I have a 62 Uni with a 1968 462 Lincoln engine installed. I have a new starter, starter solenoid (twice), battery, positive and negative cables ignition switch. In the past few days I have had a problem where the starter will keep turning over even with the key off. I replaced the starter solenoid with a new Standard Ignition solenoid and thought I had the problem taken care of and then it did it again.
I went under the hood and pulled the 2 small wires (ignition) from the solenoid but it still kept turning over. I had to pull the negative cable from the battery to get it to stop turning over. I thought it was possible that the problem could be the ignition switch but now I am thinking it isn't because when I pulled the 2 small wires from the solenoid that effectively took the switch out of the equation. I suppose I could have gotten 2 bad solenoids but they came from different parts stores and are made by 2 different companies. I checked to make sure that there is no power in the firewall coming from a shorted wire. The bolt holding the solenoid to the firewall is clean and has no paint behind the solenoid. I made sure the 2 small wires are going to the correct connections on the solenoid.
Anyone have any suggestions or ideas or have had this happen to you?

 

Get another solenoid... two ways to look at it, you have used up your bad luck on getting bad parts or you will be soon be setting a record.

I can not imagine a situation where you are burning out the solenoid with high voltage unless you are getting 6 volt solenoids.

Better a solenoid than a starter or throwout bearing.

 

Well, I replaced the solenoid with another new different brand solenoid and it happened again. There is NO way for the starter to get power unless it gets it from the solenoid. I, again pulled the small wire from the solenoid while the key was off and it was turning over. It just kept right on turning over until I pulled the negative cable from the battery.
Somehow, the solenoid is being kept energized allowing battery power to flow through it to the starter. It has me puzzled and I am supposed to be good at electrical problems.

 

I found a loose ground from the engine to firewall and replaced a connector that goes to the solenoid to the regulator. I also have an OE used switch for the ignition and I am going to remove the aftermarket switch and put this used one in. I will see if any of this helps and report back. I found out that it is possible that the new starter could be drawing too many amps and possibly keeping the solenoid engaged but that is a long shot at best.

 

UPDATE

I unhooked the starter and tested it with a volt meter at the solenoid. The solenoid engages and disengages with key switch-no problem. It does not stick on. The only thing that makes any sense is that the "new" starter is drawing too many amps and keeping the solenoid engaged allowing 12 volts to flow across the switch. The starter does have large magnets in it and thus creates a magnetic field. I have never seen a situation like this but can see how it is possible.
I will exchange this starter for another one and it should take car of this problem. "fingers crossed"

 

I know you said that you had a new battery, but I've seen this happen when the battery was not fully charged.

 

Have you checked the ignition switch? Mine sticks sometimes and I have to be careful that it does not keep the starter running.

 

You have the two smaller center terminals on the solenoid wired backwards... many of the new ones hook up opposite swap them and try it again ... I did the same darned thing a few years ago....

 

He said he pulled both wires off and it was still running the starter.. crazy stuff.....

Hey JX.... Here is a theory not thrown at you yet...... based on what Jetcopterpilot said...... it makes me wonder if you have hooked up the battery wrong.... check negative to the frame, positive to the hot side of the solenoid.... if you have it backwards, it may be keeping the solenoid energized through the grounding of the solenoid.

If the solenoid is on the firewall up high like it should be, there is no way the magnetic field of the starter affect it that far away. Three solenoids is too far out there to blame the solenoids unless they have the same mfg. and they have began to put in super weak return springs.

The starter pulling too may amps causing the solenoid itself to stick in the closed position is something I have never heard of.... I am sure looking forward to seeing what solves the problem.

 

The most probable cause is the charge wire from the alternator is hooked to the same post (large side post of relay) as the starter cable instead of the post to which the positive battery cable is hooked to.

 

If the alt. B for battery is hooked to the same side as the starter, the only time there would be power to the B is when the alternator is running unless there is feedback via the regulator A wire if it is hooked to the proper side of the battery or if the ignition/indicator light wire is shorted through the regulator to the A terminal.... confused yet??

