It's possible that the "coil boost" contact, in your old Solenoid was going bad (this contact supplies +12vdc to the "I" terminal on your Solenoid, during starting, and then on to the Coil in your ignition system). After the engine is started, the Coil is only supplied with the Red/Lt Green Resistance wire from the Starter Switch....and during "starting", it has the added Brown/pink "coil boost" voltage helping out, from the "I" terminal on the Solenoid. This is to ensure full voltage to the Coil during starting, and then during running, the coil has just the reduced voltage, from the resistance wire, supplying and protecting the ignition components, etc.
Safety note! NEVER TWIST A BATTERY CABLE TO GET IT OFF UNLESS YOU HAVE EYE/FACE PROTECTION!!!!!! I had a battery explode in my face a few years ago, not a fun thing! If I hadn't been wearing sunglasses, I'd had an eyeful of acid, again not fun! When I twisted the cable, the post broke loose from the case, letting the plates inside touch, creating a dead short, then POP! I had to have stitches in my eyebrow which was cut by a piece of the battery case when it exploded. A little lower and I might have lost my eye. So if you twist a battery cable, be prepared for the worst! It may never happen to you, then again it might happen the next time you do it. Now back to your regular station programming......
Wow. That's the first time I heard of someone being strong enough to do that. I have twisted hundreds of them and the batteries are stronger than the fingers when it wouldn't twist from the cable end. Glad it didn't do too much harm to you.
The post may have already been broke loose from the case, I'm not sure. Or it may have been a defect in the case. I don't really think I am strong enough to break one like that under normal conditions. But you never know what kind of abuse the battery has already had.
I had a Torino that the starter stayed running after I had pulled the key out of the ignition ... pulling the two small terminal-end wires off the solenoid is what stopped that. Might not work in all cases, but it did then.
