Blowing Starter Solenoids, Need Help!!!!

During the install of my lift this weekend, we had to drop the fuel tank. Once we hooked everything back up we went to run it to make sure everything worked. Everything was fine. 10-15 min later we wanted to verify the fuel gauge was working, went to start and all we got was a POP. The pop was the starter solenoid blowing.

We replaced the solenoid, double checked the connections and tried again, and another solenoid bites the dust.

Looking at the wiring diagram, we decided that the problem could be the starter or the ignition switch. Needing a new starter anyway, because of the teeth on it, we replaced that and the solenoid, and bypassed the ignition switch, with a wire straight from the switch harness to the "I" terminal on the solenoid. Again we wasted another solenoid.

I am very frustrated now and can't think of any other ideas on what can fix this problem.

The only other ideas I have are the voltage regulator, alternator, or the ignition coil, because these are the only other things that connect to the starter solenoid.

Any help would be a great.

Thanks

 

So after some more research and work, I tried jumping over the solenoid to the stater, and nothing happend.

I thought that was very strange, so I tried to make the battery spark by touching the jumper cable to the negative terminal, and there was nothing.

But when read with a multi meter, it is reading 12 Volts.

So how does a battery reading 12 volts not short to itself?

 

No current. Voltage (potential) and current (electron flow) are two very different things. The voltmeter has a very very high impedance, and requires very little current to operate. It's designed that way, so that adding the meter to the circuit changes the circuit as little as possible. Put your meter across the battery, try the starter and watch the voltage drop to zero.

 

Could you possibly have installed the battery cables backwards? How about the fact that with the lift you now have, you no longer have good ground from the chasis to frame to engine to battery neg?

 

I think the key here is that it ran fine the first time....and THEN had an issue..... I think you will find that the cable going from your solenoid to your starter has MELTED someplace near your exhaust and connected (shorted) directly to ground....double check the ENTIRE length of this cable and make sure there are no bare spots.

 

I once found a solinoid that goes positive on the metal part when activated.
I also burnt it out. When I got a replacement of the same make, the same thing happened.
Try to isolate the solinoid completely from the body, or get a constant load solinoid.The type they use in dual battery systems.They are more expensive, but worth it.