[texashighridin]

I'm having problems getting my CJ started and I believe I have narrowed it down to the starter solenoid but I've sort of reached a dead end. Right now I have the light blue wire coming from the ignition switch to the S terminal, and when the ignition is turned to start the terminal gets 12 volts but the starter does not engage. I've tried three different solenoids and none of them have fixed the problem.My question is does anyone have a diagram or could shed some light on the proper wiring of the solenoid? I don't have anything connected to the I terminal and I'm wondering if there should be something there, I've read a couple of posts that say you should have 12 volts at the I terminal when the ignition is in start and run but I don't know what the source should be. I've jumped the starter directly from the battery and the motor cranks although I haven't tried jumping from the battery post of the solenoid, so I may need new battery cables. My main question still focuses on the wiring of the solenoid and if I should have anything connected to the I terminal for power or if it should be grounded. Here's some specs on the Jeep: '84, 4.2L, T-5, Painless Universal Harness, TBI, HEI. Please help if you can because this one has me stumped.

[HighCountry]

Temporarily, run a ground wire from the Solenoid (relay) mounting bolt to the battery Ground terminal and see what happens...

Bruce

[JeepHammer]

Originally Posted by texashighridin

... Right now I have the light blue wire coming from the ignition switch to the S terminal, and when the ignition is turned to run the terminal gets 12 volts but the starter does not engage.

First off,
The 'Blue' wire should ONLY be hot when the ignition switch is in the 'Crank' or 'Start' position, and should NOT BE HOT when the key is in the 'Run' position.

I've tried three different solenoids and none of them have fixed the problem.My question is does anyone have a diagram or could shed some light on the proper wiring of the solenoid?

I don't have anything connected to the I terminal and I'm wondering if there should be something there, I've read a couple of posts that say you should have 12 volts at the I terminal when the ignition is in start and run but I don't know what the source should be.

The 'I' terminal is a full voltage feed for your ignition coil when you are cranking the vehicle.
First used on breaker points ignitions, the 'I' terminal was a hold over from the old breaker points days, and found an application with the Jeep/DuraSpark module since it has separate 'Start' and 'Run' modes.

I've jumped the starter directly from the battery and the motor cranks although I haven't tried jumping from the battery post of the solenoid, so I may need new battery cables.

Jump over the solenoid/relay with a large gauge wire.
Large terminal to large terminal.

If the starter turns OK, it's the solenoid that has problems.

If the starter DOES NOT turn, it's the cables either from the battery to the solenoid/relay or to the starter.

My main question still focuses on the wiring of the solenoid and if I should have anything connected to the I terminal for power or if it should be grounded.

Jeep CJ solenoids should be grounded.
The 'S' terminal should be connected to the ignition switch 'Crank' or 'Start' circuit.

Some jeep solenoids/relays are intended to have the second terminal grounded though a clutch safety switch or neutral safety switch.
The small terminals on these will NOT be labeled 'S' & 'I'....

[texashighridin]

Thanks for the catch on the typo, the blue wire gets 12 volts in the start position. If the purpose of the I terminal is to supply power to the coil then I shouldn't have to worry about that since I have the HEI with the internal coil right? So that leads me to the next question. If I'm using a solenoid with an S and I terminal should I ground the I? Similarly, could I get away with using a solenoid with only an S terminal that is internally grounded? I'm starting to lean toward bad battery cables. I'll try a direct post to post jump tomorrow (maybe tonight) and see if that helps. Thanks for the in depth reply.

[HighCountry]

Ummm... Have you made SURE the BODY of the Solenoid is grounded? It must be grounded or it will not work. I have seen a rusty fender with rusty bolts cause a Solenoid to not work, even after it was warranted twice with another one.

Bruce

[texashighridin]

I was thinking the same thing, I may clean up the contacts just in case before I start tinkering tomorrow. I'm out of daylight today, now I'm just brainstorming/searching for possible solutions.

[texashighridin]

Thanks for the help guys, I finally got it running today. Turned out the solenoid was bad, the battery cables were burnt out, and the bulkhead connector for the wiring harness was loose. Spent a couple of hours on it this afternoon and she fired right up. Once again, thanks for the suggestions and the diagram.

[JeepHammer]

Glad to hear it...