Sounds like a bad starter...
the fact you say it enguaged, then got stuck "on"...
Usually when this happens the little gear on the end of the started gets chewed up fast, or the starter gets burned up pretty fast ....
Old school when this would happen...suck either way, was to wack it with a hammer...and you could get 1 or 2 more weeks out of it....
only tests i know involves removing the starter....some auto places will test them...but since yours got stuck in the on postion, the windings are likely overheared, and shot, and the little gear on the end is chewed up....so going with what wmw says seems to be a good idea. Pulling it out will certainly tell you it failed, but having the new one to install right away (while the removal steps are fresh in your mind) is great....so imo, just order one.
I meant to update this. I removed the starter the next day after posting. It wasn't as hard as I thought. I got the starter tested twice and it passed both times. I ended up trying it in the car again and it is still working. Not sure what I did but removing and reinstalling seems to have remedied my issue. Seeing it wasn't all that hard to remove I figure I will keep it in the back of my mind that it could fail again at some point.
When you say the little gear gets chewed up are you talking about the one that contacts the flywheel? Looking at it I didn't see any noticeable problems. maybe I was able to stop it before it overheated. It only ran for about a min maybe less before I was able to disconnect the battery.
Sounds like you "saved" it, but it will likely happen again if it previously got stuck...
The little gear i'm talking about is the one on the starter...much simpler fix than the flywheel side...
Folks used to spray some wd40 into tge starter, or wack it with a hammer like i said before...but it sounds like it is on the way out..if it sticks "sometimes", it only takes once or twice to destroy it.
Like x 1
