Solenoid Wiring Mini Starter

[MCOULTER]

Just purchased a new Powermaster High Torque mini starter to replace my standard AC Delco starter and I am having difficulting with the hook ups.

Here is how it was wired before (and worked fine)

Firewall Solenoid:
Left (large) Post: Battery cable, MSD red wire, starter red wire
Left (small) Starter Post: Black/yellow wire from key switch starter post.
Right (small) Ingnition Post: nothing
Right (large) Post: Battery cable to starter motor battery post

Here is how it is wired now:

Firewall Solenoid:
Left (large) Post: Battery cable, MSD red wire, starter red wire
Left (small) Starter Post: Black/yellow wire from key switch starter post.
Right (small) Ingnition Post: nothing
Right (large) Post: Battery cable to starter motor battery post. NEW STARTER MOTOR HAS AN INGINITION POST AND I HAVE INSTALLED A PIG TAIL FROM THE STARTER BATTERY POST TO THE STARTER IGINITION POST.

The result is that the starter motor does not engange at all. I have replaced my switch with the same result.

Any ideas? Do I need to connect the ignition post on the solenoid to the ignition post on the starter?

Thanks

[Murphy]

You need a jumper wire between the large terminal on the starter that your positive battery cable is connected to and the small flat tab terminal on the starter just below it.

[MCOULTER]

Originally Posted by Murphy

You need a jumper wire between the large terminal on the starter that your positive battery cable is connected to and the small flat tab terminal on the starter just below it.

Murphy, thanks for the reply. I believe I have done what you have described. There are only 2 posts on the starter the battery and the ignition posts. I have run a wire between those two posts.

In order to make sure my starter is okay, I placed all wires on the hot post of the solenoid and as soon as I hook up he battery the starter engages (thus bypassing the switch).

I can't tell you how much I enjoy electrical

[Maurice Johnson]

MCOULTER, Your Delco starter had no wiring from the ignition switch, or from yellow/black terminal on the slave soleniod, to the pull-in solenoid on the starter motor?

[MCOULTER]

Originally Posted by Maurice Johnson

MCOULTER, Your Delco starter had no wiring from the ignition switch, or from yellow/black terminal on the slave soleniod, to the pull-in solenoid on the starter motor?

Nope. The battery cable ran from the firewall solenoid to the starter motor (1-wire only).

[Maurice Johnson]

MCOULTER, Do you know the model # of your old Delco starter. If it only had the heavy battery cable attached, it must have been one of the models which when fed current, advanced the armature to engage the ring gear, and then energized the armature to spin the engine. If your new starter has a tab marked ignition, it will need to be energized, to pull in the bendix to the ringgear, before passing current thru the short heavy strap between the starter solenoid and the starter winding, to spin the engine. This tab on the starter solenoid would get its current from the starter switch (black/yellow wire). I am a marine electrician here in Bermuda, and we use slave solenoids all the time for heavy draw marine diesel starters (8-900 amps). I have to admit, I find it strange to see slave solenoids on the Cobras to spin relativey small starters. I would welcome education on this last point from a more experienced member.

[MCOULTER]

Originally Posted by Maurice Johnson

MCOULTER, Do you know the model # of your old Delco starter. If it only had the heavy battery cable attached, it must have been one of the models which when fed current, advanced the armature to engage the ring gear, and then energized the armature to spin the engine. If your new starter has a tab marked ignition, it will need to be energized, to pull in the bendix to the ringgear, before passing current thru the short heavy strap between the starter solenoid and the starter winding, to spin the engine. This tab on the starter solenoid would get its current from the starter switch (black/yellow wire). I am a marine electrician here in Bermuda, and we use slave solenoids all the time for heavy draw marine diesel starters (8-900 amps). I have to admit, I find it strange to see slave solenoids on the Cobras to spin relativey small starters. I would welcome education on this last point from a more experienced member.

Maurice, I do not have the model # of the ACD starter. But it did operate they way you describe. I thought I was energizing the ignition tab by pigtailing it to the battery post of the starter as the instructions noted. Thanks for the insight though.

[MCOULTER]

Okay, closing the loop on this thread. I took my brand new Powermaster starter to Pep Boys to get checked. NO GOOD. Purchased a Tilton ($ ouch!) and it turned over just fine.