AMC Eagle Den Forum

The Mighty 258 => Engine Electrical Systems. => Topic started by: Zoro on November 26, 2012, 11:54:29 AM

Title: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 26, 2012, 11:54:29 AM
Finally figured out what has been giving me grief with my starter solenoid, the "mechanic" I took my Eagle to awhile back installed a USED solenoid from a Ford!

Anyways got the correct, and new, solenoid installed but I'm unsure if I got it hooked up right.

Here is the new one and the old incorrect one is also visible in this shot:
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/spf150/Eagle/11262012003.jpg)

Power from battery comes in on the right, starter power goes out to the left. The spade on the right has a green wire and the spade on the left has a red and yellow wire running to it. Is this correct or do I have the two spaded connections flip flopped?

There is a green wire with a 90* fitting coming out of the loom with the rest of the solenoid wires. I can remember it not being hooked up on the original solenoid as well as the wrong solenoid that was installed but the car always started.

However there is a vertical bullet type fitting on the bottom of the solenoid, does the mystery green wire go here?
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/spf150/Eagle/11262012004.jpg)
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: mudkicker715 on November 26, 2012, 12:24:14 PM
Your mystery wire goes there. its the nss. it gives a ground to the solenoid.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 26, 2012, 12:35:37 PM
Quote from: mudkicker715 on November 26, 2012, 12:24:14 PM
Your mystery wire goes there. its the nss. it gives a ground to the solenoid.

Without that wire it cranked just fine then after hooking that wire up I tried to start the Eagle and it just sat there and cranked and cranked and cranked even with the key in the off position. Unplugged that wire as it was cranking but it wouldn't stop it, finally got it to stop by disconnecting the battery. Looks like I fried the new solenoid. I turn the key and now nothing happens, not even a click.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: BenM on November 26, 2012, 05:31:27 PM
It definitely should not be starting without that ground wire hooked up. I don't know what would happen with the two small terminals backward.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 26, 2012, 05:40:51 PM
Quote from: BenM on November 26, 2012, 05:31:27 PM
It definitely should not be starting without that ground wire hooked up. I don't know what would happen with the two small terminals backward.

For whatever reason it runs just fine without that wire hooked up and when it is it blows out the solenoid...Go figure ???
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: AMC lifer on November 26, 2012, 09:28:43 PM
Quote from: Zoro on November 26, 2012, 11:54:29 AM
Finally figured out what has been giving me grief with my starter solenoid, the "mechanic" I took my Eagle to awhile back installed a USED solenoid from a Ford!

Anyways got the correct, and new, solenoid installed but I'm unsure if I got it hooked up right.

Here is the new one and the old incorrect one is also visible in this shot:
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/spf150/Eagle/11262012003.jpg)

Power from battery comes in on the right, starter power goes out to the left. The spade on the right has a green wire and the spade on the left has a red and yellow wire running to it. Is this correct or do I have the two spaded connections flip flopped?

There is a green wire with a 90* fitting coming out of the loom with the rest of the solenoid wires. I can remember it not being hooked up on the original solenoid as well as the wrong solenoid that was installed but the car always started.

However there is a vertical bullet type fitting on the bottom of the solenoid, does the mystery green wire go here?
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/spf150/Eagle/11262012004.jpg)

I believe that AMC DID use a solenoid that would work on a Ford. Just don't remember the years they used it.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 27, 2012, 02:25:21 PM
Ended up ordering another identical solenoid from Autozone and it was dead straight out of the box no matter how I hooked it up. Ended up installing a solenoid for an '85 F150 w/carb'd 302, pretty much the same thing as the AMC solenoid but without the center bullet.

Car starts and runs just fine now and the green wire with the bullet connector is not hooked up. The car will only crank in neutral or park.

I'm guessing that at some point over the last 28 years somebody got into the wiring and wired up something differently...Thanks for the help!
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: eaglefreek on November 27, 2012, 02:33:07 PM
Quote from: Zoro on November 27, 2012, 02:25:21 PM

Car starts and runs just fine now and the green wire with the bullet connector is not hooked up. The car will only crank in neutral or park.

I'm guessing that at some point over the last 28 years somebody got into the wiring and wired up something differently...Thanks for the help!
Hmm. That's interesting. Glad you got it figured out.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 27, 2012, 02:38:42 PM
Quote from: eaglefreek on November 27, 2012, 02:33:07 PM
Quote from: Zoro on November 27, 2012, 02:25:21 PM

Car starts and runs just fine now and the green wire with the bullet connector is not hooked up. The car will only crank in neutral or park.

I'm guessing that at some point over the last 28 years somebody got into the wiring and wired up something differently...Thanks for the help!
Hmm. That's interesting. Glad you got it figured out.

Thanks, it had me stumped. Going to hook a test light up to that connector and see if I get + or - voltage from it and if so how much and when.
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: carnuck on November 27, 2012, 03:08:24 PM
Also, power comes from the left to the right. It will work the other way around, but may cause problems. The green wire may not be hooked up right or both solenoids are hooked to the starter?
Title: Re: Starter solenoid wiring-84 Eagle 258
Post by: Zoro on November 27, 2012, 06:29:42 PM
Quote from: carnuck on November 27, 2012, 03:08:24 PM
Also, power comes from the left to the right. It will work the other way around, but may cause problems. The green wire may not be hooked up right or both solenoids are hooked to the starter?

I just had the other incorrect solenoid in the photos for a reference, it's disconnected, inoperable and just sitting there.