hooked up my starter wrong

[greenthinks@msn.]

i accidently hooked up the ground to the starter onto the starter .instead of onto the mounting bolt of the starter itself i hooked it up the stud on the solenoid . now with a different starter when i turn the key nothing happens.everything else works but when i turn the key nothing happens. i have checked the fuses and switched around the relays .i am wondering if there is a fusible link . when it was hooked up wrong and i turned the key i got a chattering noise. i cant find a starter solenoid except for the one on the starter itself. wondering what i did.

 

[david4451]

100% you have burned out the starter solenoid, it will have to be replaced for your starter to work again.

 

[imp]

100% you have burned out the starter solenoid, it will have to be replaced for your starter to work again.

@greenthinks@msn.
@david4451
I don't think so, necessarily. He did not say what he connected the positive battery feed cable to, if anything. He also did not say whether both cables were connected together on the solenoid stud. If they were, he got a ton of sparks and current flow, but none of that would have flowed through the solenoid coil itself.

There are indeed 3 fusible links, 2 of which are in series with each other, but they are in the alternator circuit, to protect it from a backwards-connected set of jumper cables. Not knowing exactly what was connected where, we cannot positively say no heavy current flowed through those fusible links. If one or more of those links opened, and everything else was re-connected properly, and if the battery were not drained dead, starting the engine would result in no alternator output, a light turned on in the instrument panel, and running on only the battery power.

Need to know more details to completely figure this out. imp

 

[RangerX]

He also mentions "...now with a different starter, nothing happens."

 

[greenthinks@msn.]

THE POSITIVE WAS CONNECTED TO THE RIGHT STUD. THE OTHER STUD ON THE SOLENOID IS SUPPOSED TO BE LEFT BLANK. THATS WHERE I WRONGLY CONNECTED THE GROUND. NOW WHEN I TURN THE KEY NOTHING AS FAR AS STARTING GOES. EVERYTHING ELSE WORKS.. IS THERE A FUSIBLE LINK RIGHT BY THE POSITIVE CABLE UP BY THE BATTERY? IS THAT FOR THE IGNITION WIRE THE LITTLE WIRE ON THE SOLENOID?

 

[96eb96]

Do you have the fender mounted relay on the 01? On the left side fender. The solenoid to me is the barrel ON the starter.

 

[greenthinks@msn.]

Do you have the fender mounted relay on the 01? On the left side fender. The solenoid to me is the barrel ON the starter.

Its on the starter

 

[96eb96]

Its on the starter

I have both. But newer ones may not have it.
Anyway here are wiring diagrams. No sense to waste time and guess:
http://www.wilsonautoelectric.com/TSB_Database

Put in your year and select Engine->Starting

Looks like there is a fuse in the distribution box, maybe look into that.

 

[greenthinks@msn.]

I USED THE WILSON SITE ABOVE TO REFERENCE MY FUSE BOX IN THE INTERIOR ALONGSIDE THE DRIVER DOOR . HOLE # 19 ( RATED 25 FUSE) WAS MISTAKENLY PLACED BELOW IN THE #23 HOLE WHICH IS TO BE LEFT EMPTY. IT STARTED RIGHT UP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THE THING IS MY STARTER WAS JUST LOOSE TO BEGIN WITH I WAS TOO LAZY TO LOOK AT IT BEFORE I BOUGHT A USED STARTER. IT WOULD JUST SPIN.. NOW THE ORIGINAL STARTER IS BACK IN THERE AFTER 3 OR 4 DAYS OF STRESSING MYSELF OUT NEEDLESSLY. MORAL OF THE STORY IS MAKE SURE YOU PLACE THE FUSE BACK IN THE RIGHT HOLE WHEN CHECKING THEM. PLUS CRAWL UNDER AND WIGGLE THE STARTER IF IT DOESNT ENGAGE.

