Got a new starter for my 83' and it's worked great oh, all week...

Would trying to start the car with the J-boot disconnected make the starter crank until the battery is disconnected?

That's what happened to me!

I looked at the engine just yesterday and, yes, the J-boot was connected (and I also know because it's been driving just fine... I have no idea how it suddenly came undone...

TIA-
Kyle

 

Im not really getting what your saying.. is the starter cranking as soon as you connect the battery? If it is, check and make sure you the two leads on the starter solenoid are not touching each other. I did this accidentally when i put my starter back in.

 

I don't write the most understandable things when I'm not too happy..

It's not cranking as soon as I connect the battery, but if I try to start the car the starter continues to crank after I've turned back the key....and taken the key out...

Sounds like ignition switch troubles... but what about this.....? I shorted the big positive post to the small switched post on the solenoid and it does the same thing and doesn't stop cranking until I disconnect the battery.

 

Put the J-boot back on...makes no difference at all.

If I try to rev up the engine it just bogs down, I think it's because:

Once I turn the key to the off position I think the starter disengages from the flywheel and keeps turning, but if I only move it the run position it stays connected to the flywheel.

 

The small wire on the starter is touching the power lead. The small wire is the signal lead. When you turn the key to the start position, it sends voltage down to the small wire. The small wire is staying energized due to touching the power lead. Once the engine starts turning, voltage is going through the big lead, and keeping the selonoid powered up. Undo the small wire, and when you tigjten down the nut with the 8mm wrench, make sure the lug on the end of the wire does not turn toward the big lead when you are tighten it down.

 

Had this happen on an old GMC van. I had a friend help rewire the power lead (big wire) to the starter connection and he didnt get enough strands of the large wire connected to the starter to get all the amps to it when the key was turned. So the amperage loss to the starter caused the starter to stay engaged and running until the battery died. I still remember frantically running back to the house to get a wrench to disconnect the battery connection. By time I got the wrench and the hood open the starter was barely turning. Rewiring the large wire correctly with the full wire fixed it and I didnt have any more problems with it.

 

Make sure you haven't connected the alternator output to the small solenoid connection. There should only be 1 wire on the small post, two wires on the big post.

 

^ +1
...and no wires on the post that has the jumper that runs into the starter itself.

 

1m hav1ng the same exact issue r1ght now w1th my starter staying on till disconnect the battery keep us posted. 1 was expecting a short somewhere after 1t stayed on the f1rst time but havent found anywhere yet.

ps my "eye" key doesnt work(used spell check as much as possble)