Starter stays engaged after engine starts

[lcoleman]

Hi all, dealing with an issue on my '84 eta. Car starts up and runs fine, but for 3-10 seconds after startup, I can hear the starter stay engaged with the flywheel. It always disengages on its own after a few seconds. Before I replace the starter:

Is there anything else that can cause this? Will a bad ign switch present these symptoms? Are there any other switchs/relays/whatever in the start circuit that need to be checked?

Thanks.

[PimpinWalrus]

Sounds like something wrong with the ignition switch or solenoid. ign switch could be "sticky" and providing 12v for too long or solenoid could be bad and isnt bringing gear back in after cranking. If you're up for the task, I would pull the starter and make sure the solenoid is functioning properly.

[lcoleman]

I suppose the smart thing to do is to put a test light on the little wire and see if the voltage goes away after the key moves back into run. Maybe I'll get lucky, ign switches are a little easier to replace than starters.

[jeffnhiscars]

Once the engine starts the flywheel will spin faster than the starter bendix which forces them to disengage from the centrifugal force. Failure to disengage is typically a worn/binding bendix and/or a damaged ring gear