48 CJ2A Starter Solenoid Wiring

[JayBob]

Hi all!

I bought my off chassis project last year and trying to start putting her together. I looked at the original wiring diagram (6v) to wire up the foot starter and found that I have a starter solenoid relay mounted and wired to my starter, definitely not in the original wiring diagram . The wire attached to the small post on the solenoid was broken and I'm not sure where it goes.

My foot switch has two large posts, so I know without the solenoid one connects directly to the battery, and the other goes to the starter and coil (I have a keyed coil by the way). If I choose to use the solenoid that's already wired to the starter and battery, which I've heard used to be a fix for starter issues, how does the foot switch get wired to activate the solenoid? Does the small wire from the 3rd post on the solenoid go to the foot switch, and if so, what goes to the other post on the switch? Somehow I'd think I need 6v running through the switch to activate the solenoid...unless there's something else that I don't know...lol.

I've looked at my 52 Ford 8N tractor that has kind of the same setup, but it's wired for 12v and the foot switch only has one wire to the starter solenoid. Does the foot switch need power? I'm confused.

[bmorgil]

JayBob, I would guess that they are using the solenoid similar to a relay, to take the load off the foot switch. If that is what they did, the solenoid would be hooked to the wire that normally goes to the starter from the original 2A switch. Instead of that wire going to the starter, it would go to the "energizing" (small wire usually coming from the ignition switch) terminal of the solenoid. The heavy terminals on the solenoid would hook to the battery and the starter. When you hit the foot switch it energizes the solenoid, and it switches the heavy current to the starter. This takes all the load off the foot switch.