How To Bypass Starter Solenoid | Mercury Cougar Owners

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BigGreen74 B Still not starting. Full battery, all I get is a hard clicking from solenoid (I think). To bypass the solenoid, is it the side bolt the positive cable goes on and the smaller top bolt next to it I touch a screwdriver to? If not, which two bolts on the solenoid do I touch? Or is there another method to test the solenoid? Thanks #1 · Dec 30, 2013 Still not starting. Full battery, all I get is a hard clicking from solenoid (I think). To bypass the solenoid, is it the side bolt the positive cable goes on and the smaller top bolt next to it I touch a screwdriver to? If not, which two bolts on the solenoid do I touch? Or is there another method to test the solenoid? Thanks Sort by Oldest first Oldest first Newest first Most reactions #2 · Dec 30, 2013 This all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. First, make sure you have good clean ground connections from the battery to the block and good clean ground connections on the starter solenoid to the fender well. If you want to see if the starter works you can use a heavy gauge wire between the battery connection on the starter solenoid and to the opposite post of the solenoid that goes to the starter. Note, this should turn the motor over BUT, it will not start the car. If the starter works, you can then try jumping the ignition switch by placing a jumper wire between the battery and the S terminal ( the post nearest the battery). This will activate the solenoid and close the contacts for both the Starter to get energized and more importantly provide 12 V power to the I post ( this feeds the coil during start operation). Hope this helps. Coach Jack #3 · Dec 31, 2013 I think first making sure all my connections are clean and tight is the best idea. But right now it's dark and raining where I live. I just tried to start it. I'm getting a shooting spark off of the positive battery post, my dome light shuts off and acts like the battery is dead (when turning key). I go out and my meter says battery is full, go back and open driver door and dome light comes on and stays on like normal???? Any ideas? #9 · Jan 1, 2014 SPARKS shooting off a connection means it is loose .......... carefully remove your negative battery cable from the battery ..... then remove your positive battery cable from the battery ... clean the positive cable end and terminal and reinstall cable on battery and tighten ....... now repeat with negative cable and battery terminal ....... 0 Reply #4 · Dec 31, 2013 Shooting Sparks is not good. Plus I highly advise that you do not try this in the rain as you might become the ground!!! Make sure the car is in Park AND you have the emergency brake set. If you really want to try and turn the car over and see if it runs, turn the ignition switch to the run position (not the start position) so that if the car starts, the ignition circuit will provide the power to the coil. Place a jumper wire between the I terminal on the Starter solenoid and the Starter post on the Starter solenoid. Now using a heavy gauge wire, place one end to the battery + terminal and the other to the Starter post on the Starter Solenoid. The car should turn over and provide power to the ignition circuit. If the car starts, immediately remove the heavy wire from the Starter post and then disconnect it from the battery. Next make sure you disconnect the jumper wire from the I terminal to the Starter post, be careful, there will be ~ 8 volts on this wire when the car is running!! Hope this helps. Coach Jack #5 · Dec 31, 2013 Thanks. I will try. Not while raining #6 · Dec 31, 2013 One more thing, which one is the "I" terminal? Ignition? #7 · Dec 31, 2013 Looking at the solenoid, there are 4 terminals, the Battery terminal is on the far left, the first small terminal to the right of the Bat terminal is the S terminal. To the right of the S terminal is another small terminal which is the I terminal. Finally on the far right is another large terminal which goes directly to the Starter. Coach Jack #8 · Dec 31, 2013 Basically the way the solenoid works is the S terminal is energized when the ignition switch is turned to the Start position. The S terminal internally powers a relay which closes the contacts between the battery and both the I terminal and the Starter terminal. The I terminal provides 12V directly to the ignition coil. Once the car starts and you release the ignition switch to the run mode, the starter solenoid disconnects the battery from the I and Starter terminals. The ignition coil is then powered via the resistor wire coming out of the ignition switch. So by jumping the battery to the I and Starter terminals, you are basically mimicing exactly what the Starter solenoid should be doing. Coach Jack #10 · Jan 4, 2014 Got the sparks to stop. Fully charged battery. All I get is a hard clicking until battery is weak. Where should I start from here? #12 · Jan 4, 2014 Don't assume the battery is good. A bad battery will appear to be fully charged, but still be no good. Put you multimeter voltage tester on it. It should show 12+ volts. Now, turn on the lights. If it drops below 10, then you need a new battery. A bad battery will cause the solenoid clicking you hear. 0 Reply #11 · Jan 4, 2014 Pull your starter and take it to a shop and have it bench tested. If the starter checks out good, clean all of the ground connections to the block and clean the connections to the starter. If this still does not work, bypass the starter solenoid and see if the starter can turn over the engine. If the starter bypass works, change the solenoid, if the starter can't turn over the engine yet passed the bench test above, pull the spark plugs on the engine and try to bump the starter. If it still will not turn the engine without the plugs, then something is binding internally in the engine. Hope this helps Coach Jack #13 · Jan 5, 2014 Is this the Car that was listed on Craigslist that the battery was installed backwards in? If so, I would isolate the engine from the car and temporarily wire up a starting/run circuit to the relay and coil. God only knows what fried. #14 · Jan 5, 2014 No this isn't the backwards battery one. My same old green one. Thanks everyone. I'll pull the starter off hopefully in a few days when it's not freezing outside. Coach jack, when u say pull the plugs, do u mean just pull the wires off the plugs? How do I "bump" the starter? #15 · Jan 5, 2014 Physically remove all of the spark plugs then "bump" the starter by either turning the key to the start position only for a second to see if the engine will turn over. Also, as MrEos pointed out, use a known good battery from another vehicle or jump the battery from another vehicle as well. Coach Jack #16 · Jan 5, 2014 If you determine that it's not the battery or starter see how easy it is to turn that motor over with the plugs out by hand. It shouldn't take much effort - just a thought. (Hope I'm wrong!) #17 · Jan 7, 2014 have you checked your neutral safety switch? do you have it bypassed or is it still hooked up? #18 · Jan 8, 2014 Neutral safety switch? Insert Quotes Post Reply

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