 

[imp]

@david4451
Regarding your thought about e solenoid: The windings of the solenoid coil have two ends: one is grounded inside the can, the other connects to the stud outside the can. If he connected the negative battery terminal to that, both ends of the coil would be grounded, and NO current could flow through the coil, therefore it would not burn out as thought. imp

 

[david4451]

Hi imp, I'm glad greenthinks found his problem, using your advise and I was wrong.
I answered this thread based on my experience with the solenoid on my 2001 ST.
The solenoid is HANDED and I put a replacement solenoid on my starter that was opposite "hand" to my original and it burned out the replacement solenoid.
I've not found a solenoid same hand as original and this made connecting another replacement a little difficult. (The small centre wire is on bottom of solenoid instead of top)
Since this problem seemed same as mine ie + to wrong connector on solenoid would have resulted in burning out solenoid. Thanks, we live and learn!

 

[imp]

Hi imp, I'm glad greenthinks found his problem, using your advise and I was wrong.
I answered this thread based on my experience with the solenoid on my 2001 ST.
The solenoid is HANDED and I put a replacement solenoid on my starter that was opposite "hand" to my original and it burned out the replacement solenoid.
I've not found a solenoid same hand as original and this made connecting another replacement a little difficult. (The small centre wire is on bottom of solenoid instead of top)
Since this problem seemed same as mine ie + to wrong connector on solenoid would have resulted in burning out solenoid. Thanks, we live and learn!

@david4451
Thanks for taking the time to write. And, being that unusual thing nowadays, man enough, to admit an error. Lord knows, I've made enough of them in my day, to make up of for the "wins". It just happens that electricity has pretty much been my life, at least 65 years it, from hooking up my Lionel trains at 10 till finally getting a Degree in it.

So, if you ever have an electrical problem, and would like input on it, I may not be "forumming". Don't hesitate to email me. jack.brady39@yahoo.com. imp

 

[david4451]

Thanks Jack for offer of help on electricals, sounds like we are both young old guys (I'm pushing 66). I enjoy working on my ST and the wife says I fiddle with things that are OK till they break!
I'm a Brit living in the Philippines and keep my ST in good condition, getting too long in the tooth to learn about a newer more complicated ride and if it has a problem I can usually sort it out.
Kind regards David.

 

[Tim Blake]

I just had same thing happen to my sons truck 1994 F150, got new starter on hooked battery up lots of sparks then noticed ground wire from manifold to firewall smoking, disconnected battery, and discovered both positive and negative were hooked to starter, redid everything correctly, now when we try to hook up battery starter spins, doesn’t engage just spins the second the battery cable is touched, not sure what we did now , really frustrated, old starter was impossible to get off, now not sure what is bad, thinking we fused something together inside the solenoid on the starter? Does have the solenoid on passenger fender also, thanks for any help

 

[RandomNerd2000]

Okay, a 2001 Explorer has NO SOLENOID outside of the one on the STARTER itself, the starter on a 2001 has a ground wire, a battery positive, and a signal wire from a relay in the fuse box underneath the hood. You either need a fuse or relay under the hood. Both are cheap.

 

[Tim Blake]

F150, ground nut on starter was not tightened back down, now dealing with something else, dead battery, won’t take a jump

 

[RandomNerd2000]

If you won't jump or do anything electrical check your main fuse in the fuse box, if memory serves Fords have a fuse that's the fuse for the whole vehicle.

 

[Tim Blake]

We’re getting click from solenoid and starter, battery is checking ok, I’m starting to think starter was damaged when cables were hooked up wrong, he try’s to start and it clicks, then nothing , like he trips something, then you wait and turn key and you get , voltage reading again,

 

[RandomNerd2000]

You have voltage to the main power wire going to the starter correct? If you do, and power to the signal wire, swap the starter. Before that though I thought you'd swapped starters already? Was the replacement known good?

 

[Joe Techy]

Okay, a 2001 Explorer has NO SOLENOID outside of the one on the STARTER itself, the starter on a 2001 has a ground wire, a battery positive, and a signal wire from a relay in the fuse box underneath the hood. You either need a fuse or relay under the hood. Both are cheap.

My 96 5.0 has no ground on starter
Am i missing something?