starter frying question

hey guys,

first of all, happy thanksgiving!!

second, recently my buddy got a new starter (on his yj), had a shop put it in and it started and ran fine for about a day. the next day (yesterday in fact) the starter went haywire and wouldnt shut off unless the battery was disconected. it just kept trying to spin the flywheel and you could here the (i dont really know how to spell this sound but) behhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

so i towed him to the shop where the guy replaced it free of charge (great, problem solved)

no, about 2 hours later (which was fortunate because we went camping last night thank God it didnt happen in the woods) the thing did it again!

so hes stumped, and i doubt the garage guy will give him yet ANOTHER free starter, because he knows its just going to fry again.

i proposed that it might be a fused relay, and that replacing that might solve the problem. you think that might be the cause? (BTW its an 88 YJ 2.5 4cyl)

if not, what do you think?

now hes toying with the idea of just getting a 4.0 and ax15 to replace the slug... maybe we shouldnt try to fix it :spin1:

Sure sounds like a bad relay to me.

replace the relay...if that does not fix it you could cut the green wire that runs to the starter and wire a push-button it. Then it would only get power when the button is depressed and that takes the relay out of the loop.

it doesnt start after it does this. it runs fine for a while, then the starter goes nuts, and it wont start again. thats why i was thinking that the bad relay is fusing some parts in the solenoid

sounds like the moving part in the relay which makes the connection at the correct time is getting stuck and holding the connection too long. I got a relay a while back...I think at AutoZone...which came apart and you could see the movement. If you can fine a relay like this one it may be easier to diagnose your problem.

After further thought it could be the connecting rod for your ignition switch sticking-maybe replacing the ignition would help.

Delco starter? Relay sounds probable.
Just for the heck of it, the next time it happens, loosen the starter mounting bolts a turn and see what happens. Delco is notorious for having a poor starter gear to ring gear fit. Not likely but possible the starter gear is jamming in the ring gear.
Prolonged starts with the Delco can cause the solenoid contacts to weld. Turn it over for six seconds or so, give it a few seconds rest and then try again. Letting the starter turn over for 15 or 20 seconds can weld the solenoid contacts or fry the windings.
It sounds like your starter relay or ignition switch is sticking.