starter won't shut off
I agree with George about those being the very most likely items (accidental contact with S terminal, and it needs a ground [I use a jamper cable] to work just hanging.
But here's a weird one: Just this afternoon my buddy's 69 Firebird developed a "starter won't shut off" problem. Even with the key turned off. Disconnected the negative battery cable at the battery to shut it off. I even jumpered battery voltage to the starter solenoid S terminal [it spun of course; key off], and when I unhooked the wire, the starter continued to spin. Pulled battery cable off to stop it. Did it 6 out of 8 times. Unhooking the battery unlatches it again I spin it again. So I pulled the starter. Didn't notice anything catastrophic inside the solenoid when I disassembled it, but don't now what tiny details may hold clues.
We came upon this strange behavior after a drive home from a sudden one-time no-start condition, where there wasn't as much as a peep from the starter motor or its solenoid. We came back to pick it up and it fired right up. That seems to be a separate issue, maybe. I suspected ignition switch but making it do a no shut-off with the key out of the column has convinced me otherwise. I haven't run it on my garage floor yet.
Couldn't be the starter motor, as opposed to the solenolid, could it? We bought it a year and 2000 miles ago, rebuilt.
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