1HD-T Starter solenoid bypass

[franzugan]

Hi guys, So out of the blue the starter solenoid (that big cylindrical plastic thing behind the left hand side battery) is toast. I managed to scavenge another 2 but same problem as in the starter (24v) does not turn. Only solution left is to bypass that solenoid altogether. What is the purpose of that solenoid and what damage (if any) will I be doing??
Cheers

 

[Lallirafn]

are you sure its toast? sounds more like blown fusible link to me if I understand them correctly. the solenoid changes the batteries from 12 volt parallell to 24 serial for the starter motor. If you want to bypass it, you need to change your starter motor to 12 volt.

 

[franzugan]

Yea, plastic inside is melted and s**t!! I still want to keep the 24v starter though.

 

[Lallirafn]

if you want to keep the 24v starter, your only option is to get a new working solenoid I would think... and try to figure out why it burnt over in the first place to prevent it from happening again. Are you sure that the starter survived what caused your solenoid to burn over? sounds like a short of some sort.

 

[wrongway around]

i convertered mine to 12 volt ,by only changing the motor and housing from a toy 12v starter. you still use the the front siliniod and housing that holds the rreduction gears that bolts to the tranny. its the only thing that is 24v. in my 80. no difference in starting abilities even in minus 15 temps i found. frees up an extra battery for what ever. kind of a win win i figure ,one of the better mods to do i figure. but i did get ateb to do the electrical bypass stuff, took him minutes to do that part and didnt need any parts,even used the converter block for a conection of the same cables . i know i dont make sence but im sure there is a right up somewhere ,super easy if you can take a starter apart. the electrical is the part you need the pictures for.

 

[franzugan]

I have some further details... Basically the negative terminal (labeled 1-) is heating up quite badly and eventually it will reach a point where it will not function... The nut that ties the connector down is very tight... Any insights on what might cause this to happen??