I have an 85 T/A that origionally had a lg4 and am still using the computer controlled carb. I am putting the car back to gether and need to know what all wires go to the starter. I Have the battery cable and 2 wires that are in a heat shielding tube hooked up. Is there anything else? The car gets power but the starter wont turn over and doesnt make any noises or anything.

Ben

 

2 big red wires go to the big terminal with the battery cable. One big purple wire with a small ring terminal goes to the "S" terminal on the solenoid, which is the one closer to the block if your solenoid has 2 terminals.

 

I will have to look at it again, are there wires that go on the starter and not the solenoid? If so I think it is a long copper colored stud that sticks out. Is that what they go on?

Thanks

Ben

 

No wires go to the starter motor itself, the only connection to it is that its copper strap that sticks out the side of the motor, hooks to the big solenoid terminal opposite the battery cable stud. No other wires go there.

 

Sorry to be such a pain but I am really confused now. My solenoid has 2 conections and I think there is a coper pole/stud that sticks out a ways off of it. I have a 2 red wires one larger than the other and one orange wire and the bat cable. I dont know what copper strap you are referring to. I assume orange might be power to the inside being as that is the coler they use for power inside the car. So what does everything hook to?

Thanks

Ben

 

The "orange" is a fusible link, on the end of a red wire.

The batt cable brings power to the solenoid. The various other wires with large ring terminals carry power to various other things such as the ignition switch, headlight switch, ECM, etc. etc. etc.

When the solenoid operates, it accomplishes 2 things: it moves the starter drive (a gear thing) out and causes it to engage the flywheel; and it connects power to the starter motor. It does the first thing as it moves, and at the very end of its stroke after the drive is fully engaged with the flywheel, it hits a set of contacts in the solenoid cap that does the second thing.

The copper strap sticks out of the side of the motor part of the starter and attaches to the terminal of the solenoid that's a long stud, with a screw. It carries the power from the contact set on the solenoid cap to the windings of the motor.

You have a big purple wire with a small ring terminal also, somewhere. Your car will never work without it. This one will attach to the "S" terminal of the solenoid. It's the one that comes from the ignition switch and tells the starter to start starting.

 

Ok, so basically everything except the purple wire go on the outside terminal right. The purple goes on the one closer to the motor correct? No I will have to find that purple wire.

Ben

 

Ok, I looked and that is the way I actually had the wires. I thought the purple wire looked red though. Ok, so the car gets power but the starter doesnt crank. I havent tried it today, because I have to borrow a battery out of another car to do it, but thats how it was yesterday. What grounds it? The only thing I have hooked up that wasnt then was the ground on the intake. Would that change anything?

Ben

 

www.novaresource.org/starter.htm

 

It grounds to the block. If it's correctly bolted up, it's probably adequately grounded.

Nothing to do with the ECM, or any of its ground wires, has anything to do with the starter.

Make sure the big negative battery cab;e is securely fastened to the block, or something solidly boted to it (like the factory spot, the lower alt bracket).

Also check the neutral (or clutch) safety switch; or push the clutch, or put it in park or neutral as appropriate.

 

Well, I figured out the problem. The starter was wired up right all along. I got to thinking about the neutral safety switch. I checked to make sure my relay was wired correctly on the megashifter and it was. I checked and realized that when the switch on the shifter would get to the bumps that lift up the lever for the switch in park and neutral that it wasnt pushing the buton on the switch far enough to turn it on. I bent the lever a little and it works fine now. Thanks for the help.

Ben

 

That would do it...

Glad you got it fixed, and maybe learned a little bit along the way, and/or helped others to learn.

 

Yes I did learn something. I actually understand which wires are which now instead of just trying to see which wires fit which teminals.

Ben