car wont stop cranking

The starter solenoid may be stuck; gently tap on the starter motor in the hope that it will unstick it. The electrical malfunctions are either related to the starter wire you unplugged, or maybe the car alarm is malfunctioning too? Lock and unlock the car using its key in the drivers door.

I know this post was from 2 years ago, but the exact same thing just happened to me, so I figured I would post the solution here for any other unfortunate soul that runs into this problem.. This is Not an issue with the starter, as posted by Chris, the problem is with your ignition switch. Basically it is sending the signal to "Crank" the engine all the time, regardless of the key being on or off. The quickest way to confirm this (and a temporary fix for the problem) is to remove the Starter fuse from the fuse panel by the drivers side parking break peddle. It will be labeled on the back of the cover, but mine was the bottom row, 2nd from the left. Once removed, plug your jumper cables back on, and if the starter does not start cranking, the ignition switch is 100% the problem. As for a temp fix, just turn the key to the run position, then touch the fuse to the slot it came out of, once the engine is running, remove the fuse, and you will be up and running. A new ignition switch is $40-$50. Your welcome! :)

Shraids is right! Thanks. I change out starter, starter relay, and then change out the ignition switch and the ignition switch was the problem. How i diagnose my issues? Well I pull the starter relay plastic cover off and the ignition switch keep sending power to the relay telling the starter to engage all the time without the keys. Basically it was hot all the time. When you look at the relay you can see the contact close, which the relay contact suppose to be be open. It only contact when you start the car, and if stay stuck together then the ignition switch is bad. Well hope this help solve some of ya issues and headaches.

Hey my Lexus gs300 will crank and run for a second and die and my blinkers,head lights,dash light,speed odometer,interior lights, radio,clock and ac,controls don’t work what’s causing that