Issues with my ignition switch

[53_mercLuke]

My ignition switch on my '53 mercury, if I have it hooked up to the 30 amp circuit breaker and the ammeter wire that my diagram says is hooked to the same circuit breaker but it's on the batter side of the start solenoid I ha e no power to the the switch. If I move it to the post on the starter side or the start button post I have power to the switch but then the button and the lights don't work. Does anyone have a solution to my problem? Thanks for any info, its greatly appreciated

[V8COOPMAN]

The BATTERY side of the solenoid is HOT all the time. The other big post on the other side of solenoid is hot ONLY when the solenoid is pulled-in, as when the starter is operating. DD

[JSeery]

Something is not right here, the battery side is a direct connection to the battery. There has to be power.
The starter side just goes to the starter, cannot possibly have power. So, the wires must be switched. They have to be correct on the solenoid for it to work correctly as well. If you have a tester be sure there is power between the battery side and the starter terminal on the center front.

[V8COOPMAN]

Here's the schematic! This one's hurtin' my old eyes! DD

[53_mercLuke]

The other issue I'm having with it, when it's hooked up as in the diagram, is that when my key is completely out of the ignition I can push the start button and it will turn over, it doesn't seem right to me. And when it cranks over it cranks really slow like a dead battery but I just bought it last week

[JSeery]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

That's how they work, that is working correctly. The starter button just applies a ground to the solenoid, it has no direct connection to the ignition switch.

New battery has nothing to do with what it's charge level is. What does the battery read when you check it with a meter?

[RalphG]

Originally Posted by 53_mercLuke

The other issue I'm having with it, when it's hooked up as in the diagram, is that when my key is completely out of the ignition I can push the start button and it will turn over, it doesn't seem right to me. And when it cranks over it cranks really slow like a dead battery but I just bought it last week

My 52 will always turn over by pushing the starter. No matter if the key is on, off, or out of the ignition.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by 53_mercLuke

My ignition switch on my '53 mercury, if I have it hooked up to the 30 amp circuit breaker and the ammeter wire that my diagram says is hooked to the same circuit breaker but it's on the batter side of the start solenoid I ha e no power to the the switch. If I move it to the post on the starter side or the start button post I have power to the switch but then the button and the lights don't work. Does anyone have a solution to my problem? Thanks for any info, its greatly appreciated

Just a thought... are you 100% certain the solenoid is correct? It seems to me solenoids for Chrysler's were "wired opposite" of Ford. While the outer appearance was nearly identical, the "insides" were not.

So, what say you guys that know a LOT more than me.
Yes? No?

[JSeery]

"I know nothing..." about Chrysler solenoids, but it is easy to check your solenoid to see if it is the correct type and if it is wired correctly. Terminal #1 is the Battery side (see Note below), Terminal #3 is the Starter side, and Terminal #2 is the Starter Button connection.

a.) With a voltmeter check #1 to ground and you should see 6v (remember to reverse the voltmeter leads, Black to the hot source [Terminal #1] and Red to a ground).

b.) Now check #2 to ground and again you should see 6v (this check could cause the starter to jump!).

c.) When you check #3 to ground you should see 0v.

You can also check between Terminals with the ohms setting:

d.) Check between Terminals #1 & #2 with the voltmeter set to ohms and you should see a very low ohms reading (these checks need to be performed with the wires to the solenoid removed).

e.) When you check between #2 & #3 you should see an open (these checks need to be preformed with the wires disconnected from the solenoid).

If it is a Ford style 6v solenoid it will check as listed above in d & e.

Note: the diagram shown is a typical drawings for this style of solenoid, in the case of a Ford 6v pos ground the label on Terminal #1 would correctly be BAT (-), not (+) as shown.

[53_mercLuke]

Thanks for the help, I will test the solenoid tomorrow, I checked my battery voltage before i finished up tonight and for a 6 volt battery it was at 6.3 volts but I have been messing with the electrical so I figured it would be down abit. I think it should be 6.7 volts fully charged