Nissan Repair: Buick starter connections, buick park avenue, automatic overdrive transmission

Question
QUESTION: Hi Calvin,


This is a resend of a question I asked you a couple of days ago.  As you became unavailable to answer, AllExperts did a general posting of my quesion.  As you are available now, I'm writing you again in hopes you can answer it.  Thanks, John


I'm sorry this isn't a Nissan question, but there doesn't seem to be a Buck specialist on this site.  Since your expertise is for all models of cars, I decided to write you.

I have a 1981 Buick Park Avenue, rear wheel drive, automatic overdrive transmission.

After removing the starter to check battery connections, my diagram of how to hook the starter connections back up, was stolen along with with some other starter bolts.

My problem now is where to hook up two of the four wires which connect to the two solenoid terminals on the starter.  (Two of the wire connections are obvious, one being the battery terminal which hooks to the large stud on the solenoid, and the other being a small wire terminal (brown wire) which hooks to the small stud on the starter solenoid.)

The other two wires that hook to the solenoid I'm not sure of (either wire could fit either of the two terminals on the solenoid).  

One of the mystery wires is green, and terminates from two red wires.  The other is black.

(I tried hooking up the two mystery wires to the battery stud on the solenoid along with the battery terminal, but the battery shorted out when I tried to hook it up)   

Could you help me with where these two mystery wires hook up?

Thanking you in advance,

John

PS - I checked some car manuals I have, but they said to make a diagram of where the wires hook up, (which I did, but have now unfortunately lost)

ANSWER: Hi John -

How many terminals does your starter solenoid have?

thanks
calvin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Calvin,

The starter solenoid has two terminals (studs) one large and one small.  The four wires are hooking to these two solenoid terminals.  

Two of the four wires that hook up to it are accounted for because one wire (the positive battery terminal)has a large connection (eyelet) on the end and can only fit on the larger terminal (stud) of the starter solenoid.  The other wire that is accounted for has a small connection (eyelet) and can only fit on the smallar terminal (stud) of the starter solenoid.

The two mystery wires have connections (eyelets) large enough so that they could fit on the larger terminal (stud) of the starter solenoid along with the battery terminals.  I tried putting these two mystery wires on the larger terminal (stud) of the starter solenoid along with the battery cable, but my car battery shorted out when I tried to hook it up (it didn't like this connection.  

Hope this might help with the question.

Thanks, John

Answer
Hi John -

It would seem strange that you have so many wires.

Does the engine start without the 2 mystery wires attached? Normally what I see for your starter application is one hot (positive) and, at the most 2 to the solenoid terminal (the smaller one).

Perhaps it could be a ground wire that would go on the mounting bolts?

Let me know -
aloha
calvin