Need help with Starter Solenoid Wiring

[Jeeptruck]

I recently aquired a classic 1978 Ski Nautique boat with a Ford motor that is is questionable condition. My major problem is that I have not been able to get any power to the starter. When I got the boat the battery, coil, and starter solenoid were missing. The charging system seems to be the same as my 1979 J10. I wired and rewired the solenoid so many dang times I can't think straight. It is wired as follows:

Battery...to...Large Post on starter solenoid
Opposite Large Post...to...Starter
Small post battery side of solenoid...to...Hot with key in run position
Small post starter side of solenoid...to...Hot with key in crank position

All seems ok but I never can never get power to the starter side of the solenoid. Test light tells me that I have power to the Battery side, key in run, key in crank, but never gets to the starter side.

BTW battery is good and solenoid is new (checked with several solenoids).
I am stumped what have I done wrong. I am asking you guys because the starting system seems to be exactly the same as our jeeps.....thanks mike

[joe]

I emailed you pic of the earlier FSJ wiring...maybe it'll help.

[mdill]

There are 2 ford solinoids :

1) manual trany
2) auto trany

1) will have the soilnoid coil grounded though the mounting bracket
2) will have a tit on the side opposite the two little bolt posts, this tit
goes to the neutral safety switch and needs to be grounded for
the solioniod to engage.
(how is the coil ground on your set up ??)

On your hook up to the small posts, I think from memory that one should
be hot for starting, the other is to bypass the coil resistor when starting,
so I think this is messed up some the way you have it, I don't remember which
is which little post is which off the top of my head though.

Mike D.

[Joe Guilbeau]

The starter solenoid should have two small posts on top that are marked "I" and "S"

I- for Ignition, used to bypass the ballast resistor/resistor wire during starting, thereby supplying a full 12Vdc to the coil.

S- for Switch, this is the terminal that +12Vdc is applied to, in order to engage the solenoid.

Power from the Pos-terminal of the battery should go to the post near the "S" terminal, although electrically, it does not matter, both posts are the terminations of a single pole switch.

The heavy guage starter wire should be attached to the post near the "I" terminal, again it does not matter electrically which of the large posts are used, but dressing the wire around the engine bay, pretty much dictates using these posts, unless you turn the unit upside down...

The solenoid is normally grounded thru the mounting bracket, without that good ground, it may not work.

To test the unit, ground the mounting bracket, and apply +12Vdc to the "S-terminal", you should hear the "clunk" when the electromagnet is energized and provides a high current path thru the solenoid from one large post to the other large post.

So, there you have it, this "post" is more complicated than the solenoid itself...