starter solenoid circuit

[philminotti]

I'm getting ready to drop my engine into KMP 736. When I built a test stand for my engine, I incorporated a Ford style remote starter solenoid as shown in the diagram. Instead of the ignition key or start button carrying the approx 10 amps needed to pull in the starter solenoid, this relay does the job.



Seem like a good idea on Kirkham cars? Opinions welcome.

phil

[jhv48]

Works great until you are cleaning the engine compartment and water shorts out the firewall mounted solenoid and the car tries to start itself.

Don't ask me how I know!

$49 to replace the solenoid, $75 to replace the fried battery, and $17,000 to fix the body damage when the car tries to push my house off its foundation..

[philminotti]

Wow Jim. I can picture that happening, but never in a million years would have thought of it. I'll have to ponder that...

[MRGEORGE077]

Same thing happen to me, but the car was not in gear other wise we would have had to rebuilt the garage wall that it would have gone though.

[Barnsnake]

Mount the remote relay under the dash and use a battery disconnect. That would prevent that occurrence twice over.

[Jaydee]

When you say ford solenoid, is that the type that was used to actually power the starter itself? Otherwise you only need a 30 amp basic headlight relay. The main problem was voltage spikes from the solenoid creating pitting in the ignition switch. You try touching the signal wire to the solenoid when you release the starter, it can act like a coil.
JD

[trularin]

I must be missing something, my starter only has a single large lug.

Are you putting a cheby in a Cobra? Or is this some geared mini that needs a kicker??

[jhv48]

Some replicas have a remote solenoid mounted on the firewall. Those cars can still have a starter mounted solenoid as well. Obviously, two are not needed.

And I now have a battery kill switch mounted on the trans tunnel.

[Rick Parker]

Ford always had an inharent problems with their OEM solenoids which were mounted on the inner fender liner. On large CID applications the Factory starters required large amperage draw and the Buss bar within the soleniod (remote switch) would sometimes fuse to the contacts even after the key was released and would continue cranking. Another more common problem was the same Buss bar would become pitted on the contact points from arcing and occasionally just "Click" without activating the starter. Modern Mini starters use require less current and work SOOO much better. Most incorporate their own solenoid as part of the starter assembly.

[philminotti]

Ford had a remote solenoid in virtually every OEM Ford/Lincoln/Mercury/Mazda gasoline engine until fairly recently. Standard Motor Products part number SS598.

[vatdevil]

Originally Posted by jhv48

Works great until you are cleaning the engine compartment and water shorts out the firewall mounted solenoid and the car tries to start itself.

Don't ask me how I know!

$49 to replace the solenoid, $75 to replace the fried battery, and $17,000 to fix the body damage when the car tries to push my house off its foundation..

Tranny switch would of been much cheaper