starter freewheels!!!

[Fidelity101]

Okay I just got done putting a motor and trans back into the car and have everything wired up ready to go and as soon as I hook the battery up you hear the starter freewheeling.

I have my battery in the trunk and its been that way for a while now so I don't see why all of a sudden its acting up on me now.

I have the battery + to the starter and that same connector goes to B+ on the alternator, then that other starter cable from the harness is on the other solenoid terminal that has that small wire that goes from the starter to the starter solenoid.

the signal wire is hooked up too

so what in the hell is wrong? I know I'm having a short to somewhere there but none of the connectors look like they are even remotely touching eachother. I was getting low resistance between the battery positive and negative connectors (not terminals)

help

[SecondGenPat]

Okay I just got done putting a motor and trans back into the car and have everything wired up ready to go and as soon as I hook the battery up you hear the starter freewheeling.
I have an idea on this, however, is the starter "free spinning" without engaging the flywheel (not turning the engine) or does the engine spin?

I have the battery + to the starter and that same connector goes to B+ on the alternator, then that other starter cable from the harness is on the other solenoid terminal that has that small wire that goes from the starter to the starter solenoid.
if I understand this correctly, you should not have a direct path from the top "B" terminal to the "S" terminal, ever.
The small terminal on the side of the starter solenoid should be a 12 volt ignition (start pos.) switched power.

the signal wire is hooked up too
I was getting low resistance between the battery positive and negative connectors (not terminals)
What?????:dunno:
please explain this.

-Pat

[Whizbang]

that is interesting. Sounds like its wired wrong since as soon as the car recieves power the start begins to spin BUT its not engaging the plunger forward. But your description sounds like its not. Ill recap for you just to double check. Or if you can get a picture.

K. So. The starter has two important connections points.

The larger threaded connection will have the wire from the battery and the wire with the eye hole connection (and if it hasn't fallen off, a rubber boot). This is basically at the top most portion of the soleniod.

Then there should be a spade connection. If i recall, the wire from the harness is a female, the solenoid is male.

So in all, there are three cables.


I am confused about the "negative" batt. connection you mention.

[TitaniumTT]

check voltage to the starter, make sure it's within a few percent of battery voltage. There could be too much resistance in the wires, or the starter itself is just bad. Bendix's do get sticky after a while.

[Fidelity101]

yeah I figured it out, I'm a dumbass. I just need to get into the garage now and put the right wire on the right terminal.

I was just bypassing the engagement switch, with the way I had it wired so it would just receive power and spin.

[SecondGenPat]

cool beans, kinda figured that was all it was.

-Pat

[Fidelity101]

the connector I have for my B+ side is pretty beefy and hard to work with, not to mention the 0 gauge cable from the battery relocation.

I got to hear it start today then it died shortly after but I ran out of daylight so I just gotta hook up the exhaust and cap a few vacuum lines and I should be good to go again!

hopefully tomorrow.