Solenoid?

87Mustang351 said:

well, we got the car running today, crossed it over on the silanoide and took the screw driver off n the car kept running, so that means ym silanoide is toast, ill pick a new one up this week, and that clutch safety switch where is it located under the dash?

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The solenoid is known to be toast only if before you did what you did, you tried jumping the small gauge wire on top of the solenoid to the battery lug and it would not turn over.
Otherwise, if your starter interlock circuit wiring is bad, a new solenoid won't help.

The clutch safety switch is located on the back of the clutch pedal arm.

To provide a systematic means of troubleshooting this (in the name of saving money on parts and time), perhaps we can persuade Jrichker to post his no crank list.

Here's a checklist:

Since some of the tests will bypass the safety interlocks, make sure that the car is in neutral and the parking brake is set. Becoming a pancake isn’t part of the repair process…

Check battery, terminal connections, ground, starter relay switch (also known as solenoid) and starter in that order. The clamp on with 2 bolts battery terminal ends are a know problem causer.

A voltmeter is handy if you are familiar with how to use it to find bad connections. Measure the voltage drop across a connection: more than .5 volts across a connection indicates a problem.
See http://www.fluke.com/application_notes/automotive/circuit.asp?AGID=1&SID=103 for help for help troubleshooting voltage drops across grounds.


1.) Will the car start if it is jumped? Then clean battery terminals and check battery.

2.) Check the battery to engine block ground, and the ground behind the engine to the firewall.

3.) Jump the big terminals on the starter relay next to the battery with a screwdriver - watch out for the sparks! If the engine cranks, the starter and power wiring is good. The starter relay is also known as a starter solenoid.

4.) Then pull the small push on connector (red wire) off the starter relay (Looks like it is stuck on a screw). Then jump between the screw and the terminal that is connected to the battery. If it starts, the relay is good and your problem is in the rest of the circuit.

5.) Remember to check the ignition switch, neutral safety switch on auto trans and the clutch safety switch on manual trans cars. If they are good, then you have wiring problems.
Typical start circuit...
Diagram courtesy of Tmoss &Stang&2birds


See http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d80195963.gif for 88-90 year cars .OR see http://www.autozone.com/images/cds/gif/large/0900823d80195964.gif for 91-93 year cars. See http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/1d/db/3c/0900823d801ddb3c.jsp for 94-95 model cars.

6.) The starter may be hung, loosen up the bolts that hold it on, and give it a good whack with a big hammer. Tighten up the bolts and try again.

7.) If that doesn't work, use a jumper cable from the positive lead on the battery direct to the starter post where the big wire from the relay connects. If it cranks then, it is the power wire from the relay gone bad. This will be hard to do, since there isn't much room to do it.

8.) Pull the starter and take it to Autozone or Pep Boys and have them test it. Starter fails test, then replace it. If you got this far, the starter is probably bad.

whats a silanoid?

smr said:

whats a silanoid?

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solenoid= starter relay in this case.

awwww...k seeign two things referenced above a silanoid and a solenoid..thanks for clearing that up for me....I kno wwhat a solenoid is thought a silanoid was something new...

87Mustang351 said:

i just dont bother to try spell it right, people get my point

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Punctuation and good spelling make the post more readable. Some of the problems can be made easier to solve if it isn't necessary to translate from redneck to proper English. I have given up several times because the problem description was just too hard to read and understand.

Another reason good spelling and grammar are important is so that people don't get the impression that you are a bonehead.

If people think you are ignorant, they tend to ignore your posts. This is probably because they think that you won’t understand anything that is complex. They don’t want to waste their time trying to explain what they posted.


You probably are a smart guy, so let us see it with posts that show the intelligence that you have.

jrichker said:

Punctuation and good spelling make the post more readable. Some of the problems can be made easier to solve if it isn't necessary to translate from redneck to proper English. I have given up several times because the problem description was just too hard to read and understand.

Another reason good spelling and grammar are important is so that people don't get the impression that you are a bonehead.

If people think you are ignorant, they tend to ignore your posts. This is probably because they think that you won’t understand anything that is complex. They don’t want to waste their time trying to explain what they posted.


You probably are a smart guy, so let us see it with posts that show the intelligence that you have.

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valid points in so many ways....