last week i went to start the car, and when i let go of the key the starter stayed on. probably for 1 minute straight. i tried to pull the fuse while the girlfriend kept working the key. it finally stopped. luckily the engine didn't catch. any ideas? sticky pins on the ignition?
the battery was smoking and some of the battery plastic melted at the terminals. once i think i have the problem fixed what should i be careful of? what would you be worried about?

When mine did this it was because the wires on the starter arced. If it does this again, disconnect the ground form the block and separate the wires on your starter.

thanks bob. i'll try it tomorrow.

Also possible your starter solenoid is hanging up. You could try disconnecting the main battery cable at the starter and cycling the solenoid a few times to see how it sounds.

Pull your solenoid, and bench test it with the multimeter. Then apply voltage to it and check your readings. It sounds like the solenoid is not disengaging after the power is withdrawn. Starter should only engage when power is applied to the solenoid. So its either solenoid, or the wiring is somehow bypassing the starter. Once the power is gone, the starter should withdraw.

..what I mean by bypassing is that either the solenoid is still allowing power to go through... or... your ignition switch is stuck on the "start" section allowing the circuit to complete to allow power to travel to the starter.

wiring circuit... battery, ignition, solenoid, starter. Its not battery, and starter should only engage when power is applice, so it should be one of the other two..

Hope I didnt confuse you..

Thanks for the help guys.
Long story short. I tried the ignition switch, everything checked out. SO I pulled the starter and took it in to be tested. It checked out fine, so I put it back in, and no surprise, it still did it. So I called the local starter rebuild shop. He said disconect the wire from the ignition to the starter, add a wire lead long enough to reach the battery and direct connect it to bypass the switch, then pull it and see if the stater stops. I did, and the starter wouldn't stop. So fouled terminals on the solenoid....He said the testers at most shops are no load, so it wouldn't expose this condition....FYI.
Picked up a rebuild from NPD today for $50 (I feel bad not giving the business to the guy that helped, but he wanted $130 for a rebuild). I'll try it this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed.
Guess that wasn't so short.

Just send the guy some business to pay him back. Doesn't matter where the money comes from as long as it comes.

Swapping your starters and alternators for rebuilt ones is the oldest car parts rip-off going. Each component within these units that fail cost very little. Align yourself with a guy that actually rebuilds these things. Cheaper and a better end product.

IMO, $50 for a starter is very low ... sounds like Tia-won.

Get yours rebuilt by the guy that helped you out and it should not cost anymore than the new "T" part.

Using a multimeter on the solenoid (without power applied, and power applied), would have proven the solenoid bad. Many switches, sensors, etc..can quickly be diagnosed by using the multimeter and checking resistance. Last night I tested an ABS rear brake sensor on my Explorer by using the multimeter to compare the old sensor and new prior to installation. You can still bypass with the wire and verify, but the multmeter can save a lot of time.. Just thinking out loud...

As an update, I went with the $50 rebuilt from NPD. Came with certification papers showing specs and actual results. And the shop it was done at has a U.S. address (which I was surprised at) so at least I feel good it's not from overseas.
Now she starts like a champ. I couldn't believe the difference the new one makes. Same battery, same set-up, but a ton more power from the starter....