Starter does not disengage

[andrew]

Hi folks,

My 1970 SIIA 2.25 petrol has on occasion, and maybe 1 in 10 times lately, started normally but then the starter continues to crank after it has started. When this happens it does not matter if I turn off the ignition -- the engine remains on, as does the starter. When it happens I have to jump out of the truck and pull the ground cable from the battery. That kills the engine and I can then restart it normally, and the starter does not (so far) continue running the next time I try to start it. Like I said, this happens maybe 10% of the time. Everything else works as normal.

My natural suspicion is that it's the solenoid, but it's new. My second guess is the ignition switch, but it's new too. Indeed, practically the entire ignition system has been replaced, as part of a bad starter situation a year ago -- that began when the starter burned up under the scenario described above. In other words, this problem happened a year ago, I replaced virtually everything in sight, and now (after not happening for about a year) it's happening again...

Ideas?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[toga Rover]

http://britishstarters.com/Land_Rover.html

[andrew]

http://britishstarters.com/Land_Rover.html

This is actually what I replaced the original starter with, and it's what's on the truck now.

[stomper]

Your bendex is gummed up, and the starter gear is not disengaging? It can happen in colder weather when the lube gets thick.

That's my guess anyway.

[Revtor]

If your engine continues to run with the ignition switched off, then your switch isn't wired correctly. But this would happen every time... So I guess you can rule this out.

If its not actually running, but just being turned over by the starter, then I'd say solenoid. This could be intermittent. Current replacement parts are generally garbage and their life expectancy is maybe 3 years. You might have gotten a particularly bad one.. -Britpart by any chance?

The starter could be sticking in the engaged position, but why would it continue to crank with no power going to it? (Ign. switched off)

keep us filled in!
~Steve

[andrew]

Definitely not a consequence of the cold, since it's rarely less than 60 degrees here...

When the problem happens it's both running and still trying to start, and shutting off the ignition doesn't stop either.

The solenoid came from our hosts, whatever their source is.