pechetr

Ok everything is back together but the car won't start. I installed a mini starter to clear the headers and the solenoid has one terminal for the pos battery cable and a small terminal to ignition. The original starter had a yellow wire to the coil and a purple wire to the neutral safety switch. I tried the purple wire to the ignition terminal on the solenoid and when I connected the battery, it fried the solenoid. The yellow wire was left disconnected.

Now I replaced the solenoid and have the yellow wire connected to the ignition terminal on the solenoid and have the purple wire disconnected. Now I have no power to the coil with the ignition on and the starter won't power up. I assume it is the neutral safety switch issue, but where do I connect it?

svnt442

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svnt442

My best answer is the purple wire should go to the small terminal on the starter and the yellow wire needs to go to a key on source with full voltage as the engine is cranking. That is what the yellow wire is for. It provides full battery voltage to the points while cranking to provide a hotter spark while the electrical system is under the load of starting the car.

oldcutlass

Disconnect the yellow wire and connect the purple. DO not connect both wires together on the starter. If you are running an Hei you don't need the yellow. Just cap and stow it.

pechetr

I tried capping the yellow wire and connecting the purple to the ign terminal on the solenoid. The minute I reconnected the + cable to the battery, it sparked and the solenoid popped. I have removed the points, installed the pertronix ignitor II and an msd blaster coil.

oldcutlass

The purple wire goes to the small terminal on your mini starter. It comes from the neutral safety switch. If you are burning up the solenoid on the mini starter with it connected there then your starter has issues. Again, DO NOT connect the yellow and the purple wires together on the single post.

pechetr

I never connected them both. just one or the other. Will try the purple agin tomorrow, but do not want to cook another solenoid.

MDchanic

Just look at the schematic in the Chassis Service Manual.

The Purple wire from the ignition switch, through the neutral safety switch, provides +12V to trigger the starter solenoid when you turn the ignition switch to Start.

The Yellow wire from the starter solenoid R terminal to the coil (+) terminal provides a secondary pathway for power to the coil to bypass the ballast resistor.

If you connect the yellow wire from the ignition system to the only terminal of a mini-starter, and the ballast resistor has been bypassed, then you will have an engine that cranks whenever the ignition switch is in the Run position.

The Purple wire is the wire that connects to the only terminal on a mini-starter, NOT the Yellow wire.

The starter solenoid is designed to be triggered by a high current 12V power source to this terminal. There is no way of supplying 12V to that terminal that can "fry" it.
I can't imagine what you could have done wrong, because there IS practically nothing that can be done wrong at this point.

You need to completely recheck all of your wiring, or bring the car to someone who knows and understands how this car is supposed to be wired, and have that person check it.

- Eric

oldcutlass

Before you connect it again, make sure that when you turn the key to the start position you have 12v on the purple wire. That is the only time you should see voltage there.

pechetr

Ok will try that tomorrow.

MDchanic

As I noted in the other thread, the failure scenario you described is essentially impossible if the car is wired as it should be.

You need to completely reassess the wiring, or have someone else who understands it well do that for you.

... And I am still trying to wrap my brain around how you could have "fried" the solenoid by connecting it to ANY part of your car's electrical system.

- Eric

pechetr

I first had the purple attached to the IGN terminal on the solenoid. When I went to reconnect the battery pos at the battery, it was sparking like crazy. This was without the key on. Then I heard the solenoid pop. I pulled it and bench tested it and it worked sporatically, then nothing.

oldcutlass

Sounds like you had the large battery cable shorted against ground somewhere. But that should not have caused harm to your solenoid. Was the starter running when you connected the battery cable?

pechetr

No it was not running. It very well may have grounded against something. The headers are tight and tough to see up there. I will double check everything tomorrow. Thanks guys...I am unreal with Buicks and fords but this is my first Olds and am learning as I go.

pechetr

Well today I re-connected the purple and eliminated the yellow and boom, fired tight up. Set the timing at 12 degrees BTDC and purring like a kitten. Thanks for all your help guys....

svnt442

Good deal. I wonder why the first solenoid burned up?

oldcutlass

I think the solenoid is probably ok as the cable shorted to something leading to the sparks flying when you went to connect it to the battery. Glad you worked through it.