Smoke but thankfully no fire!

[antwan]

Really confused with this one, i'm hoping someone can shed some light on it.

I've just reconditioned my starter, new clutch new solenoid. Before fitting to the car I tested using an old battery. solenoid did its job perfectly, gear was shifted out and spun. Having wrestled getting the starter out, I chose to test it around 10-15 times operating it for different lengths of time. Thorough enough! I put the starter back on the car it the car started perfectly 3 times before I started to feel smug and took it to the jet wash/country blast.

At the jet wash I tried to start the car, starter begun to spin up but didn't engage with the flywheel, when switched the ignition off, it kept going!!

3 or 4 mins of me flapping then the starter burned out and its a trip home on the back of a truck.

Tests ive done since:
Looked behind fuse board for heat distress of cables, all ok
Tested starter relay on fuse board, ok
Removed starter and looked at terminals and cables, all ok
Carefully reconnected the battery and tested volts on exciter wire, 0V so ok
Tested the resistance across +ve terminals of solenoid when operated, indicated making/braking of circuit ok

Any other tests I can do to prove the new starter isn't going to get fried also?
Many thanks

[esso]

Whetever you do make sure that you disconnect the battery if the starter-motor is on the car.I had the starter-motor burn out on a previous Cerb,didn`t disconnect the battery (mistake!),went on holiday for 4 days only to come back and find the car burnt out on my drive!

[antwan]

ah man, I can picture your face.
What do you have now, presumably t-cut didn't work!?

[ridds]

Unfortunately I would suspect this was down to it not being re-assembled correctly.

Unless you allowed a means of electricity to flow directly to the starter motor terminal (this is possible) then the solenoid would have remained engaged to allow power to get to the motor which would suggest the spring wasn't returning the solenoid.

[longbow]

I agree, this sounds like the spring/lever assembly within the solenoid wasn't functioning correctly. It sounds like when you pressed the starter button, the plunger moved within the solenoid to make the connection, starting the motor, but as the flywheel didn't engage I suspect the lever has become unseated. When you released the starter button, the lever won't have returned the plunger to the 'off' position, meaning that the plunger will have remained in place making the circuit and the motor will have continued to turn over until it burnt out.

[esso]

antwan said:

ah man, I can picture your face.
What do you have now, presumably t-cut didn't work!?

...that one was a `96 4.2......replaced it with a `98 4.5!