1999 Mercury Sable starter does not disengage sometimes

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1999 MERCURY SABLE
4 CYL
FWD
MANUAL
119,000 MILES

1999 Mercury Sable mileage: 119,000. Sometimes when I start the car, the starter won't disengage. The only way to get it to disengage is to play with the ignition key lock cylinder (turn to start position & back a few times) or disconnect a battery cable. It only does this intermittently, and I can't predict when it will happen. I've had it to the shop four times already and the starter has been replaced twice, the solenoid replaced three times, the ignition switch replaced once, and the ignition key lock cylinder replaced once. Any suggestions?

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Sounds like you have replaced everything that normally would have caused your problem. We would suggest hooking up two temporary test lights. Hook one test light to the main power to the starter and the second one to the solenoid terminal that is energized by the ignition switch. Now with the test lights in place, when the problem happens again you can pinpoint your problem. It could be damaged wires or a starter gear that does not disengage from the flywheel