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Author
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Topic: t-5 swap starter help
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iamonewithjustin
Gearhead Posts: 185
From:
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-04-2006 12:01 AM
 
I just finished up my t-5 swap... sort of. All I have left is the starter but it is giving me troubles.
I cannot get the starter to work. The factory starter hit the block so I went out and got one of those high torque mini-starters from a '93 mustang. It bolted up fine. This starter has the solenoid on the starter my old one used a solenoid on the fire wall.
The new solenoid does not have a terminal for the "I" wire. What do I do with this wire?
As I said I cannot get the starter to work. I am sure that I have the neutral safty switch bypassed properly. When I turn the key all I hear is a single clik.
The motor turns freely via crank pully.
Here is how I have it hooked up. Can someone verify that this is correct?
I am not using the firewall solenoid. The battery is hooked to the solenoid on the starter. The "S" wire is hooked to a small spade terminal on the starter solenoid. I have the "I" wire unhooked. I also tried splicing it into the "S" wire but I got the same results.. a single click.
I also tried using the firewall solenoid and not the starter's solenoid... same results. a single click. I took the starter out of the car, hooked it up and it worked. (gear slid out and started to spin) Here is somthing funny I discovered when probing the starter with a test light. I clip the clip to + battery terminal and I was testing for grounds. I found that the starter is grounded.. that is good.
I ALSO get a ground then I touch the little spade terminal on the starter solenoid as well as the very short wire between the solenoid and starter. I thought that + current went into the spade terminal to activate the starter and + current flowed through the other wire then the starter was turning. If these are grounded it could be the source of my problem.
Does anyone know if the should be grounded when the starter is at rest? I am looking for any advice anyone can offer.. also can someone who is using one of these starters in a classic mustand tell my how theirs is wired?
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iamonewithjustin
Gearhead Posts: 185
From:
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-04-2006 12:03 AM
BTW it is a '73 mach 1 /351CSorry about that ridicously long post.
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68F100
Gearhead Posts: 2835
From: Burlington, Iowa
Registered: Oct 99
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posted 01-04-2006 12:33 AM
Since all of my stuff is old (solenoid on the fenderwell), I might not be much help.But, the solenoid is a switch basically(more like a contactor). You need a complete path to make a circuit. On the fenderwell solenoids, you have an ignition wire(smaller wire 12V+) and the solenoid is grounded. When you turn your ignition switch to start it completes that circuit. Now on the solenoid, there are also bigger wires. One positive cable that goes to the solenoid(switch) and then on to the starter itself. The starter is grounded. Now, if I haven't totally confused you yet (I think I confused myself), you need to think of it as 2 circuits. The small circuit turns on the switch(solenoid) for the bigger circuit. The click you get indicates to me that you are flipping the switch with your ignition circuit, but you don't have juice to the starter. There has to be 12v from the battery to the solenoid and then on to the starter to make it engage. Or, your battery could be weak, I guess. Check your connections too. And if I am wrong, I sure hope someone corrects me. Like I said, all my stuff is old 
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68mustang351w
Gearhead Posts: 558
From: San Jose, Ca
Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 01-04-2006 01:11 AM
Im pretty sure you still need to use the old Solenoid. That what I heard at a mustang specialty shop about a month ago. How it would be wired, im not too sure. Id assume the original solenoid would be the same, just different routing at the actual starter. Sorry thats all the help I have, hopefully it gives you something to look at... David F.
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69Cat
Journeyman Posts: 97
From: Sask., Canada
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 01-04-2006 01:56 PM
When I did my T-5 swap on my Cleveland I used a starter from a late 80's mustang application if I remember right. That model still uses a remote mounted solenoid.When doing your wiring checks you need to make note of the ohms reading between your test points (probes). For example, the + of a solenoid to ground would be a complete circuit but you need to note the ohms resistance. A dead short would be less than one ohm, where as a winding (such as a solenoid coil) would be maybe 20 ohms - though on a simple continuity test it would still beep indicating a complete circuit. Basically, no ohms means a dead short. A resistance of a reasonable amount indicates a circuit from a + to - source. Hope this electrical 101 helps a bit. Ken ------------------
69 Cougar XR-7
351C 4V
T-5
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Whitson
Gearhead Posts: 290
From: Western Canada
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted 01-04-2006 02:03 PM
What you need to do with that gear reduction starter is:
Make up a wire to connect the small terminal on the starter to the large terminal on the starter. After that, wire normally.
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iamonewithjustin
Gearhead Posts: 185
From:
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-04-2006 02:04 PM
Thanks for the helf so far guys.
After reading your posts I think that I have it wired right.What is confusing me is the fact that the starter operates fine when out of the bellhousing but grounded to the block. When I install the starter I get nothing. The motor does spin freely.
Anyone ever had a similar problem?
-Justin
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iamonewithjustin
Gearhead Posts: 185
From:
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted 01-04-2006 03:56 PM
OK I figured out the problem.. kindof. My activation wire only provides 5.5v to the starter scolenoid. I used a 12v source and it worked fine.
The problem is I took 12v from the "I" terminal on the starter relay. THe car starts but when I release the key from the start position it dies immediatly. What is an appropriate source to draw 12v when starting?
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Big D
Gearhead Posts: 6843
From: WELLS, NEVADA USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 01-04-2006 06:51 PM
Do you have a Switched Pos. wire going to the I Terminal from the ignition switch..------------------
Don
6T6 Fastback
331 STROKER, T-5
Metallic Royal Blue & Silver
Candy Orange-Red Flames by McGrafix
My Pics
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69Cat
Journeyman Posts: 97
From: Sask., Canada
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 01-04-2006 09:14 PM
What I can remember on the remote solendoid is that the 'S' terminal comes from the ignition switch to pull in the solenoid. The 'I' terminal is only energized when the solenoid is pulled in. The 'I' terminal wire is used to apply the full 12V to the ignition coil during starting. Once the key is in the 'run' position the wire on the 'I' terminal de-energizes (the solenoid has dropped out) and the coil is fed through a resistive wire to reduce the coil voltage. Whitson should be right, if you use your remote solenoid and install the jumper on the starter solendoid it should work.
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