Subject: [TR] Question on gear reduction starter wiring

From: "Dave Connitt" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:27:24 -0400

List,
I have a gear reduction starter that I had bought several years ago from TSI
automotive and am just now wireing it up. I would have written Ted with this
question but I am hoping I can get an answer yet this weekend.
Does anyone know if these starters need a external starter solenoid or is the
small one wire connector controlling a internal starter solenoid? I don't know
if I can run a battery cable directly to this starter or if I need a starter
relay?
Thanks,
Dave Connitt

** [email-masked] **

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive

---

From: "Randall" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:33:01 -0700

> I believe they all have an internal solenoid.
> 
> Here are some wiring options:
> 
> http://britishstarters.com/Wiring_Diagram.html

FWIW, I went a different route than either diagram shows.  The solenoid
inside the starter draws a good deal of current, roughly 6 times as much as
the original, and I wasn't confident of the original switch's ability to
handle the extra current (and extra kick-back) on a regular basis.  I also
wanted to keep the original solenoid functional (the button on the back
comes in really handy from time to time); but it had lost part of it's smoke
when the original starter failed.

So, I used the original solenoid to switch power only to the new solenoid.
I moved all of the original wires from the top stud to the bottom stud
(making the wire to the starter hot all the time), and ran a new wire from
the top stud to the solenoid stud on the new starter.

Best of both worlds, IMO.  That was in 2000, and both the switch & the
solenoid are still working great (they got moved from the wrecked TR3A to my
current TR3 along with the starter).

-- Randall