Trouble shooting the solenoid

[msggunny]

Ok, so i get back after being gone for 7 months on deployment and the SIII wont start.

My wife mentioned it to me and all i could think of was the solenoid, apparently i was right. i jumped the starter directly from the battery and she turned over.

Now that i have it 75% diagnosed is there anything else i should look at to make sure it is the solenoid and nothing else?

Thanks!

[greenmeanie]

Check the ignition hot feed to the solenoid to rule out ignition switch issues. Just pull the small brown IIRC wire from the solenoid, turn the ignition on and check for power.

[siiirhd88]

The solenoid will have several brown wires on the battery post, supplying power to the ignition switch and other loads like the lights. The white with red trace wire on the solenoid is the power coming from the ignition switch in 'start', which energizes the coil in the soleniod to move the slug so the solenoid battery and starter posts connect. Check for power at the white with red trace wire while the ignition switch is held in the 'start' position.

If the things that only operate when the ignition switch is on are powered (wipers, turn signal, red ignition lamp), then the battery post on the solenoid is likely supplying power to the ignition switch. If not, check the brown wire at the back end of the ignition switch for incoming power.

If the solenoid is bad, you can replace it with a '60s Ford type solenoid. The Ford type solenoid should have an "S" marked terminal where the white with red trace wire will connect. The "I" marked terminal won't need to be used.

And Welcome Home! If you are back at Lejune and will be in the area around April 20th, I should be in Morehead City with the wife's 3.9 V8 SIIA 109.

Bob

[jp-]

You should be able to just put a jumper wire on the battery side main cable and touch it to the "S" terminal, the starting terminal wire connection. Make sure the vehicle is out of gear of course. If it's any good, it should spin right over.

Note: Do not connect the small jumper between the two large cables as it will instantaneously melt in your hands...

[msggunny]

You should be able to just put a jumper wire on the battery side main cable and touch it to the "S" terminal, the starting terminal wire connection. Make sure the vehicle is out of gear of course. If it's any good, it should spin right over.

Note: Do not connect the small jumper between the two large cables as it will instantaneously melt in your hands...

Yup, that did it.

Thanks, she gave up the ghost. Getting a new one.

Thanks again for the input!

[msggunny]

Fixed!

Again, thanks for the input.

[navydevildoc]

Glad to see it works... and Welcome Back!!

[HHI944]

If the solenoid is bad, you can replace it with a '60s Ford type solenoid. The Ford type solenoid should have an "S" marked terminal where the white with red trace wire will connect. The "I" marked terminal won't need to be used.


I just took this advice on a 1981 Series III that's new to me. Worked like a charm and cost a lot less than an LR OEM part at $8 at Autozone.