Starter wiring question

[bobtodd]

Now that my heads are off and my long tube headers are out of the way(sort of) I have a better view of my starter. Well, the main wire running to the starter looks like absolute crap. Bare corroded wire showing...it'll have to be changed. Does any place sell wiring like this?
Anyhow, to the main question. Besides the big wire there is also a small wire soldered to the same area where the big wire bolts to the starter. This wire looks even worse! I followed this smaller wire around to a yellow wire that runs into the firewall. I am assuming this is some sort of ignition wire. Shouldnt this smaller wire be running to the starter solenoid instead of going to the starter? What wires go on what side of the starter solenoid? As of right now, only one side of my starter solenoid has wires on it. The other post is bare. The car has been this way since I bought it. Can I rip that soldered wire off and connect it to the starter solenoid? The wire is in horrible shape and I know it wasnt originally there. I'm thinking that maybe the solenoid went bad and the previous owner wired it up this way?? Any help would be great!

[bobtodd]

It looks like its a mini starter and there should be two wires running off of that. I have all that figured out. Now I'm just wondering why I dont have a wire going to that little post on the starter solenoid...the one with the 90 bend.

[bobtodd]

Actually there was an alarm on the car.....I think I am going to go over today and look at it a little better.

[markstang]

you can also get the heavy wire at the lawnmower sec at fleet farm.

[MAT88GT]

i used 4ga car audio wire for the main lead, with some terminals from the welding section in farm and fleet

there should be a post which has a short wire leading into the solenoid, it grounds the field or something

the other small wire should run to the starter relay on the fender...but if you have an alarm it would run to the starter disable junction there instead...since that wire doesn't pull much amperage it doesn't matter if its on the relay or not. Mine runs to the relay and has a nss in series for example

[bobtodd]

I figured all the wiring out. The starter is a mini starter and there are two wires that run to that it. The big wire and a little wire. Fun stuff. I still have to find some new cable.

with some terminals from the welding section in farm and fleet


If I get those terminals where can I take them to have somebody weld them on? I have no access to a welder.

[bobtodd]

Here's a pic of the nice starter wire...not that good of a pic

[drag79stang]

A good soldering iron, (or a propane torch also works excellent). Just put the end you have in a vise, and heat the cable end/end up, let the solder cook into it, and voila'. Made hundreds of them................Look professional when you're done too. :>)

[Fastlxtasy]

I agree with Drag79stang....here is a pic of a ground wire I just made. A piece of 2 ga welding cable, a couple lugs, shrink wrap, and some nylon Techflex and you end up with a very professional looking cable. Not much time or money at all either.

[bobtodd]

I just went and bought some welding cable and two copper ends. How do I go about heating up the ends? Just peel back some of the wire covering and stick the wire in the copper end and heat it up?

[Jesse James]

Only cut off enough of the insulation from the wire to have the ends fit over the bare copper with little or no space between the new end and the insulation when you slide it on. Best way to do this, clean the copper wire end you're putting the new "end on" with alcohol, "Isopropyl" rubbing alcohol is fine. Clean with some Q-tips saturated in alcohol. "This makes the solder go on much easier and uniformly, "clean = good heat transfer". Once the wire is clean, put in a vice or something to hold the wire while you solder, "the cable will get hot!! Place the cable with the end you're soldering angled down "at a 45 angle, the heat will soak the solder up the wire. Place the hot, cleaned and tinned solder iron under the bottom edge of the cable, put the solder on top "opposite of the soldering iron". When the solder starts to melt it'll melt into the cleaned wire, the solder will feed into the cable pretty quik. The hot solder will totally surround the bare copper end and run uphill into the cable, once it's all silver in color, you're almost done. Clean your new soldered cable again after cooling with alcohol, the place the new "end" on the newly soldered cable. Heat up the new end, and the solder will start to melt and come out of the end. "You may want to use a bread wrapper twist to hold the end in place until it's soldered and cool. Sorry so loooong.

[bobtodd]

Thank you for the help!! :)