I think my starter is staying engaged to the fly wheel. I am running with no alternater. I have checked and I have good ground. So my question is this: How does that work exactly?? Does the battery pull the gears away or is it the ground? If it is the battery, I am using a Exide battery with a lot of cranking amps. Do I need to run a deep cycle battery???? This is a problem I have had for a while, thanks for any help that might be out there. P.S.- It does not do it all the time. Thats why I am thinking it could be the battery. It seems like it is when the battery is not fully charged is when it does it. It does fine leaving the pits, but in the staging lanes at the track when I start it and move it up, doing that a few times before I run then it wants to NOT disengage. Would a good deep cycle battery fix my problems???? Thanks again.
I think maybe you have a long time problem that has affected many racers etc. The battery and connections only energize the starter to spin the armature and engage the bendix gear. There is a spring on the bendix that should retract it after the engine fires, when the start switch is released there is no current flowing to the starter at all. Most of the hang-ups are caused by a faulty bendix assy. and or dragging starter. From your description sounds like a common occurance on engines running the big and heavy stock Ford starter with headers. Very close quarters and the heat from those header tubes almost always will cause the same symptoms as yours. The high amp battery will help overcome it, but won't cure it. Spend the money and get a aftermarket high torque, mini starter, you will save weight and there smaller size and construction should eliminate any more problems with heat etc. It will spin that engine over like never before, even 14 to 1 motors are usually no problem for them. You can use a later model Ford Ranger starter but they do not fit the 302 bell housing well and shimming etc. is required. Check the catalogs, Jeg's, Summit etc. for these starters. Hope this sheds some light on things. Good Luck.
More Info on Starting etc. Forgot to mention about not running alternator, get a good battery like a Optima gel filled or the like. The reg. deep cycle marine type are made for sustained use at low amperage draws and don't work real well for your type of use. The Optima type's are designed for good cranking amps and will take charging and recharging a zillion times over and over again. Have done a little cheating in prior years by buying a 1000 amp regular batt. for my tow vehicle from my local parts store, installed in race car and after a year of recharging at the track they usually are shot. Take back to store with warranty receipt and get another one for the same tow vehicle "free". Not the best way to go though, those batts. are not designed for that, the extra 40 or 50 dollars for the gel filled ones is the #1 choice. I have Optima's in all my race cars and have no problems at all. Can leave in over the winter months and will crank the engines up with out charging too. They can be mounted sideways or upside down, whatever you like. Just my opinion on batteries for racing etc.
I have a brand new mini-starter.($245.00) I bought it after I busted the last stock starter. This time instead of breaking the mini, the bell housing busted at the starter bolt! I will order a new optima battery this weekend, thanks for your reponse. Any other suggestions will be GREATLY appreciated.
