Reinstalled my 2.0L yesterday after a top end refresh and new heads. Hooked everything up, but when I hooked the yellow wire to the starter it turned by itself. Yes I hooked it to the right terminal. It will start and run by leaving the wire off and jumping the soleniod. Obviously, there is a short somewhere, just don't know where to look. Everything worked fine before motor removal.

Any ideas?

ever read Christine?

Ok, I've been working on this with Brian. Seems the #6 pin on the 12 pin connector has a constant 12 volts. Is this the way it's susposed to be? Seems like it should only be hot when the key is switched to the start position.

Correct--it should only be hot when the key is on. It gets power from pin #1 in the 14-pin connector, which also supplies power to the two rear-most pins on the four-pin connector. (Oh, and also to pin #12 in the 12-pin connector!) Make sure that the 14-pin connector isn't plugged in "off by one" (BTDT, it is possible but difficult!) and that you don't have something odd connected to that four-pin plug.

--DD

Does this point to a faulty relay board, or possibly a faulty key switch?

Either. Check for voltage at the other places I mentioned. Unplug the 12-pin harness and the 4-pin harness, then check for voltage at pin 6 on the 12-pin one.

Then pop the back off of the 14-pin connector and check for voltage on the yellow wire going to pin 1 there. If you have voltage there, then start tracing the wire. Check under the seat (if you've got the Dreaded Seatbelt Interlock Relay, or if the car had it in the past), and keep tracing until you get to the ignition switch. If you get there and find nothing wrong (no other wires spliced in or anything) then the switch is FUBAR.

--DD

I spent last weekend stairing at wiring diagrams with READING GLASSES! I feel your pain man! DD you are cool!

Hope you figure it out.

BTW: check to see you dont have a failed starter solinoid. I had that happen on a chevy and an old ford. I had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop cranking!

Thanks guys, problem solved. The dumbass(that be me) plugged in the 14 pin connector backwards. I'm amazed that it still ran.

I would have blamed it on aliens or at least made it an Al Queerda Terrorist Plot

uh Andy. You want a pic of my dumbass? Isn't MikeZ's enough?