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Which Lawn Tractor Solenoid for Starter Solenoid?

  • Thread starter Thread starter WilliamGLX81
  • Start date Start date
W

WilliamGLX81

Guest
Howdy folks.

Forgot - 81 GS650gl

My starter solenoid (more of a relay, really) has been slowly dying, and finally died completely. Bypassing it works to crank the engine. I will check the grounds before ordering, but I am happy to replace the thing. Being stranded really sucks.

So, Lowes has two relays. One has a "jumper wire" and the other doesn't.

Which one is correct?
Has a "jumper wire".
http://www.lowes.com/pd_543184-442-...noid&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=solenoid&facetInfo=

Doesn't have jumper wire.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_16125-442-O...noid&pl=1&currentURL=?Ntt=solenoid&facetInfo=

Anyone know exactly which one?
 
The difference seems to be whether hook your y/g wire to the solenoid with a space connector (no jumper wire) or you connect to what ever connector they have on the end of he jumper wire.

I'm not sure but can hardly believe it is anything else.
 
Hmm. I was thinking that one is mount-grounded and the other is wire-grounded (my preference).
 
I guess that is possible but people say to use them and your start button is active +12v. Maybe some one will pipe in.
 
Hmmm. I think I found my answer in the description:

"Works on both frame and mount grounding"

Didn't see that before. That's for the one with the jumper wire.
 
The picture for the "jumper wire" model does not show all that much, but I am guessing it is like posplayr is guessing. Either one (both) will ground to whatever they are mounted to, it's just a matter of whether the input connects to a (jumper) wire or to a spade terminal on the solenoid.

.
 
Mrgh. Grounding through the mount seems like a terrible idea to me. I'd much rather just run a wire to the battery - terminal. Either way, I'd much rather have a heatshrinked crimp than a spade connector.
 
Is that an offer to sell me one? I don't really care what brand it is, so long as it works. And it seems more likely to be reliable if it's new, regardless of brand.
 
Don't have a new one to sell.

Have a few that work. Most of them work forever, or at least longer than the rest of the bike.
 
Having a lifetime with the family nursery business this is easy. The two types are self grounding through the mounting bolt and a wired ground. Even if you buy a self grounding solenoid and it doesn't work because the mounting plate the solenoid bolts to does have connection to the battery negative terminal, you can run a jumper wire between one of the solenoid mounting bolts and a good frame ground.

All is not lost.
 
TooManyToys said:
Having a lifetime with the family nursery business this is easy. The two types are self grounding through the mounting bolt and a wired ground. Even if you buy a self grounding solenoid and it doesn't work because the mounting plate the solenoid bolts to does have connection to the battery negative terminal, you can run a jumper wire between one of the solenoid mounting bolts and a good frame ground.

All is not lost.
Click to expand...
This is what I do, and it works every time.
 
WilliamGLX81 said:
Mrgh. Grounding through the mount seems like a terrible idea to me.
Click to expand...
Well, that's the way the stock solenoid was grounded.

But then, we all know that not everything was perfect on a GS. :-\\\

Personally, I prefer to have it grounded through the mount.
Assuming that the mount is properly grounded, it's simply one less wire to worry about.

.
 
WilliamGLX81 said:
Mrgh. Grounding through the mount seems like a terrible idea to me. I'd much rather just run a wire to the battery - terminal. Either way, I'd much rather have a heatshrinked crimp than a spade connector.
Click to expand...

All of the Suzuki ones are that way with no issues unless you pay no attentions to your grounds.
 
WilliamGLX81 said:
And it seems more likely to be reliable if it's new, regardless of brand.
Click to expand...

This is far from a safe bet. From years of VW restoration, I can tell you that you will get more reliability out of blowing the dust out of a real german part that had been sitting in a barn for 5 years than buying a brand new one made in china and assembled in mexico. I'd trust a circa 1980 Suzuki OEM part out of someone's spares box over a new-in-box part made last year for a yard tractor any day.
 
Griffyn said:
This is far from a safe bet. From years of VW restoration, I can tell you that you will get more reliability out of blowing the dust out of a real german part that had been sitting in a barn for 5 years than buying a brand new one made in china and assembled in mexico. I'd trust a circa 1980 Suzuki OEM part out of someone's spares box over a new-in-box part made last year for a yard tractor any day.
Click to expand...

I have disassembled and cleaned Suzuki relays and unless you manage to burn up a coil, there is nothing to them. So why people go to buy cheap junk so they have a project trying to figure out how to mount it, I don't know.

It is a lot easier to pull the solenoid apart than it is to pull a set of carbs apart.
 
posplayr said:
I have disassembled and cleaned Suzuki relays and unless you manage to burn up a coil, there is nothing to them. So why people go to buy cheap junk so they have a project trying to figure out how to mount it, I don't know.

It is a lot easier to pull the solenoid apart than it is to pull a set of carbs apart.
Click to expand...

And I definitely agree with that. I've done the same with '65-66 Mustangs since 1970 and the originals are better made, not the plated copper of today in the Ford aftermarket examples. Only hang up being the lost of the rivets. But you can often resurface the contacts and have a long lasting repair. I've not been in the EZ solenoid yet, but I believe Jim on this.
 
Last edited:
TooManyToys said:
And I definitely agree with that. I've done the same with '65-66 Mustangs since 1970 and the originals are better made, not the plated copper of today. Only hang up being the lost of the rivets. But you can often resurface the contacts and have a long lasting repair. I've not been in the EZ solenoid yet, but I believe Jim on this.
Click to expand...

The top of the solenoid is held down with screws, so the only little trick is solder sucking the solder blob where the solenoid oils comes out from the winding. I even think the shorting bar is screwed in place and I removed the screw and flipped it over virtually restoring the shunt to factory new. :)
 
innerds of a stock solenoid.

innerds of a stock solenoid.

picture.php


These seem to be solid copper and not a p;ated part.
 
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