2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT problem while starting?

[matouk313]

I recently had a mechanic come to my house and fix my car. I was having problems with something draining the battery and my car was not starting. I replaced the battery and also found out that the starter was fried after taking it to autozone. We replaced it and fired the car up . The car started up just fine the first time but the second time it sounded like the starter was trying to start up again even tough the engine was already running? It was making an awful loud noise so i pulled the key out and the engine shut off but the starter (or I think) was still trying to start up by itself even though the key was out??? My mechanic tested everything all the fuses in the whole car for about 2 hours. Everything was fine I then told him i was having trouble with my key getting stuck all the time in the ignition and he said thats probably where the problem is.......? HELP !!

thank you

[tblake]

Sounds like you need to bring that new starter in to autozone for testing.

[matouk313]

well do you think that it could be some sort of switch that shorted in the ignition that keeps telling it to turn on.

[tblake]

Possible but unlikely. Are you positive it is hooked up correctly?

[HotZ28]

It is possible that the contacts inside the solenoid are fused/welded together and sometimes it will release if you firmly tap on the side of the solenoid with a hammer, it may free-up the contacts, but this is only a temporary solution and it's better to replace the solenoid.

Another possibility is incorrect shimming of the starter, resulting in the starter gear hanging in the flywheel. Do you know if your mechanic checked the clearance between the starter gear & flywheel? Most new/rebuilt starters have very detailed instructions included in the box on how to check & shim (if needed). In case you returned your core in the box (along with instructions) see pic below for typical procedure.

[matouk313]

The car started all by itself so im not sure if that could be the case or not without a key in the ignition

[doctorhrdware]

So the car was running with out the key in, if that is the case, it sounds like a ignition switch is causing the problem. Or was the starter running with no key in.

[matouk313]

well before i made any repairs (or when my car broke down at kroger!) the starter was running with the key out and a smell was coming from it. Then when i got the new one put in the car would try to start by itself (without key) and would keep trying even when the car was on? and the starter would make a LOUD! noise I had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop.

[tblake]

Unhook the "S" terminal on the solonoid of the starter. Then hook up your battery. Does the starter spin, or no?