Quick gr starter question

[mtrdrms]

I am instaling a gear reduction starter in my 71 and just wanted a bit of confirmation on the wiring. There are three wire - one to the battery one smaller gage that comes out of the firewall on the passenger side and one even smaller gage that has the slip-on connector. Do I hook up the battery cable and middle sized one to the same post on the starter and leave the third (smallest) wire off?

Thanks
Andy

 

[Adventure Teq]

Well there's one way to find out...

 

[Mr. Toad]

Mine ('75) is installed with only the heavy-gauge direct line from (+) battery to starter post, and spade connecor where the spade connector goes on the starter. The other wire is not connected. Works well.

 

[65swb45]

I'd place odds that the 'third' wire you speak of, coming thru the firewall, is not a factory wire, but some sort of accessory wire that a PO ran to the starter for a constant hot outside the fuseblock.

If something no longer works that was working before the starter swap, you may discover the use of that wire!

Best

Mark A.

 

[cruiserbrett]

you only use the battery cable and the black with white stripe wire on the GR starters. Early cruisers often had the ballast resistor bypass, which you disregard now since the starter has no provision for it.

 

[Mr. Toad]

you only use the battery cable and the black with white stripe wire on the GR starters. Early cruisers often had the ballast resistor bypass, which you disregard now since the starter has no provision for it.

Is that because the gear reduction starter draws less current (meaning the ballast resistance is less of an obstacle to energizing the spark system)?

 

[cruiserbrett]

No, the gear reduction starters appeared after electronic ignition appeared which eliminated the need for the ballast resistor, since it was there to keep points from burning out. (It only bypassed the ballast resistor on cranking to produce a stronger spark to ignite the poorly atomized cold start fuel mixture.)

 

[mtrdrms]

Sorry to keep draging this out but I don't get to work on this thing as much as I would like. So here are the three wires. The one on the lbottom is the one in question. The red goes to the batt and the small gage with the slip-on type connector goes on nicely but with just those two I have no power - nothing. What is the other one for? I should just hook it up and see but i have to extend it first.

thanks for the input.

 

[CruisinMT]

you should have a ground onto the bottom bolt of the starter, the positive to the starter itself and then the plug in wire gets plugged in, thatwhat I have on my 67' and that sum bitch cranks good now.

 

[cruiserbrett]

do you have a white wire going to the battery? If not I would GUESS that is the wire that runs to the ammeter then to the alternator. So, ohm the wire out between the ammeter solid white wire and that to be sure. otherwise test it out by hooking up to the battery cable lug on the starter and seeing if you have power at the fuse block.

So, in a perfect world it would be hooked to the battery, but PO probably didnt want to buy a fusable link a while back and cut the connector off, and hooked to starter terminal...

Check the other wire, I cannot tell if its black with white or black with yellow. Black with white goes to start terminal. black with yellow is switch hot. you dont want that on the start terminal.

 

[mtrdrms]

you should have a ground onto the bottom bolt of the starter, the positive to the starter itself and then the plug in wire gets plugged in, thatwhat I have on my 67' and that sum ***** cranks good now.

No I don't have a ground to the starter. Ill have to look into that.

 

[mtrdrms]

Well I ran a ground to the starter with the battery cable and the slip connector and when I put the ground on the battery the wires got real hot and started smoking under the dash! Does anyone have a pic of their GR starter installed with wiring? I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks

 

[CruisinMT]

I can take pics of the setup on my 67 but I'm not sure how much they changes in those 4 years.

 

[Mr. Toad]

I'll get you a pic if you can wait until tonight. I'm pretty sure that the BW ("black with white stripe") wire is the one that's supposed to plug into the starter's plug slot, but it's been a while since I've looked. The fitting on yours has been replaced.

This wiring diagram -- http://www.ih8mud.com/tech/72fj40-wire/71fj40_wire.gif -- from a '71 shows the BW wire being the one that comes from the ignition and the White wire (which yours doesn't have) going to the meter, as Cruiserbrett said.

 

[mtrdrms]

So is there a ground going directly to the starter? I appreciate your time if you can get me a pic of yours. Thanks!

 

[CruisinMT]

So is there a ground going directly to the starter? I appreciate your time if you can get me a pic of yours. Thanks!

the ground goes from the bottom bolt of the starter to a bolt onto the frame. I'll get a pic.

I had to splice my wires to make them long enough, the black with white stripe wire is plugged in, the black and yellow goes to the coil, the large white wire goes the the starter, as well as the pos. battery cable, and the ground goes to the frame at least on mine it attaches under the hard brake line.

dont mind the oil it is from a leaky side panel but has been fixed.

 

[Mr. Toad]

'75 with GR starter wired for elect ign. The heavy gauge black wire comes from battery, the BW plugged into the starter comes from the ignition.

 

[mtrdrms]

That just how I have mine set up and I have no power whatsoever to the starter or the lights etc. Any suggestions?

 

[grant5127]

What did you do with the 3rd bottom wire in your pic??

 

[mountainman]

I just replaced my starter yesterday in a '75. It's just like Mr. Toads. I just put a piece of tape over the third wire.