Re: [T3] Starter: part 2

[Chris Wright <Christopher.Wright@Sun.COM>]

<x-flowed>A good solenoid should work on 11.5 volts.  However, many owners 
(including me) have wired the ignition switch back to a relay which when 
picked, supplies the full battery voltage onto the solenoid.  This has 
the advantage of making the ign switch handle only a few milliamps and 
therefore it lasts a lot longer.  In the meantime, you should clean up 
every spade connector on the ign switch circuit to minimise the voltage 
drop.  If you have a 1 volt drop when the solenoid isn't actually taking 
any current, then you can bet it drops further under a 30 amp load.  Us 
'6 volters'  have to contend with volts drops all the time, but the same 
rules apply to you 'modern' types.

The relay I used was an old headlight relay with the contacts slightly 
modified and at first I mounted it under the car on a bracket on the 
starter bolt, but it soon got moisture in, in spite of sealing with 
silicon, so in the end I wired it inside the car down by the battery 
under the seat.  It's worked fine for the last 3 years.  For 12volts, 
there are plenty of 30amp accessory relays available very cheaply.
Rgds Chris

shalom@ucla.edu wrote:

> Thanks for your input on my last "starter" email.  It helped 
> understand what I need to do if I need to replace the starter.  But it 
> seems that the motor might be ok:
>
> Here is what I found out about my starter:
>
> 1) The voltage coming through the ignition to the solenoid is only 
> 11.5 volts rather than the 12.5 from the battery.  It does not 
> activate the solenoid.
>
> 2) The starter runs fine when I directly connect the 12.5 from the 
> battery to the solenoid.
>
> Will a new solenoid work on the 11.5 volts or will a new starter have 
> the same problem?
>
> Is the wiring getting too old?
>
> It's interesting how it was working fine and now it doesn't work at 
> all unless I connect the battery "hot" directly to the solenoid.
>
> Thanks alot,
> Shalom
>
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