Starter wire question- '79 FC 33'

[George Burke]

Bruce, It appears that you either have a bad ign. switch, or a bad solenoid. If you have a good, (hot) wire from the batt.to the solenoid, which you do, and a good hot wire to the starter, which you do, because you have been able to jump across it and start the vehicle. Gregg is right on. If the redwire that you found that is cold when the switch is off, yet is energized when you turn the switch on, (to start position), it sounds like that your ign. switch is OK. That leaves you with a bad soleniod. That explains why you can manually jump across the solenoid with a screwdriver. Itsfunction is to allow you to sit in the comfort of your seat, and get her running, via sending power from the batts., to the solenoid, across the solenoid. then to the starter. There can be other wires feeding off the hot or batt. side of the solenoid. I am puzzled as to why when you touch the small red wire to the small nut on the solenoid, as to why your buzzer cuts off, maybe it is grounding out. I would check for a bad solenoid, and then a bad ign.switch. The solenoid may have caused a problem with the switch, after it went bad. Hope this helps, George Burke 1977 FC31 Charlotte

On Fri, Feb 29, 2008 at 5:22 PM, mccoyb24 <"mccoyb24@yahoo.com"> wrote:

--- In "WanderlodgeForum%40yahoogroups.com", "Gregory OConnor"
wrote:
>
> Bruce if the key is not making the starter motor spinn ;and you are

> making it spinn by jumping the big live voltage lug to the smaller
> lug, ;then that small lug is what the key (when held against the
> momentary start position) energizes to remotly send the voltage at

> the big lug to the starter motor (remote switch = solenoid).
>
> Is it a small wire (like a trailer light wire) or big wire (Like a
> batterycable)?
>
> *****I would have some one test for voltage at the wire with

the 'key
> off' then the 'key on' then the 'key held against the start'
momentary
> position.
>
> If it energizes when the key is held against the momentary start

> only, then it should be connected to the small lug that you jump
to
> make a start.
>
> If the disconnected wire energizes when you turn the key on, it
may
> be that the ignition switch is screwed up?? and the wire was

removed
> because it would not let the starter disengauge???
>
> GregoryO'Connor
> 94ptRomolandCa
>

Hi Gregory,

I think you may be onto something here! The disconnected wire was

actually pulled out of the connector. The connector is still attached
to the the starter terminal. It looks to be about a 14 ga. red wire.
It does appear to have been cut just past the end of the crimped
connector. The seller told us that critters may have had their way

with that wire. He said that he stuffed the other end in the wire
bundle leading up to it but this was awhile back and when he went to
fix it prior to putting the rig up for sale, he couldn't find the
other end of the wire. I'm having my doubts about the critter story.

The reason the coach was up for sale was because of neighbor
complaints to the county. (A great story but too long for this
thread).

Anyway, the way this thing works is that with the key in the "ON"

position, jumping the starter with a screwdriver works to engage the
selenoid and turn over the engine. No need to hold the key against
the momemtary start position.

I took apart all of the tie-wrapped wires under the front of the

coach in an effort to locate a loose red one. I found one. With the
key off, I got a reading of 0.0 volts. With the key on, it read 12.7
volts. I crimped a length of 14 gauge wire to the end of that wire
and touched it to the terminal with the cut connector. With the key

in the "ON" position, the low air buzzer is sounding as it should.
But when I touched the end of the wire to the terminal, the buzzer
shut off. The engine didn't start either in the ON or momentary start

position. Now I have two mysteries. Where is the other end of the
starter wire and now, what does this red wire that I did find, do?
Hmmmm!

Thanks Gardner and Gregory! You're giving me things to look for. I

appreciate it.

Bruce.
'79 FC 33'