remote solenoid question (why I suck at fixing stuff).?

[hillmanhuskyguy]

Title should really read "why do I suck at fixing stuff"
My Minx powered Husky never needed a key to start, just turn the switch & pull the cable to engage the starter solenoid... No keys for the doors either.
Found a new switch (with keys) at about the same time the starter solenoid failed. Wired up the new (crappy Chinese replacement) and it worked for about a month, dead as a door now. Wired from the battery & ignition on 1 side, other side (two lug unit) goes right to the starter. Pull the cable in the center & contact is made, yada yada.
Don't want to use another of the craptastic ones. Had a Ford four lug laying in the desk, wired it how I thought it'd go with a push to start button aft of the ignition key to provide a temp' connectio of the starting circuit.

No joy. I've got it as:
big lug from battery on one side, other big lug goes to starter.
two terminals smaller posts, one marked ignition & one marked as coil.
So that's what I did, one comes from the ignition (starter button) and the other goes to the coil.

Anybody want to clue me in here. Might be a bad part, but I can get the lights and all that to work off the ignition switch (controls parks & head/tails) but no 'vroom' ..., so I'm not totally blowing it

Thanks in advance fellas.
Cris

 

[kmathis]

It sounds like you have it wired right; check to be sure that you get 12v at the ignition terminal when you push your start button, if so the solenoid should close.

 

[Gitnrusty]

Chris.
The big lug connection from the battery should be hot with a test light to ground, right! A tempory jumper wire from this terminal on the solenoid to the Ing. terminal on the solenoid should activate the solenoid ( you will hear a "click" ) and the starter will engage. The mounting base for the solenoid needs to be grounded to complete that curcuit. The " coil " terminal only shoots
full 12V to the coil to provide hotter spark during cranking. ...
Hope that helps. Chuck.

 

[hillmanhuskyguy]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I'll break out the circuit tester tonite.

 

[hillmanhuskyguy]

Update. I've got 12v @ the battery 'hot' side of the terminal @ the starter solenoid.
Only time I can get it to 'click' with the jumper wire is when I go to the coil side of the solenoid, not on the ignition side at all. So what does this mean.???
And, the click doesn't make the starter turn either..... sigh~
My back's killing me so I'm calling 'game off' for awhile.

 

[Tom H]

YOU say you have a Ford 4 terminal solenoid. I am not familiar with Ford systems, but everything I find on line about Ford Solenoids shows it has terminals labeled S (for Switch) and I (for ??? Ignition?) . And a few drawings I see show the ignition switch going to the S terminal. and the I terminal either unused or connected to the coil, apparently bypassing the ballast resistor. My guess is the terminal you think is "coil" is really S for Switch. And the other terminal you see as Ignition, meaning Switch is really "ignition", meaning "Ignition Coil" That would certainly explain why it goes Click when you jump to that Terminal.

As to why it does not crank ? Maybe a bad starter. Put your test light on the starter side and see if it lights when you get the solenoid to click.

Tom

 

[Ken Ellis]

Any chance there's a part number on it, or maybe on the box if it was still in one?

Plan B might be to either get a solenoid that's common to Alpines, or grab one from somewhere with a "researchable" part number. Both options would get everyone to some "common ground" concerning internal and external connections.

I suppose it's possible that something caused the previous one to fail, and that condition still exists.

 

[steven]

If you have some jumper leads, carefully attach one lead to the BATT on the solenoid and then touch the other end of the same lead to the starter connection. If it starts to turn, the problem is the solenoid. If not, its a starter problem.