Of course if there is a diode out on the alternator, no telling where the electrons will go..

But..... if the B wire or the A wire or the I wire is supplying enough current to turn the starter, it would quickly burtn out and smoke the smallest wiring carrying the full current of the starter.... ie the A or I wire, perhaps event the #8 or 10 B wire.

I guess he could just disconnect the B wire and the A and I wire to isolate the alt / regulator.

I am scratching my head so I have to stop thinking about this for awhile.

 

Prospector,

I have seen the problem before and the solution was a misplaced alt wire. It burns through solenoids in short order so that the disc which connects the terminals inside the relay fuses due to arc and holds the connection against spring pressure. Peeps keep replacing relay and think problem is fixed only to have it return in a few days after the disc is fried enough to fuse. I did not interrogate the electrons, but I did bust open the relay and examine the inards to find the connection disc fused to the terminals.

 

Cool, nothing like experience. It makes sense if the disk fries and sticks. I hope JXNSLOTCAR reads your post before he replaces the starter.

Funny story.... now..... I had a starter burn out on a 4x4 70 slick once. I was not aware the starter was grounded and admit I was being a dummy by repeatedly trying to get the solenoid to engage, it kept clicking like it was not engaging but on about the 15th click the solenoid stuck.

Everything went up in smoke. It fried the battery cable to the solenoid, the solenoid, and the cable to the starter before I could get out and disconnect the battery. In fact, it melted the positive battery post more than half off, allowing me to pull the cable off using a stick. The battery cable clamp was one of those stupid steel clamps so it did not melt away first.

It was a long cold walk home giving me cause to sell the #$%^& and wonder why there are not any fuseable links in the battery cable to the solenoid or starter. I guess the lead battery post is eventually the fusable link in the system.

That truck was home to evil spirits, I warned the new owner. He told me later he traded it off within a month. I had her for 6 months of misery. Funny how it was the only truck I have ever had my wife liked.

 

Have found it twice; the last time was a friend of a friend. His relay had died and he replaced it but mixed the wiring up during installation and found that rather than not starting at all his truck would not stop starting on occasion. He still had the original he had replaced; tested it and there was excessive resistance in the coil of wire which creates the magnetic field which pulls the plunger against spring pressure into position to connect to the starter via the disc. The other 3 relays he had installed after the original failed showed severe burning of the disc as if it was being welded. I a not sure exactly why having the alt output wire on the starter side causes this problem, but seeing it twice sends my eyes there whenever I look at a starting problem.

 

I have not gotten a replacement starter yet as it is a special order-the fitment is for a 1968 Lincoln Continental with a 462.
The battery cables are hooked up correctly to the correct terminals on the battery. I have only one wire on the starter side of the starter solenoid or relay. It goes to the starter. I looked up the wiring diagram to ensure that I have the 2 small wires connected to the correct small terminal on the solenoid/relay. I believe that I have the wires for the alternator and voltage regulator connected to the correct terminals but I am going to double check that. I have had the truck for 8 months or so and have not had this problem until I replaced the starter with a different one.
I had to replace the starter and flexplate because one day I was starting it to bring it back into the shop and the starter just spun over with no engagement. I found the starter drive had all the teeth broke off of it. It also ruined the teeth on the flexplate. The flexplate only fits certain year Lincoln 462 and thus was difficult to find the correct one. I ended finding 1 (one) flexplate on the net. He knew what he had and had it priced at $150 plus shipping. I had to pull the trans out including the new floor shifter that I had just installed, replace the flexplate and starter.
It was after this is when I started to have this problem where the starter will continue to turn the engine over. What happens is, I start to try and start it. I turn the key off (engine still turning over), go under hood and pull the 2 small wires from the solenoid (engine is still turning over) and then have to pull the negative cable from the battery. If I try to reconnect the negative cable to the battery I have a large amount of sparks because there is still a huge draw. Sometimes I am able to reconnect the negative cable after waiting for a hour or 2-maybe needs to cool off tho the solenoid does not feel hot when this occurs. The starter cable feels a bit warm to the touch.