ford starter relay

[draggindime072010]

does any1 know if i could use a ford starter relay in my truck

the big purple wire for my starter coming out the harness on the driver side doesnt get power when i turn the key like it needs to

so i was thinking about using the relay to somehow make it get the power it needs to engage the starter when i turn the key

im just not exactly sure how those work

[Drumer919]

What exactly are you wanting to do?

Why dont you just find the problem causing the purple wire to not get power? Have tou traced the wire, lets see, without looking your truck up on alldata I'd say it goes from the starter to the relay, then from there to the ignition switch. So trace the wire, check the relay and the switch and let us know.

[draggindime072010]

well when i got rid of all the wires that i didnt need i cut the factory starter relay(i have a carbed motor now) i guess i just need to get the factory relay wired back into it i would just need a diagram for it

[03blazer]

Double post... see below...

[03blazer]

They're pretty simple to wire up. If I'm not mistaken, all you have to do is connect the wire from the starter to one of the large posts on the solenoid, connect a wire of around the same guage from the solenoid to the positive terminal on the battery, ground the solenoid to the truck (some switches have a post for a ground wire, some of them just ground when you bolt em down), then run a wire to the smaller post that gets hot when you turn the key to the start position...

[draggindime072010]

yea thats the way i thought they would wire up

i would need to find a wirethat only gets power when you try to crank it with the key right?

it seems simple im gonna try it prolly tomorrow

[03blazer]

Unless you want your starter running as soon as you turn the key... you need to find one that's only hot when you try and start the truck. Could always use a push button if you want...

[draggindime072010]

yea i could but i really want it to work with the key

if i cant get it to work tho i will use a push button and hide it somewhere on the bottom of the dash

if i found a wire that only got power when i try to start the truck could i just run that wire straight to starter on the prong labeled with an S? Or is the relay needed because the starter is a high power thing and that wire most likely isnt?

no relay= fire and burnt down truck
relay= no fire and no burnt truck

?

[sewerrat]

Quote: Originally Posted by 03blazer

They're pretty simple to wire up. If I'm not mistaken, all you have to do is connect the wire from the starter to one of the large posts on the solenoid,

Jus to add, you need to run a short 10-12 ga. wire from the pos. terminal to the solenoid terminal on your "GM" starter so the solenoid will engage when power is supplied.

I've been using the Ford set-up since my swap and never had a problem. I'm not sure what prompt me to do it but it makes it easier to do timing checks and compression test and not have to crawl under to get to the solenoid terminal.

You said you don't have power in the key start position? did you cut out n/s or clutch start s/w maybe?

[firstgenon24s]

Im also running a ford starter relay and I never have a problem,also like one person said about the start engaging as soon as u turn the key forward,thats not how it works,It doesnt engage the starter until you try to start it lol.Also to add,u can run quite a few things to that starter relay to clean up wiring aswell.

[draggindime072010]

do you guys have any pics of how you have the relay setup?

i think that would really help me out

my truck used to be a 2.2 5 spd and now i have a 700r4 i cut every wire except the purple wire that went to the starter from the driver side harness and then i tested for the wire that i needed for the distributor

when i turn the key to the on position that wire for the dizzy gets power and it keeps power when i try to crank the truck so thats right

i think i just need to test for another wire that gets power only when i try to crank the truck and run that to the ford relay

[03blazer]

Quote: Originally Posted by draggindime072010

do you guys have any pics of how you have the relay setup?

i think that would really help me out

my truck used to be a 2.2 5 spd and now i have a 700r4 i cut every wire except the purple wire that went to the starter from the driver side harness and then i tested for the wire that i needed for the distributor

when i turn the key to the on position that wire for the dizzy gets power and it keeps power when i try to crank the truck so thats right

i think i just need to test for another wire that gets power only when i try to crank the truck and run that to the ford relay

Exactly

[03blazer]

I have a pic of a solenoid that's labeled what wire goes where... I can email it to you if you like... I can't get on photobucket or anything to upload the pic right now...

[destroked blazer]

here is where mine is

[03blazer]

Quote: Originally Posted by destroked blazer

here is where mine is

What does the location of your solenoid have to do with wiring his up?

[ka_jd7and1]

Quote: Originally Posted by 03blazer

What does the location of your solenoid have to do with wiring his up?

Quote from the OP: do you guys have any pics of how you have the relay setup?

I bet that's the reason for the above pic, showing his solenoid.

