Starter connections questions
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Staging Lane
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 72
Likes: 1
Starter connections questions Installing 2007 5.3 (L59) and 4L60e in my 48 Chevy pickup. On the starter solenoid there are 2 heavy duty studs for connecting the battery cable and the alternator charge wire. I am not sure of the placement, I think the charge wire goes on the stud closest to engine block? Not sure..........
Not sure if this helps but to keep things simple on my car of the 2 large terminals on the solenoid one goes directly to the starter the other is where I connected the cable from the battery. The small terminal at the top is connected to my trigger wire from the keyed on ignition. I don't have anything from the alternator going to the starter.
The alternator charge wire should go to a distribution point to feed everything that draws current while the car is running, and a decent-gauge (6-8 g probably) wire should go from there to the battery. The starter solenoid gets a heavy cable direct from the battery as well as the ignition signal.
I'm running a remote solenoid and a relay between my battery and starter and I can't recall exactly how stock works, but if the above is wrong I'm sure someone will jump in. I think in the 80s gm ran the alternator to the starter on a couple cars but I can't think of a reason to do so if you don't have to. Why would your alternator wire go the starter in this case? It isn't generating any current until after the starter has been engaged (ie the car is running) and at that point you don't need the starter.
I'm running a remote solenoid and a relay between my battery and starter and I can't recall exactly how stock works, but if the above is wrong I'm sure someone will jump in. I think in the 80s gm ran the alternator to the starter on a couple cars but I can't think of a reason to do so if you don't have to. Why would your alternator wire go the starter in this case? It isn't generating any current until after the starter has been engaged (ie the car is running) and at that point you don't need the starter.
TECH Regular
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 443
Likes: 3
From: Kansas City, MO
You can hook the alt charge wire to the same terminal as the positive battery cable on the starter. It's the stud farthest from the engine. The other stud should already have a wire on it going to the solenoid, leave that one alone. If you put power to that wire, the starter will just spin all of the time.
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Running the alt to the large starter terminal works fine, all your doing is using the stud as a junction block tied directly to the main bat cable, it's a good heavy solid connection. Works especially well with trunk mounted bats.
Jim
Jim
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