FORMULAVEE.ORG

Can anyone tell me how to properly wire a starter?
I'm reassembling an old Caracal and I'm not sure the starter was installed properly before.
As far as I can tell, I have one wire from the positive terminal of the battery, one from the negative (ground), and one to ground through the ignition switch.

You should have a heavy wire 4-6 gauge from the starter- (fat terminal which takes an 8mm nut) to your kill switch. Another fat wire from the kill switch to the + terminal on the battery.
There should be a push on connector from the solenoid to your starter push button somewhere in the cockpit. The starter itself is grounded, so there is no reason to have a ground wire.

If this does not make sense, let me know by sending me your e-mail address and I will draw it out for you.

Dietmar
http://www.quixoteracing.com

That makes sense and was what I was thinking.
I still don't get the wires that are there but oh well.

>>one from the negative (ground), and one to ground through the ignition switch.<<

The slip on spade type connector should go to the starter switch through it to 12V. IE when 12V is applied to that connector the solenoid activates and starts the starter.

So maybe I have a short between the ignition switch and battery?

Let me make sure I have this straight...
I should have:
1) a heavy gauge wire from the positive side of the battery to the terminal with the nut, which I do right now.
2) another wire from the ignition switch to the blade of the "terminal 50" (which I do) that ultimately connects to the POSITIVE terminal of the battery when the switch is pressed (which it does not).

The other wires I have go to the adapter for attaching a "big battery", so one (heavy gauge) just goes the same place as the other heavy gauge wire, but would the other wire (which is already grounded) go to the empty blade on the solenoid? I don't really get the point of having this wire.

fvkartguy:

check your messages
Dietmar

I'm sure Dietmar is setting you straight in a PM.

For others, in case anyone is interested:

No ground or Neg. wires go to any connection on the starter. The starter's neg side comes through the transmission or car's ground.

Two wires go to the starter. Like Jim said earlier, the large wire (supply wire) goes to the outside post on the solenoid. No wire goes to the inside post on the solenoid. You'll know if you have it on the wrong post, because turning your kill switch on will keep the starter running.

The small wire (control wire) from your starter switch goes to the small blade connector on the solenoid.

For your connector to the "Big" or external starter battery, the neg. lead goes to chassis ground, and that's it.

Good luck.

The other wires may be for a jumper battery.

My car has a heavy wire off the starter terminal (8 mm nut) to a quick disconnect. There is also a ground out of that quick disconnect that I grounded on a transmission stud.

As stated before, you only need the two wires for the starter to work. IF you have a jumper battery setup, that may be what is confusing you.