solenoid

S

stinsonv77

Junior Member
starter turn but solenoid does not seem to pull. 1960 v8
it clicks but how does it get power to internal solenoid. i can see no wires but starter wire to starter
 
If the starter turns but does not spin the engine than either the starter is not engaging or the ring gear is bad.. Don't know what you mean by "internal solenoid"
 
Okay, heres how it works. When you turn the ignition key, electric current flows from the "start" terminal of the ignition switch via a #14 gage wire to the starter "solenoid" (probably mounted on right fender apron or firewall). This solenoid is actually a relay. The start wire previously mentioned is the "enable" circuit that energizes the coil in the relay. You will notice two very large wires also connected to the solenoid. One is power from the car battery and the other goes to the starter motor. When the solenoid coil is energized, the contacts in the solenoid come together and allow a LARGE amount of current to pass from the battery thru the contacts to the starter motor. When the key is released, the contacts revert back to their normally open state, disconnecting the battery current to the starter.
So if the starter motor is turning, there is obviously not a problem with the solenoid.
If the starter motor spins, but does not turn the ENGINE over, it probably means that the starter drive is stuck in the disengaged position. This can be remedied USUALLY by removing the starter motor and cleaning the starter drive with kerosene. The worst possible scenario, would be that the ring gear on the engine flywheel has some broken off teeth which happen to be positioned right where the starter drive gear wants to catch them, but they ain't there to catch.
 
Solenoids are cheap, if I have a car with an old one, it goes into the trash before it can leave me somewhere stuck. Check your wiring against a schematic first, make sure everything is there and hooked up right.
 
stinsonv77 said:
starter turn but solenoid does not seem to pull. 1960 v8
it clicks but how does it get power to internal solenoid. i can see no wires but starter wire to starter
Click to expand...
Was the car running recently, or has it been parked a long time? Do you know if the engine can turn? Which model of Ford? What engine does it have?

The starter on a 1960 Ford v8 does not have an internal solenoid. The starter solenoid is on the inner fender or firewall, near the battery. Since the starter spins, the solenoid is working.
Because the starter doesn't turn the engine... the spring-loaded gear on the starter shaft is stuck or the ring gear teeth on the flywheel/torque converter are damaged.
Pull out the starter to inspect the ring gear teeth. If the ring gear is damaged it needs to be removed and replaced or possibly repaired. If the ring gear is ok, clean or replace the spring gear that's on the starter shaft.
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dmsfrr said:
The starter on a 1960 Ford v8 does not have an internal solenoid.
Click to expand...

So that's what he meant. He must be a chebby guy, trying to work on his first FORD !
I'm not familiar with technology past 1964, but prior to that, I don't think ANY Fords had internal starter solenoids. I would be PO'd if they did, because if the solenoid went out, you would be forced to replace the whole starter $$$$$$. FORDs are WAAAAY better.
 
Personally I'm glad this post came up a few days ago.
It reminded me to send Daves55 some money for a starter. ;)




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Kahuna said:
I'm going to take my starter out and find that solenoid
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Some people simply do not know how things work, some learn and some don't.

I've said this elsewhere, for every 20 projects you see on online forums, the odds are that 17 or 18 of them will stall or fail completely.
 
Well, it's still a thread some other person might stumble across on a google search so it doesn't hurt to add useful information. It would depend on what engine the 60 had, Y block or FE, 2 very different starters and the FE does have a sort of pull in that can (very seldom) go bad.
And FWIW, you can change a chevy solenoid without buying a whole new starter.
And Bob you are so right. Often we can just smell the failure at the onset and I try to breath that realism into new members on boards. People who have barely changed their own oil who decide to restore a car or build a rod. You know 10 years down the road it's just going to be a half tore apart pile in the garage with boxes of Christmas decorations stacked 3 feet high on it.
 
willowbilly3 said:
Well, it's still a thread some other person might stumble across on a google search so it doesn't hurt to add useful information. It would depend on what engine the 60 had, Y block or FE, 2 very different starters and the FE does have a sort of pull in that can (very seldom) go bad.
And FWIW, you can change a chevy solenoid without buying a whole new starter.
And Bob you are so right. Often we can just smell the failure at the onset and I try to breath that realism into new members on boards. People who have barely changed their own oil who decide to restore a car or build a rod. You know 10 years down the road it's just going to be a half tore apart pile in the garage with boxes of Christmas decorations stacked 3 feet high on it.
Click to expand...

I feel bad when I see people setting themselves up to fail. I can see it a mile away by now.

The talent here and elsewhere in the car world varies quite a bit. I was born with a wrench in my hand, some don't know one end of a screwdriver from the other. Still I'm no expert in everything and learn something new every day.

I was recently trying to help someone with a problem on another forum, I got kicked in the face for my efforts. Slowly I learn who to help and who not to help.
 
I too was born with a wrench and have been at it all my 64 years. I am still learning and so thankful to have forums and the vast knowledge of the internet at our fingertips. I really like this bunch and we seem to have a lot fewer of the social ills that some other forums have.
 
willowbilly3 said:
And FWIW, you can change a chevy solenoid without buying a whole new starter.
Click to expand...

The complaint I heard was that the auto parts store would not sell you just the solenoid itself, but they would sell you the whole starter, for a heck of a lot more money, of course. As I recall, the reason that was given was because the customer might accidentally mess something up in the process of installing the new solenoid on the old starter, and the supplier didn't want to mess with giving a lot of returns for refund or replacement.
Now, it's been quite a few years since I heard the complaint. Maybe by now they have amended their practice????
 
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