16 replies to this topic

[YIANO]

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME ! MY 67 MINI IS RUNNING AN A+ 1275 WITH A PRE ENGAGED STARTER BUT ALSO PRESENT ON THE INNER WING IS THE OLD INERTIA TYPE STARTER SOLENOID THE TWO ARE HOOKED UP .
SOMETIMES MY MINI STARTS WHEN YOU TURN THE KEY OTHER TIMES IS DOES NOTHING AT ALL UNTILL YOU POP THE BONNET AND SHORT THE INERTIA SOLENOID WITH A SCREWDRIVER THEN THE ENGINE TURNS OVER AND FIRES!
SO WHAT CAN I DO ?
DO I REMOVE THE INERTIA SOLENOID ALL TOGETHER ? IF SO WHAT ABOT THE 3 SPADE CONNECTORS?
CLEARLY THERE IS AN ISSUE CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE SPADE CONNECTORS DO ?
I NEED HELP!!!!

[Kerrin]

I dont really understand how it works at all as it is set up now. The solenoid must be stuck on and sometimes unsticks so you have to short it out.

You could just put the both leads on the battery inlet side, which will give you permenant power, and still insulate it from the body. this will stop the intermittant starting problem and still keep power to the fusebox etc.

[YIANO]

could you please elaborate further, im going to remove the inertia starter solenoid so then do i feed the wires around to the pre engaged starter? and if so where do i put the two remaining spade connectors which are brown with small connection end and white with a small red stripe both have black plastic plug covers.
the pre engaged starter already has a positive feed from the battery

[Kerrin]

My car originally had an inertia starter, I fitted an engine with a pre engaged starter.

The cable from the battery was not long enough to reach the new starter so i used a rubber exhaust mount bobbin, and fitted it in place of the solenoid.

I took the IN from the battery and the OUT to the starter and put them both onto the one end of the exhaust bobbin and also took the spade connector brass plate off the solenoid and fitted it with the battery cables. I drilled a hole in the inner wing where the solenoid used to be and bolted the other end of the bobbin through it. The bobbin connects all the cables together and insulates it from the body.

The brown wire is the feed to the fusebox from the battery, but the white and red comes from the ignition key to start the engine. On mine I used this to power a relay which fires the pre engaged starter.

If you get this wrong there will be lots of sparks and you will melt all sorts of wires, so if you are not sure get someone who knows what they are doing to sort it out.

A photo of the starter and solenod wiring may help me or someone better at explaining things to help you. I am not at all sure how your current wiring works at all unless it has been badly bodged.

Are you sure there is a Pre-engaged starter on the engine, if so where does the small spade connector on it ge its power from?

[Ethel]

You could just leave the solenoid on the wing and put the starter and battery cables on the same post.

All you will need to do then is extend the cable that operates the solenoid to the new one on the starter.

If you have ballasted ignition there should be a secondary feed from the starter to the coil.

[YIANO]

ok heres what im talking about ,incidently thank you to everyone who's trying to help i really appreciate it

[Kerrin]

Right.

Does the thick wire that runs under the car from the battery go straight to the starter motor?

If so it looks to me that the solenoid is being used as a power to switch on the starter.

the thin white wire that comes off the wing side of the solenoid is the switched wire that goes to the small spade on the pre engaged part of the starter to make it work.

You either have a faulty solenoid. which would be intermittant and give the symptoms you describe, or the white wire with the blue crimp has a poor connection. if shorting out the soleoid will start it, this makes me think it is a faulty solenoid.

If you have a multimeter you can check there is power to the starter, or if not try this.

I would first undo the earth on the battery for safety.

Then clean up/sand/wiggle/tighten the white wire and make sure the connection is good, do the same at the starter end.

I think the solenoid needs to be earthed to the body so check the screws.

if not its new solenoid time.

[Ethel]

LOL, I can't actually see a bettery cable!

I'm guessing the thick red cable is just linking both solenoids.

That couldn't be the battery cable bolted to the transfer case could it??? You'd like to think it's an erth but where does it go?

Yiano,

What colour is the insulation on the cable on the +ve terminal of your battery in the boot?

[Ethel]

Following much squinting I think I've spotted a battery cable tucked in the front valance - piccy with the dizzy in.

So it looks like all the supply lines are linked on the positive terminals of one or the othe solenoid and they're linked by the thick red cable.

In which case the inner wing solenoid is being used as a relay for the starter solenoid.

Anyone think of a reason why Yiano can't just link the startar's solenoid directly to the ignition switch? - I can't

[YIANO]

yes your right the pre engaged is taking feed from the batt via black cable under car the two solenoids are hooked up via red cable so what is the best way to remove and rewire the pre engaged as a stand alone unit?
also the red/white i understand is the trigger from the ignition but what is the other red/white with the black plug on it?

i think the best solution is to remove the inertia solenoid alltogether!
thanks for this guys!

[Ethel]

You mean in the top left photo?

The lead with the black plug is most likely the wire from your ignition key switch. When you turn the key that makes that switches the solenoid (on the wing) to send electricity down the other red and white wire with the blue ring to switch the solenoid on the starter!

I think all you need to do is join those two red and white wires together.

[YIANO]

thats what i thought .i thought id revove the red/white from the old solenoid join it to the other red/white insulate them then run them to the new solenoid on the pre engaged starter bypassing the old solenoid alltogether

[Kerrin]

Yes that would be the easiest solution. when I posted about this a while ago I was told the red/white cable on an older car is too thin a gauge of wire to happily power a pre engaged starter, the newer models are thicker gauge wire. so I didnt want to advise you to do it that way. Thats why I was suggesting a relay or keeping the old solenoid.

try it and see!

[YIANO]

ok ,i removed the red/white from the solenoid and wired it to the red/white trigger directly and it works !!!
so now i have a direct feed from the ignition to the pre engaged starter solenoid and the inertia solenoid is there only as a collection point for the positive cables!
thanks to all who helped

[YIANO]

incidently is the gauge of wire from the ignition proves to be an issue ,i suppose i can make up a thicker section and run it direct from the ignition switch to the solenoid on the pre engaged starter.