Randomly engaging Sc400 starter... Help

[Spooledx2]

Gents,

I am have a serious problem with my SC, I did a search and couldn't find anything quite like this.....

Here goes. So when I purchased my SC the starter was bad in it so it would not start. So when I bought it I did the DIY starter replacement with the help of some great posts I found on CL. After I replaced the starter everything worked fine, until one day I was driving it down the road and the starter engages and won't shut off until I turn off the key. When i went to restart it , it fired up and ran great. I thought it was a freak thing so I drove it as my DD and every once in a great while it would do the same thing. I let my buddy borrow the car for a couple months while he was working on his and he called me one day saying the car wouldn't turn over, so I went over and looked at it and figured the ignition switch must be bad, because when you would turn it to the start position the starter would engage but it wouldn't disengage until I turned the key to the off position. So I ordered a new switch and installed it and everything was fine. Until he calls me a week or two later and says the starter engaged while he was driving it and he shut it off and the car wouldn't crank over anymore.... By then his car was up and running so I parked the SC for the last six months....

This past weekend I decided to do another DIY on the starter and yanked the old one out and reinstalled the new one.....(much, much easier the second time BTW. After installing the starter I hit the ignition switch, the starter cranked over and once again would not quit cranking until I turned the key off..... So I thought ok new starter newish switch WTF is going on????

I had a S2000 push button switch so I decided to take the ignition switch out of the loop and wire it in. So after I got the switch installed... What a PITA(upcoming DIY for those who are interested). I fired up the car and and it ran great. So I let it idle for 20 mins or so while I cleaned up the shop..... Just when I thought all was safe.....GRINNNNNND the STUPID F@^KING starter engaged again just for a brief second this time and then went off and the car continued to idle.

So as I walked over to where I keep the dirtbikes and a big can of gas, my buddy Robert stopped me and wouldn't let me burn it to the ground.... (thanks Robert)

There is my issue and I am turning to the guys with the know how. Does anyone know which way the wires are routed when they come out of the starter and head back towards the fire wall? Is there anything that the could be arcing out on? I am lost, I love my car but I am thinking I may have to cleanse out the demon that lives in it with fire.

Thanks in advance gents

Ramon

 

[Lextreme II]

I had a similar problem last week. Starter was complete engage and keep on turning. Replace your starter and make sure u test it out first before installing it.

 

[Spooledx2]

Thanks for the response. I did test this one before installing in and this would be the second starter it has happened too, tha is what puzzles me so much. If I have to go in there again i will have it tested again. Thanks again, good thing it gets easier to change out every time lol.

Thanks again

 

[stevechumo]

When there's enough voltage feeding the starter, its gear will protrude out of its shell and turn. And if the power is continuing to feed it, it'll keep turning forever and that's normal. And when the power is disconnected, that's when its gear pulls back.

If there's no power being fed to the starter, and if the gear got stuck outside, then it still turns. However, it should be much more quiet then when it's turned with the power. If that's the case, then the flywheel keeps touching it and they'll just grind against each other.

Another case is I'd suspect there gotta be something that keeps feeding the power to the starter. It could be the ignition wire and its lock that got stuck. I don't have the ignition/starter diagram here so I can't tell exactly what is the possible fault.

 

[Zuffen]

The power feed to the starter solenoid runs in a loom that includes the main battery cable to the starter. This loom splits into two and the solenoid feed then runs in a loom to the relay box.

There are three places I can see a potential short.

It could be a short between the solenoid feed and the main battery cable to the starter. It may be intermittent.

There could be a short between the solenoid feed and the fuel injector power feed as they run in the second section of the loom mentioned above.

There could be a short in the fuse box. Have you ever looked underneath it? A zillion wires!

How would I fix it?

I'd run a new solenoid feed from the starter to the starter relay and see if that fixes it. If it doens't I would rig the solenoid feen from a separate switch (like you S2000 one) with a new relay wired in separate to the factory one.

I know you'ill need to access the starter motor to do this but by now you're getting pretty good at it.

One point when a starter is driven by the engine it can flog the bearings out of it pretty fast so I would check its condition when you have access to it.

 

[Spooledx2]

Gentlemen,

Thanks so much for the responses! I will check this stuff out this weekend and see where that takes me. I haven't checked under the fuse box or any of the wires, besides the under dash wires and the ones coming into the starter from the back of the block( which is obviously difficult to see much of).

Thanks again for the excellent ideas on new areas to check out, it definitely gives me hope. Keep the great work up on the site, this place kicks ass, and I am very great full that you guys are here willing to help us noobs. I will keep you gents updated on the progress.

Cheers,
Ramon

 

[ihiryu]

....I had an issue with turning my blower motor and the starter would engage. Come to find out it was the fender lining harness. I was trying to figure that thing out for MONTHS.

I didn't realize it until I had the telltale of "Windshield wipers turning on when you hit a bump"