to normal! So I guess nothing was electrically wrong after all, advance auto just gave me a bad replacement starter apparently. thanks again! p.s. the clutch job is now officially done too and i got to drive it for the first time in a month and a half!