connecting hand held starter switch?

[William R. Watt]

How is a hand held starter switch connected? I have on from a
garage sale I've never used and want to try it on a compression
test. Its a squeeze switch with two wires with a spring clip on
the end of each. The instructions say connect one clip to the
battery cable on the starter and the other to the starter relay. I
don't know what a starter relay looks like. The Haynes manual says
to test the starter motor connect a jumper wire between the
positive terminal of the battery and the the small (ignition
switch) terminal on the starter solenoid and the starter motor
should crank the engine. The Haynes manual also says to disconnect
the negative battery terminal and wedge something in the car to
depress the clutch. The starter switch instructions say disconnect
the wire from the negative terminal of the ignition coil to
prevent the engine from firing.

I've done a compression test before by tying the screw-in
compression guage to a stick of wood wedged in the front of the
engine compartment and watching through the space under the raised
hood while turning the key in the ignition from the driver's seat.
I'd like to try the hand held starter switch this time if I can
figure out how to connect it.

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[=?x-user-defined?Q?=AB?= Paul =?x-user-defined?Q?=BB?=]

Post by William R. Watt
How is a hand held starter switch connected?

Clip the remote switch on the small wire on the solenoid and
the very large wire on the solenoid.

[Indiån §ummer]

I've done a compression test ...while turning the key in the ignition from the driver's seat.

This method does not disable fuel and ignition. Do NOT crank
without disconnecting the ignition and fuel supply. O2 sensors and
catalytic are sensitive to raw fuel and can become damage, not to
mention the plugs.

Coil disable is possibly easier by grounding the secondary. Fuel
supply shutoff are easily done by disconnecting injection computer
fuse.

I'd like to try the hand held starter switch

12 AWG wires or larger hand-held switches connect directly to
the battery (+) and solenoid (+). Otherwise, connect to a starter relay.

I don't know what a starter relay looks like.

Crudely, a starter relay looks like a cube octopus, (a cube with
terminals at the bottom.) By disconnecting the starter
solenoid terminal and starting, it's possible to locate the
clicking relay by ear. Tapping on to the relay is another story.

If the numbers are within service range and uniform within 10% of
each other, you most likely don't have badly worn parts. If the
numbers are uniformly low on two cylinders next to each other you
could have a blown head gasket. If the numbers are low on one or
more cylinders that are not next to each other you most likely have
worn/bent valves or worn/broken rings, often requiring a teardown.

Wedge something in the car to depress the clutch.

*For manual gearbox.

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Milo Meineka

[William R. Watt]

Post by Indiån §ummer

I've done a compression test ...while turning the key in the ignition from the driver's seat.

This method does not disable fuel and ignition.

Wedge something in the car to depress the clutch.

*For manual gearbox.

yes. when cranking from the diver's seat I do not depress the clutch. that
disables the ignition. wonder how to get around it when using the remote
switch. will try disconnecting coil wire.

thanks for the replies.
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[Indiån §ummer]

Post by William R. Watt
yes. when cranking from the diver's seat I do not depress the clutch. that
disables the ignition. wonder how to get around it when using the remote
switch. will try disconnecting coil wire.

To be technically correct, one should ground the coil's secondary
or disconnecting either the neg. or positive side, or both.
Simply disconnecting coil high tension wire would be considered neglect.

You must depress the clutch to keep the car from lurching forward. If you
use the hand-held starter switch, you do not need to disconnect the coil,
but would require wedging something in the car to depress the clutch.

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Milo

[William R. Watt]

Post by Indiån §ummer
To be technically correct, one should ground the coil's secondary
or disconnecting either the neg. or positive side, or both.
Simply disconnecting coil high tension wire would be considered neglect.
You must depress the clutch to keep the car from lurching forward. If you
use the hand-held starter switch, you do not need to disconnect the coil,
but would require wedging something in the car to depress the clutch.

thank you. using the advice posted here I tried the switch on Friday and
it worked fine. to isolate the expensive ignition module in the
distributor, just in case, I disconnected the ignition system by removing
the wires from the primary negative post on the coil. I put the manual
transmission in neutral. Connecting the leads to the terminals on the
starter and solenoid bypassed the clutch so did not have to depress.

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