Thread: Starter Solenoid

Shortly before Christmas I took the IIa into town for its "pink slip". Drove all over town doing Christmas shopping, starting and stopping probably a dozen times, came home parked at the house to unload.

Next morning, hopped in turned the key - not even a click. A check with the voltmeter confirmed that the solenoid was not working, so hand started it, moved it into the shed, and pulled the solenoid off. Then pulled it apart.

It is a wonder it worked at all. The steel body is a sort of cup that faces up, with the guts and mounting bracket rivetted to it. Although it seems to be meant to be sealed it has hot water into it, and the bottom of the cup is rusty - right where the earth contact on the coil is made by a sort of copper spring washer on the end of the coil bobbin.

But this was not the problem - the other end of the coil connection was broken (probably corrosion). To repair it would mean unwinding the coil to get at the inside end, and then rewinding it. In view of the dodgy earth connection, and the generally poor design (although I must admit it has worked for the eighteen years I have owned it), next time I went to town I found a replacement at Repco. Not identical (which may be an advantage), and a bit bigger with the connections pointing sideways rather than up.

The mounting of this solenoid (behind the engine, where earlier 1/2/2as had the starter switch) is not very well designed - it is one of those things where you really need two people; held by two 2BA screws and nuts, it needs someone to hold the heads while the other person undoes/does up the nuts.

John

Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift

Give me time - I've got three little girls anxious to play canasta/Bolivia/Uno/scrabble/chess/draughts/anything with grandpa!

John