O/T: general electrical devices
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Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Press "2" for English
O/T: general electrical devices
thought i would run this by you guys. figure most of you are some pretty sharp guys, have alot of experience with different stuff.
so here's the deal. my g/f has a boat. the boat uses a 12v solenoid to act as a contactor for starter voltage. we had some trouble with the solenoid tripping a circuit breaker which i found was because the solenoid was grounded by simply wedging the solenoid mounting ear under a module bolted to a bracket. now i figured that the solenoid was chassis ground but it does have a stud labeled (-). i went to the trouble of drilling a hole and bolting the solenoid down to the bracket so it got a firm mount but i also figured i would go ahead and make up a ground from my (-) stud down the the bracket ground.
how could this go wrong?
well, i hope you can tell me because as soon as i put power to the solenoid, the ground wire i made burnt through like trying to jump start a car with 18g jumper cables!
now it was just 14 gauge wire but even so, this is basically just a pilot solenoid as far as i can tell. hot wire coming in is only 14g wire so how could my ground wire be too small?
the solenoid still works too. i just cut the burnt wire off the connectors and continue to use the solenoid as a chassis ground and it works. i just can't figure out why i would burn through a wire that is marked (-), going to a chassis ground and when the solenoid body was grounded to boot.
unless, there is an obvious reason why this was wrong, i'll probably just leave it as it is. but i am curious to know why it happened.
so here's the deal. my g/f has a boat. the boat uses a 12v solenoid to act as a contactor for starter voltage. we had some trouble with the solenoid tripping a circuit breaker which i found was because the solenoid was grounded by simply wedging the solenoid mounting ear under a module bolted to a bracket. now i figured that the solenoid was chassis ground but it does have a stud labeled (-). i went to the trouble of drilling a hole and bolting the solenoid down to the bracket so it got a firm mount but i also figured i would go ahead and make up a ground from my (-) stud down the the bracket ground.
how could this go wrong?
well, i hope you can tell me because as soon as i put power to the solenoid, the ground wire i made burnt through like trying to jump start a car with 18g jumper cables!
now it was just 14 gauge wire but even so, this is basically just a pilot solenoid as far as i can tell. hot wire coming in is only 14g wire so how could my ground wire be too small?
the solenoid still works too. i just cut the burnt wire off the connectors and continue to use the solenoid as a chassis ground and it works. i just can't figure out why i would burn through a wire that is marked (-), going to a chassis ground and when the solenoid body was grounded to boot.
unless, there is an obvious reason why this was wrong, i'll probably just leave it as it is. but i am curious to know why it happened.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Either you sent battery voltage from that - term to ground there, that may be a large terminal and load side to the starter, OR you have a defective solenoid, or I"m misinterpreting something in translation, and would have to see it....
I helped rewire a twin V8 boat once, and completely rewired my 20 footer myself....same as a vette, really...
GENE
I helped rewire a twin V8 boat once, and completely rewired my 20 footer myself....same as a vette, really...
GENE
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2002
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From: Sulphur LA
St. Jude Donor '05-'06,'11,'13-'14,'16,'18,'19,'24, '25
clutchdust
On most boats I have worked on they do not ground the solenoids to the chasses. The ground goes all the way back to the battery. We have tried to use the ford style solenoids (they are a lot cheaper) but this style solenoid is chasses grounded and the marine style are not. Most all components in marine use are isolated from the boat and grounded at the battery. I am not sure why this is maybe electrolysis. Not sure if this helps, just my observation.
Neal
On most boats I have worked on they do not ground the solenoids to the chasses. The ground goes all the way back to the battery. We have tried to use the ford style solenoids (they are a lot cheaper) but this style solenoid is chasses grounded and the marine style are not. Most all components in marine use are isolated from the boat and grounded at the battery. I am not sure why this is maybe electrolysis. Not sure if this helps, just my observation.
Neal
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
Originally Posted by chevymans 77
clutchdust
On most boats I have worked on they do not ground the solenoids to the chasses. The ground goes all the way back to the battery. We have tried to use the ford style solenoids (they are a lot cheaper) but this style solenoid is chasses grounded and the marine style are not. Most all components in marine use are isolated from the boat and grounded at the battery. I am not sure why this is maybe electrolysis. Not sure if this helps, just my observation.
Neal
On most boats I have worked on they do not ground the solenoids to the chasses. The ground goes all the way back to the battery. We have tried to use the ford style solenoids (they are a lot cheaper) but this style solenoid is chasses grounded and the marine style are not. Most all components in marine use are isolated from the boat and grounded at the battery. I am not sure why this is maybe electrolysis. Not sure if this helps, just my observation.
Neal
Boats are like vettes, fiberglass, so the ground wire needs be run separately, like for the blower, WSW, heater speed relay, etc....
GENE
Thread Starter
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
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From: Press "2" for English
well, maybe it's the auto part in a marine application. i'm not sure how this could go wrong, i'm not doubting anybody but i've got a bit of electrical experience myself. negative stud was grounded to bracket, bracket grounded to engine block and engine block strapped to (-) terminal.
i thought that was pretty bulletproof. i am confused.
i thought that was pretty bulletproof. i am confused.
