I’ve done all the reading I can do and can’t get a answer. I have a Napa echlin ST-56 12v starter solenoid, I’m trying to keep the 30s 40s style push bottom start in the dash and read that this is the solenoid I needed. The start button grounds this solenoid (not the frame/bracket) but it doesn’t say on the solenoid itself what side the B+ goes to. I know on the 3 6v stock ford solenoids I burnt up it matters after reading about that being a issue. The picture from left to right shows a misc. sol. I picked up vs the one in the middle, notice how the ground terminal is on different sides?? I don’t wanna burn up this new one so if anyone can help I’d appreciate it!
Ground terminal on a solenoid ? Haven't run across this yet, as the mount grounds it. A single terminal 6v unit using a grounding push button would do the job.
there is no ground terminal there those two lugs are battery from to sol from sol to starter. now someone else will have to tell you how to wire the starter button bruce lancaster maybe. Tom
thats odd that it is not marked. for what its worth, the original ford button style on my car is marked "bat" on the right side, facing, with push button on the bottom
You probably wont get an answer from bruce unless he has the hamb in heaven. Rip. I run a 6v solenoid with pushbutton on the dash on my 12v flathead. No issues as of yet
That explains it very well. The text mentions the Ford positive ground system, but, so far as I understand, that solenoid is not polarity sensitive. It could be used with negative ground...and bonus! ......the notes below indicate they sell the solenoid in 12v format. Ray
Wow... rip Bruce, what a wealth of knowledge. I can’t find his post here in the fly but he had told a guy that was having issues with using a 6v starter solenoid on a 12v system that would occasionally “stick on” to replace it with the 12v version (Napa st-56) (Bruce had said it for for a ford bus?) your button on the dash has a ground wire that goes to the small solenoid that completes the circuit when pushed. I was trying 6v solenoids but wasn’t aware of the batt. Side vs the starter side and I kept burning them up because I was hooking them up backwards (small plunger on solenoid pointing up) here are some screenshots of other conversations. I hope this helps explain what I have, I would of thought that a new solenoid would have the batt. Side marked
Not familiar with Napa numbers but Standard Ignition is SS-587. Should only have a wire from starter button to small solenoid terminal, (plus the main power wire which goes on battery post) no ground wire but maybe I'm misinterpreting your post. Not sure how you were burning them up if you only had heavy cables backward it shouldn't have worked at all. Before installing check which big post has continuity the small one, that's your battery post.
on old fords, when you push the start button it grounds at the button. pete, manual trigger on the unit needs to be on the bottom i believe, so gravity can do its thing and help the plunger to disconnect. mine is a 6v ford unit now running on 12neg ground. no problems yet, but not enough miles to brag yet.
here's a thread with a cole-hersee part number https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272195
Yea basically I had just ran out of the 6v solenoids that I had collected at swap meets so I just figured it wouldn’t hurt for it to actually be a 12v part.... I was mouthing them with the trigger button up for ease of reaching to start while messing with the carb, with all the crud on them I didnt know you could hook them up backwards. Moving forward I just want to make sure I hook this one up the correct way. Why would the small terminal and the B+ side share continuity? I have a meter and can check that real quick, I just don’t know how they work. I guess it’s time to google it
The winding that operates the solenoid gets its 12v internally from the battery terminal, the "ground" wire to the button completes the circuit. Also, I don't believe the SS-587 I mentioned has the trigger button.
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