Starter Solenoid Wiring

[Bob Wight]

While working on my 1982 Evinrude 25hp project, I’m trying to figure out some wiring issues the previous owner created by rigging up a homemade wiring harness to apparently control startup and shutdown of the engine from a remote station, which I won’t be using when the restoration job is complete.

The motor has a push-button start switch on the front of the lower pan next to the manual choke knob.  One lead for that switch connects to the battery hot terminal on the starter solenoid and the other connects to one of the small terminals on the solenoid – that routing should work.   The motor also has a neutral safety switch, with one lead connecting to the battery hot terminal and the other lead connecting to the 2nd small terminal on the solenoid.

However, there is no engine ground connection on the solenoid.   It seems to me the one lead from the starter switch and the one lead from the neutral safety switch should both connect to the same small terminal on the solenoid and the other small terminal on the solenoid should connect to ground. I found a wiring diagram for the 25hp motor with a factory wiring harness connecting the motor to a remote control box with starter switch.   That diagram (and many others I’ve seen) shows one of the small solenoid terminals connecting to ground.

I tried activating the starter with the push-button start switch and got nothing.   I thought maybe the switch was just corroded up or bad but it tested good for continuity with a test meter when pushing the button.

See attached pic of how I found this motor wired when I got it.   Can someone verify my notion that one small terminal of the solenoid should connect to ground?

Bob

1937 Champion D2C Deluxe Lite Twin
1954 Johnson CD-11
1955 Johnson QD-16
1957 Evinrude Fastwin 18
1957 Evinrude 3022
1958 Johnson QD-19
1958 Johnson FD-12
1959 Johnson QD-20
1982 Evinrude 25hp

“Every 20 minute job is only a broken bolt away from a 3-day project.”
"Every time you remove a broken or seized bolt an angel gets his wings."

[JACQUES]

there are different systems where  in one situation the solenoid inner  magnet coil  is permanetly grounded to the frame  (wired or bolted) .  The solenoid is  then activated with  B+  from the key  “S”  or any source of your choice (push button ?)

other systems provide the inner coil’s  ground path on condition the neutral switch  is closed (neutral)  so a specific wire  must be wired in series  via the switch  device then over to ground.  (see diagram below)  The solenoid is then activated with B+ from the key S position post ONLY IN NEUTRAL

first thing to check is the solenoid operation by powering B+ on the control post  with B- (grd) on the other post. If it works the starter should engage.

B+ on the control post on the solenoid  is the  energizing post.     Hook the other  “small” post to frame ground via the  designated neutral safety device (s) (some may be engine  side mounted or on the throtlle handle “box”  or both .  Some  engines have a duplicate neutral swith both in series to prevent starter activation while in gear !!

consult various examples on this site  even if your 1982 is not listed

https://maxrules.com/JOwireindex.php

 

 

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