[draggindime072010]

lol i appreciate the pic but i was kinda thinking of maybe a pic that showed how it was wired

but hey i dont know where im gonna mount mine yet so those kind of pics will be good too

thanx for your help

EDIT: 03blazer i pm'ed you my email address. oh and i bought a relay made for a 2000 f-150 i just need to see a wiring diagram to hep me wire it.

it has four prongs on it and i was told that one would not be used. so i think i know how to do it but not exactly sure

[sewerrat]

Connection to the solenoid itself is like any typical ford connection. Your key start wire will connect to the small terminal (when you find it) LOL.
The difference is at the GM solenoid. You'll have to jump a small wire going from the big terminal to the sol terminal. Other than that is very easy.

[draggindime072010]

thanx man that helped alot i was thinking all wrong about how to do it but i understand it now

it should be pretty simple i just need to find that keyed wire

[03blazer]

Quote: Originally Posted by ka_jd7and1

Quote from the OP: do you guys have any pics of how you have the relay setup?

I bet that's the reason for the above pic, showing his solenoid.

Yeah, I realize that... I worded that wrong... What I was getting at is that the pic is too small and too far away to tell how it is wired... which makes it pretty useless... it's a very clean engine bay though.

Sewerrat, on your setup, could you not just run the wire from the Ford switch straight to the post that activates the starter on the GM setup? Thats the way I wired up the last one I done. I didn't need a jumper.

To the OP, I don't have anything in my PM box... I don't know who you PM'd your email address to but it apparently wasn't me... Besides, my laptop I had the pic on crashed yesterday... I'll see if I can find the pic again though...

The pics that sewerrat posted are a pretty good explanation of how it is wired. The wire with the plastic wire loom on it is the one going to the starter, the large brown wire is the one coming from the battery, and the small green wire is your "key start" wire. From the looks of it, the solenoid he pictured is one of the ones that grounds to whatever you mount it to.

The one you bought for the 2000 model should still work. I think since it has 4 posts, one of the smaller ones is a ground. Try using some small wires and seeing if you can make it engage using your battery. Hook one to the + and one to the - on the battery and touch one to each of the small posts and see if the solenoid clicks. If it does then one of them is a ground. If that doesn't work, try grounding the base of the switch to the truck and touch the + wire to one of the posts and see if it works that way.

[draggindime072010]

thanx man im gonna work with it a lil bit today i need to pick up some of the eye things that you crimp to the wire that slides over the prongs

[sewerrat]

[quote=03blazer;6601955]
Sewerrat, on your setup, could you not just run the wire from the Ford switch straight to the post that activates the starter on the GM setup? Thats the way I wired up the last one I done. I didn't need a jumper.quote]

I'm not quite sure what you mean 03blaze, you still need current to do two functions when it reaches the Gm solenoid. It needs to engage the solenoid as well as turn the starter motor. That's why mine is jumped from the positive terminal to the "S"(solenoid) terminal. So are you just running a single 10ga.wire to the Gm starter?

I'm really not a fan of crimping terminals. I rather solder them and heat shrink over as you can see in the pics. Alot of people had no problems with crimping but here in Hawaii we've got to much salt air getting in between stuffs.

[destroked blazer]

the way i have mine wired is battery to one side of ford solenoid then from other side of ford solenoid to battery terminal on starter from battery terminal on starter to s terminal on starter with 10 gauge wire (jumper)
then purple wire from ignition switch (s terminal wire) to s terminal on ford solenoid
that will make the starter work
then you can take all of the other wires that went on the battery terminal on the starter and put them on the ford solenoid where you but the cable from the battery
the purpose of doing this is to bypass the solenoid on the starter that goes bad due to heat from headers and say goodby to the wires that always burn on the headers because they will be in a safe place

quote=03blazer;6601955]
Sewerrat, on your setup, could you not just run the wire from the Ford switch straight to the post that activates the starter on the GM setup? Thats the way I wired up the last one I done. I didn't need a jumper.quote]

if you wire it like that you are not bypassing the solenoid on the starter and just adding useless crap to the electrical system and when you have a problem in the starting system you will have to check 2 solenoids instead of 1

[draggindime072010]

thanx for all your help guys i figured out mine grounds when you bolt it down i dont know what the fourth prong is for

the purple wire from my ignition switch didnt get hot when i turned the key like it was supposed to so i just tested until i found one that did its a mustard colored wire under the steering colomn so i cut it and ran it to the ford relay and connected my power wires like they needed to be and did the jumper on the starter

everything works just like it should

[destroked blazer]

here is how mine is wired and has been like this for 2 years trouble free

[destroked blazer]

i just saw your post i guess im to late no biggie maybe someone should make my half assed diagram a sticky this is the 3rd time i have seen a thread wondering how to make a ford solenoid work on a chevy

[03blazer]

Heh, wow... I don't even remember posting up there...

I did the jumper... I don't know WTF I was thinking when I posted that... Guess that's what I get for and getting online. Sorry for the incorrect info