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85 ranger starter solenoid


YungICY

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Does anyone know off the top of their head how to wire in the starter solenoid on an 85 ranger. It is the fender mounted one. It has 4 connections on it. 2 for the big battery cables and 2 small ones labeled "S" and "I". I just need a basic setup for it. Thank you.
 


RonD

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Positive Battery cable should go to the larger post on the "S" post side of the relay(it is a relay not a solenoid, just FYI)
There should be several smaller wires with the battery cable on that post, this post is the power distribution block for the truck.

Starter motor cable goes on the other larger post, this is the ONLY cable on this post.

"S" post is to activate the relay so it will have a smaller wire that comes from ignition switch, it will only have 12volts when key is turn all the way to START on the ignition switch.
It is usually a Red wire with light blue stripe.

"I" post was for older systems, there would be a wire from here to the Coil's + terminal, it would give coil 12volts but only when starter motor was turning.
On older systems the coils wouldn't last very long running on 13.5volts(alternator voltage), so a resistor was added to the coil's + terminal, cutting the voltage to 8volts.
But when starting a cold engine you want hotter spark, as hot as you can get, so the "I" post was used and resistor by-passed when starting engine.


And for the FYI part, a relay and solenoid both use a coiled wire to magnetize a metal core, difference is in what it does.
A Relay is used to pass electrical power, like an on/off switch
A Solenoid is used to move something, a starter motor will often have a solenoid on it, a second smaller cylinder, when activated it pushes the starter gear out to turn flywheel, when deactivated it pulls the gear back, so it moves the gear in and out.

Solenoid is the term often used for fender mounted relay, and pretty much everyone will know what you mean, I did, lol.
Kinda like a "freeze plug", everyone knows what you mean but there is no such thing as a "freeze plug", lol.
 
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kimcrwbr1

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Sounds like someone put a solenoid off a junk yard part. Is this a 4 or 6 cyl. Either way the stock solenoid only has two large and one small as far as I know I will check my schematics?
 

kimcrwbr1

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http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/EDiagrams/files/Diagrams_StartIgnition83to882_9.JPG
Its possible it is a solenoid for a outboard if you cannot get it to click when you apply power to the small I terminal, the other small terminal could be ground for the coil in the solenoid. With a ohm meter check all four terminals to ground they should be open then check between the two small terminals it should have low resistance that is a coil. short one to ground and apply power to the other and the switch should close for the two large terminals.
 

YungICY

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Thanks guys. I looked up a couple YouTube videos last night and got her to work. Thanks for the info on the I terminal Ron. Very helpful. As far as the I terminal goes, that just needs to be spliced into the normal coil wire after the resistor correct? I'm rewiring the entire truck and setting it up for a carb. It is a 4 banger 2.3.
 

YungICY

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Also, any idea what resistor to use to drop the normal coil voltage supply down to 8 volts?
 

RonD

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Ford used a resistor wire from ignition switch to coil, but I think that was dropped with TFI ignition system, Duraspark used them but not TFI.

1985 2.3l should have TFI system so no resistor wire and no connection to "I" on starter relay needed, TFI coil is OK to run with 13.5volts
 
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YungICY

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It'll be a duraspark ignition setup on the motor.
 

RonD

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Oh, you are converting to Duraspark, in that case if you are not using the TFI coil then I would add a ballast resistor not the resistor wire, same thing but ballast resistor is easier to work with, resistor wires are 49" to 61" long.
Ceramic ballast resistors are about 3" long
It gets hot so needs to be mounted on firewall but not near any other wires.

Key on 12volts(RUN) goes into one resistor terminal, then a wire out of other terminal to Coil's + terminal.
Run a wire from "I" on starter relay to coil's + terminal, or as you said splice it to other wire between resistor and coil.

Ballast resistors come in .85 to 1.35, the higher the number the lower the voltage is at the coil when driving, .85 is fine
 
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YungICY

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Awesome. Thank you Ron.
 

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