QuestionQUESTION: Jim, I need guidance in re-connecting leads to and from the battery, starter, and the works. Is other a simple plan to follow? Solenoid Upper post , Lower Post, left and right terminals. Thanks.
ANSWER: Hi George, opps, I mean Scott. But I am not Jim. I will however answer your question even if you won't tell me what kind of car this is.
On a solenoid that has two small leads. (the two big posts are obvious)
When a solenoid has two small leads and two small wires, one is to activate the solenoid and the other is to provide a 12v power to bypass a resistor used on a coil while in the "Start" mode only.
Many of the solenoids used two different size flat spade connectors so you couldn't get the two wires mixed. However not all did that so it then was necessary to know which was which.
Most of the time on British cars the "Trigger" wire to activate the solenoid was white w/red tracer but not on all cars.
It is however easy to ID each wire and each terminal. Do this, with a 12v test light or volt meter test each of the two small wires to see that they both are dead, then have someone turn the key to the "Start" position and you will see that one gets power (usually white w/some color tracer) This is the "Trigger" wire and the other is the 12v coil power when the solenoid is active.
Now, take a jumper wire and attach one end to a known power source. Touch the other end to each of the small terminals on the solenoid. One will do nothing and the other will activate the solenoid. (Make sure the car is out of gear and the ignition is "OFF") Which ever activates the solenoid gets the "Trigger" wire you have already IDed.
Any small all brown wires with large "I"lets on the end will always go on the large post with the battery wire.
This applies to just about all British cars even if you don't want me to know what kind of car you have George, or Scott.
Howard
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Sorry Howard, 1980 Triumph Spitfire. I can fax you a drawing of what I am dealing with if you like. I had a cable cross the battery and fried allot of the wiring. Cleaned all of that up and installed fresh wiring . Now just want to be sure I put everything back proper. Scott
AnswerYou need to ID the terminals on the solenoid first as I outlined because some aftermarket replacement solenoids may not have oriented the terminals as "Right and Left". So it is necessary to ID the terminals.
The 78 to 80 Spitfire may have 4 small wires involved as per the wiring diagram. These may already be paired off correctly but just in case they are individual, here is how they go.
The white w/red tracer and the white w/orange tracer wires go together on the "Trigger" terminal of the solenoid. The white and the white w/yellow tracer wires go together on the other terminal.
I have a wiring diagram of your car on my web site that you can copy.
http://mg-tri-jag.net/78Spitfire11x1.jpg for the diagram and
http://mg-tri-jag.net/78Spitfire21x1.jpg for the index.
Howard
