Mini starter install

[87gtVIC]

okay cool. And this is what some others are doing to simplify the wiring?



Or the opposite jump down at the new starter?

[mercman1951]

okay cool. And this is what some others are doing to simplify the wiring?

Or the opposite jump down at the new starter?

Yes, and that is essentially what this kit from Summit does for the Chevy crowd. It includes a jumper bar of metal to connect the two positions on the starter solenoid, and then you hook up the remote mount 'Ford style' solenoid somewhere else.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-G1750/

Someone mentioned earlier in the thread that they never head of a solenoid being bothered by heat. Let me tell you, on a big block Chevy with headers, the Ford style setup is the way to go.

[DuceAnAHalf]

Awww, I like the old-school whine of that old starter. I can't change mine just because of that. Also, I like the idea of retaining my solenoid on the fender instead of down at the starter where it can get overheated.

Is there any way you can remove the solenoid from that starter in order to make the package that much smaller? Also, is the bigger starter the only thing stopping people from using mid-length headers?

on my car with the long tubes i had a problem of heat soaking the factory starter. went with a powermaster mini hi-torque and never had the problem again. im using both solenoids but i had to add a relay because there was not enough power flowing through the ignition switch to turn both 'noids. just used a ford fuel pump relay to trigger the second 'noid.

[Archangel]

okay cool. And this is what some others are doing to simplify the wiring?

This is what I'd do - I hate running extra wiring where there's heat and high current draws, this way everything is still rather self-contained and less likelyto rub against shit and melt and short out.

[87gtVIC]

This is what I'd do - I hate running extra wiring where there's heat and high current draws, this way everything is still rather self-contained and less likelyto rub against shit and melt and short out.

Not to mention it is a hell of a lot quicker to do.

[gadget73]

I'd be concerned about the new starter pulling more amps than the relay can handle. Hook it up the way the factory did it. Its probably that way for a reason. The new trigger wire has really small current draws, so you don't need a large wire. 16 ga is plenty.

[1990LTD]

Essentially, with installing a new-style starter, all you are doing is putting both big battery cables on the side of the original old-style solenoid closest to the battery, and simply unplugging the small 'S' wire from the solenoid (it should be marked), extending it, and hooking it up to the 'S' on the new starter.

I've done this over a couple of dozen times with customer vehicles and my own cars over the last decade and a half or so, after mistakenly discovering that the 91-up cars had the small starters....and they worked pretty well with higher-compression engines. I refuse to install an old-style starter, unless the customer is insistent on keeping the old-style in there, as the new-style is simply a better unit.

This seems real easy. I haven't been under it yet but there's only one wire going to my old timey starter, right?

Which wire is it on the solenoid? Since you said unplugging I'm assuming it's the 90 degree boot shaped little guy.

[1990LTD]

I also, obviously, don't know dick about the fender solenoid. Basically any information I can get that would be useful when doing the wiring changes...

You're putting both fat battery cables (+/-) on the side closest to the battery itself , and then just moving that tiny wire OFF of the solenoid and ON to the new starter? Am I reading that correctly?


What are the positions/terminals on the starter itself?

[1990LTD]

This is what I'd do - I hate running extra wiring where there's heat and high current draws, this way everything is still rather self-contained and less likelyto rub against shit and melt and short out.

So with this method I'm just jumping the terminals together down on my starter?

Does wiring remain the same up above, or..? Sorry for the persistent and probably stupid questions guys, I'm mechanically and elctrically retarded and want to make sure I'm not blowing anything up before I turn the key


The only wire running to my starter now is the hot one, correct?

[hemihotrod402]

I might have to try this when the current starter goes bad. It looks pretty straightforward

[1990LTD]

I might have to try this when the current starter goes bad. It looks pretty straightforward

Seems it. I'm not even doing it, apparently. Showed up at the garage and guy had an explorer in there without the engine getting some welding done, so the bay was tied up. He told me to leave it with him so I told him about the difference in the wiring and gave him the diagrams posted by Dave.


The Explorer was a 2000 and had the exact same starter that I am putting in my CV...mine is shinier though...hope they don't freak about the core charge when I bring back a slightly different starter

[1990LTD]

gear reduction starters FTMFW.



needed a new fender solenoid, as that was evidently my problem the other day when i started my frantic no start thread and i falsely concluded it was my battery connections. no parts stores open so he grabbed one from the ranger he's selling (that he replaced like two weeks ago) replaced the battery cables after the solenoid anyway after the other repair work, because, why the fuck not? they were old. i had to experiment to see just how much cranking it needed to turn it over...it starts in like half of the time of the old one. it sounds better, too.

PMGR =

[351m]

Why does this not work? I used a mini starter so I could get to town for parts and this was all I did, it worked fine. (Keep in mind I didn't care how good it looked as it was for that day only)

[1990LTD]

there's your problem...it's not actually attached to a car

[Glen]

So after all this all I have to do is jump the two bolts together on the small starter! No other wires are needed to use the smaller starter? Just take the big old one out stick the new small one in, jump the bolts together, put the old wire back on, and it is good to go?