Starter motor wont disengage when engine is running 97 Grand Prix

[Jacob Sexton]

I jsut traded a guy for a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix. The car did not act up at all during the test drive, but when i actually traded it started having issues. Right after washing the car, i tried to start the car and the battery was dead. When I tried to jump the car, the jumper cables were arching whenever they were connected. Sparks would shoot from the terminals. The cables were not hooked up backwards either. The jumper cables then began to smoke so i disconnected them quickly. I bought a new battery to get it home and the new one was almost drained in a day. This led me to believe that i had a dead short in the car. I tested the alternator, battery and starter and all checked out fine. But then when i drove it home, i noticed the starter motor had not disengaged and was spinning on the flywheel while my car was on. I quickly shut it off and pulled it in the garage. I pulled the starter again and had it tested again. It passed a second time. This leads me to believe that i have a short in the wiring harness (the harness was just laying on the engine like the engine might not have been the original one), or that it could be a faulty starter switch or something like that, any input on this problem would be appreciated, Im running out of options!!:th_lipssealed1:

 

[BillBoost37]

Consider a starter shim.

 

[mikedinthecity]

ihad worked o a 97 gtp i while ago, used to drain the batt. got new batt, same issue, got an alt, same issue...like wth...i eventually found the wires near the starter touching the engine block....dont ask me how it did it but i loosened them, moved them away, retightened and car was perfct after that. if everything checks out i would at the leas replace the starter. they have a way of draining the battery when shorted internally.