My starter continues to try and start the car even after the car is started. Even if I shut it off and pull out the key the starter continues to turn the engine over. Any ideas? The only thing I did before this problem was to cutoff the old positive battery terminal and replacae it with another one.

Thanks for any help.

When you turn the key, you engage the solenoid on top of the starter. That closes the contacts to the starter and turns the starter. The solinoid is a low current way of controlling a high current starter. If the solinoid sticks mechanically, the contacts stay on and the solinoid switch stays closed. Since that switch is fed from the big red battery cable the starter continues to turn even when the switch is off.

Replace or rebuild the solinoid.

Chuck

Sounds like you twisted the stud on the solenoid while tightening the new cable.
Replace solenoid.
Do not twist stud on replacement!:noway:

Hmmm thanks guys. I did not work anywhere near the starter though. I only clipped off the positive cable terminal and put on a new one. I did not work with the starter at all. I left the same cable on and simply replaced the terminal that goes onto the positive post. I will check it out though. Thank you both.

It is clearly the solonoid. Just timing, no one's fault. It's the solonoid. Sometimes they get rusty inside and bind up. My boat used to do it all the time.

Chuck

Possibly pulled on the cable just enough so that when you started it the cable shorted across the start post on the starter hence trying to start all of the time.

I do not see any short or contact across one another. Still keeps going thouhg?!

Time to pull it off and do a bench test on it. It should not be hard I just had to replace my solenoid it took maybe 20 Min's top pulling the starter replacing the solenoid and the cable and putting it all back. And the solenoid was cheap 15 bucks.

Is there a way I can test it now that it is out of the car?

I had an old box van that the starter would stay energized on IF the engine didn't start but as long as the engine started up OK the starter would kick out normally.
The only time it bothered me was when the thing had been setting so long the battery would start to get low before the motor started, then I would have to pull a cable off and charge the battery.

I always figured it was caused by the starter needing shims and the starter drive was hanging up in the flexplate but I sold the van before I ever fixed it.

If the starter drive can't break loose from the flywheel it will keep the starter motor going also.

1 way is to take a battery (or a battery charger)and jumper cables and hook the ground to the body anywhere, and hook the positive to the post where the battery cable goes. Then hook up the ground to the bat then tap the positive to the post. just a tap at first . Because the starter will want to roll if it is a bad solenoid. If doing that then the solenoid is junk. if not then take a piece of wire or a small jumper wire and go from the positive to the s post on the starter. If looking straight at the posts it will be the one on the left. If it starts then then there is something wrong with your wiring on your car. If you do not want to try all of that then take it to one of your parts stores and see if they will do a bench test.:thumbsup: :beers: :thumbsup: Good luck.
P.S. let me know.

Thanks guys, I will try the self test and then if I cannot get it figured out I will take it to the parts store for a bench test tomorrow.

Had the starter tested at parts store today and he said it is all working fine!!?? Ignition maybe? Well now I have my entire dash out and finally got the ignition switch pulled out. Gonna see if that is it I guess?

IF the starter is in fact OK and not hanging up in the flywheel, the purple wire going to the "S" terminal on the solenoid HAS to be sending 12 volts to the solenoid.

It should be coming from the neutral safety switch and power going to the neutral safety switch comes from the ignition switch which "should" only be hot during the start position of the key.
Got a volt meter?

everything checked out ok on the ignition switch so it must be the solenoid. I will replace it and see if that solves the problem.

They didn't check the solenoid as part of the starter test?

I asked him if it was working and he said yes it is fine, but apparently it was not. oor woeks some times but not all? I don't know. Just gonna replace it.