Sticking Starter

[john@cooksflips]

Hello All,
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I have a 74 j10 with th400, amc 360 and starter will not stop sticking.
recently i had my quadratrac and th400 rebuilt and i have just reinstalled everything and this is when the issue with the sticking starter began. I have replaced ignition switch, replaced blinker switch in column, replaced starter, replaced the solenoid two different times, and have fully exposed the wiring harness and i can not find the issue. I am back to thinking i possibly should try another solenoid.
When the starter sticks I must pull the battery connection to kill the motor. The wiring harness apears to be original to me and this is a fairly unmolested truck. Never lifted, very few dents, not covered in years of mud. The wires apear to be in pretty decent shape. Help !!!

[babywag]

aftermarket parts especially electrical can be very poor quality these days.
solenoids seem especially problematic.
i have seen threads on forum where guys went through 3 new ones to get a good one.
have seen several threads on here where starter keeps going as well.

There are good aftermarket solenoids available but they're more $$.
Grabbing good OEM one from old Ford @ boneyard is also better than cheapnese crap sold today.

[joe]

+1 to what Tony said.
Electric stuff today is a real crap shoot from "any" of the chain store parts houses. I'm one of those folks Tony mentioned where it took 3 trips to get a working starter solenoid/relay for a 72 starter. Your best bet if you have one nearby is buy the part from an auto-electric shop. Yeah more expensive but it'll work. For solenoid/relays specifically for an AMC/Ford type starter is the boneyard. Rather than buying from a chain store you're better off get an OEM one from an old 60'S era Ford.

[tgreese]

For the solenoid, I would go with the Standard Blue Streak part SS581X. Standard only makes the regular line part currently the SS581, but you can find the high-end Blue Streak part as NOS if you look around.

[letank]

a slight tap on the starter casing w a 3lb hammer... should unlock the sticky starter ...

as said above parts are a gamble nowadays...

[john@cooksflips]

Hello All,
I want to update yall on this issue in case it ever arises for yall. The starter is still sticking after 3 different solenoids, new ignition switch, and a new starter. I have even replaced the positive and negative wires coming from the battery as well as the engine ground wires. I am attempting to start the truck by manually engaging the ignition switch with a screwdriver as i have the column taken apart because I can not get the key switch out of the column. When i push the ignition switch forward the starter engages, engine cranks up, but when I pull the ignition switch back into the run position the starter will not disengage.
Because i can not get the key cylinder out of the column i want to get this problem figured out before I a take the column completely out of the truck or rewire a new key switch on the dash.
So i guess my real question is, should I be able to manually engage the ignition switch without he plunger in it, or cold that be the issue ?
The biggest of thanks to anyone that can help a desperate man.

[wiley-moeracing]

Verify that the ignition switch is not still sending power to the solenoid after returning the key switch to the running position then you know if is the switch or the solenoid.