Ok, my 53 buick special, bone stock, 6v had starter issues. I took the starter into a reliable place...they have done great work before... I installed the wires....just like I removed them... see photo below... and now when I switch on the ignition key it just starts turning over.. It's supposed to have a foot operated starter switch...where is the problem?
<!-- google_ad_section_start -->And now it gets better. I drove half way into the garage... to get out of the rain and it would not shut off..infact when I went to shut her off, she would engage the starter... I could hear it grind...so I pulled the coils to kill her and now I am back to square one
there's spirits about. buicks have a carb switch that works when the throttle is pushed down. a steel ball connects two terminals and transfers power to the soleniod. when the engine starts, vacuum sucks the ball up off the contacts. be sure that system is connected properly and the wires are not touching each other.
To check the system perhaps you can try this; disconnect the small wire from the starter solenoid and check for current (voltmeter) with the key off.......check again with key on. You shouldn't current in either instance..........as posted by John Walker, there is a starter switch on the carburetor, as you know since you step on the throttle pedal to engage the starter. However, if you have current at the solenoid when the ignition switch is OFF, some thing is wrong "upstream" and current is being fed into the starter circuit from an inappropriate source. If, on the other hand, current with switch on, the starter switch, or touching wires at the switch, is likely the source of your grief. In that instance, you can disconnect the wires (2) attached to the carb mounted switch and check for continuity across the starter switch terminals. (use a multimeter set to ohms for this one). If continuous, remove switch, disassemble and clean it and the vacuum feed passages in the carb. By the way, I don't think the vacuum "sucks the ball back" when the engine starts, it rotates the switch housing and the ball falls away from the contacts........as I remember........been a few years since I worked on that switch.
back out playing in the garage again...when I run volts from big post to little I get 6.9 but If run little post to ground I get nothing
ok, I think I may have something here...the two wires in the photo above are taped together, they are supposed to be separate...somewhere down the line, the casing has corroded and caused them to touch negating the switch and starting my car... Does that make sense??
Yessir, I call Shenannigans on the previous owner... The switch was inadvertently bypassed... I separated the wires and no more issues.. Thanks to all who provided an ear!
Sounds like your starter relay points stuck, its located on the firewall above the starter. I dont think its your vacuum switch at all. These buicks look at two systems to know wether the car is running or not, so that the starter does'nt engage. 1st. is the vacuum switch on the carb which energzes the relay, 2nd the system sees the ground cicuit for the relay from the armature of the generator. So with the relay stuck it thinks the car is not running and tries to start it.
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