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I purchased a 1952 Packard 200. When starting the car it runs for a second then the starter gets stuck and is always engaged. Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. First question is the starter circuit still original using the accelerator pedal to start the car and if so, does the starter motor keep going or what do you mean by "getting stuck". After you let off the accelerator pedal does the starter motor stop or what do you do to make it stop or get it unstuck?

If I use the floor starter the starter engages like normal, but it never disengages. To get it to stop I just have to cut the car off. I hope this helps. I am very new to this car world.

The floor starter can be finicky. I don't know enough about it, but IIRC I took it apart and cleaned it, and it is generally reliable. Others can weigh in.

Before that, my mechanic at the time wired up a separate starter button under the dash, which was simple to do, it just runs a separate wire to the solenoid. Probably good to have that anyhow. You want one of those spring-loaded 50A capable push-buttons, that you can get at any hardware store.

We are really considering wiring a push start to it this weekend.

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The accelerator linkage works a spring loaded plunger in the carb starter switch that moves to close contacts and energize the starter solenoid. As soon as the engine starts your normal instinct is to let off the accelerator pedal. The relaxing of the linkage lets the spring push the plunger back breaking the contacts and de energizing the solenoid so the starter motor should stop. The now present engine vacuum then draws a small connecting ball between the accelerator linkage and the plunger up into a passage breaking the mechanical connection to the plunger so it can no longer be engaged by the accelerator as long as the engine is running. The ball is also pulled against a seat in the passage which blocks off any vacuum leak thru the linkage or switch.

Unless the accelerator linkage itself is sticking and not returning to the relaxed position fully, the strongest possibility since you can get the starter to stop by turning the key off is the switch contacts have arced or become pitted and is not releasing smoothly or it could have gotten hot and the spring has lost tension. Checking or cleaning will require removing the switch from the carb but when you do so take extra care to account for all pieces in the order they come out. There should be some tiny shims that need to go back in the same position and the plunger must go back with the tapered point on the end down exactly like it came out.

Here is a bit on the switch from an old Motors Manual and a factory piece from Carter that someone -- maybe Ross -- posted on the forum. Unfortunately the photo is not very clear on that one.

NOTE: I deleted the copy I had posted of the Carter factory documentation. The cleaned up version Guscha did in the next post is far superior.

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Carb switch1.pdf Size: 285.77 KB; Hits: 74

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Howard (HH56), I polished it a bit (attached). Now it looks more similar to something, Ross did.

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carter carstarter V2.pdf Size: 612.24 KB; Hits: 128

Guscha, Thanks for cleaning the Carter article up. It is much better now than the copy I had so deleted the first version from my post.

Thank yall so much for all the help. I greatly appreciate it.

Thanks for the explanation, we finally got the car running and drove it a little bit.