86 Force 125 - Two dead solenoids. Bad ground?

[a_scales]

I tried starting my motor after rebuilding the carbs and installing a new starter and new solenoid, but only got a few good cranks before the solenoid stopped working and wouldn't turn the starter, just clicking instead. Jumping the leads to the starter got it to spin, but jumping the leads to the yellow ignition wire resulted only a click as well. Is there something that I could've done that would've caused the solenoid to go bad so quickly after install? Or was it just bad from the start?

 

[chrismarion]

What kind of solenoid did you get (make) and from where? Not all solenoids are the same and some are garbage. Same goes for the starters. When my starter went out, I bought a remanufactured starter. It was crap and finicky. I ended up having my OEM starter rebuilt at a local electric motor shop and a new Sierra solenoid at the same time. Knock on wood, that was 2005. However, in regards to your ground question, you can always improve your grounds with larger gauge ground wires. It certainly will not hurt anything.

 

[a_scales]

It probably wasn't the best quality solenoid. I just ordered an OEM one that'll hopefully hold up a bit better. I'll break out the multimeter and double check the quality of the grounds and maybe just run some new ones tomorrow.

 

[Redbarron%%]

Where to buy a good starter? Lots for sale and I hate to just pay more for more markup to the seller and still get a Chinese knock off.

 

[a_scales]

Where to buy a good starter? Lots for sale and I hate to just pay more for more markup to the seller and still get a Chinese knock off.

I ordered mine from Caltric, since they seem somewhat reputable, and they were able to ship it on my timeline. I ordered my solenoid off eBay though, which proved to be a bad move.

 

[a_scales]

Something is strange here for sure. Jumping the starter works just fine, both the old and new solenoid aren’t working. Ground seems okay, voltage drop is as expected, but no continuity through the solenoid. Hopefully the one coming Monday fixes all the problems. Anyone have other thoughts?

 

[chrismarion]

Confirming your wiring.
https://maxrules.com/graphics/force/wiring/125HP_thru89_eng.jpg

 

[The Force power]

Something is strange here for sure. Jumping the starter works just fine, both the old and new solenoid aren’t working. Ground seems okay, voltage drop is as expected, but no continuity through the solenoid. Hopefully the one coming Monday fixes all the problems. Anyone have other thoughts?

How do you "jump" the Starter?
Do you use a booster-cable and apply power to the Starter-terminal-stud? OR are you "jumping" the solenoid across the terminals?

 

[a_scales]

4ga jumpers direct to the starter from the battery. I tested the grounds and solenoid, and the ground was fine, the solenoid just was garbage. It’s going back to where it came from.