8N electrical question

Russell Dewsnup · Dec 2, 2015

Working on this 8N ford tractor. When I tried starting it the starter solenoid stayed engaged and I had to remove the battery cable to get it stopped. I purchased a new solenoid (assumed old one was fried together) but when I installed the new solenoid now the starter button wont crank the engine. I looked up a wiring diagram and it shows only one wire going to the starter button. How does the starter button get power to engage the starter solenoid? What am I missing? all the wiring I can find tests good. Thanks for your help.

The new solenoid was from a auto parts store. Is the solenoid used on this tractor a special one that I will need to get some where else.

Cooter143 · Dec 2, 2015

Starter button is only a ground. Should be a single black wire running to it. Post this question over on the 8n board and those guys will give you all the help you need.

TimnVa · Dec 2, 2015

Yes it is. It has 3 connections and mounts on the starter. The small terminal faces toward the motor and the battery cable connects to the right hand large stud and the left stud connects to the starter. The coil in the solenoid gets the hot internally from the right hand stud and the small terminal gets ground from the start button to energize it.

DeltaRed · Dec 2, 2015

Common solenoid wont work. You need a "grounding" solenoid.I learned that the hard way.Ask the 8N Ford board.

old · Dec 2, 2015

The N series tractor use a grounding type solenoid and you need the correct solenoid for them since they are not like the ones used on cars and trucks. They also have to be installed with the correct connections as in there is in fact a battery post and starter post on them and if installed backwards they will not work

Bob · Dec 2, 2015

"they are not like the ones used on cars and trucks"

Old, you might rephrase that by saying the powered solenoid coil was one of Ford's "Better Ideas" and their cars and trucks of that same area used the same scheme!

old · Dec 2, 2015

Well I am talking cars and truck of today not one that you almost never see now days since when have you seen a 1940s car still on the road but there sure are a lot of the 1940s and 50s tractors still doing work

Jon Hagen · Dec 2, 2015

Never owned one of those tractors, but Ford cars / trucks with the grounding starter button had one of the large solenoid battery cable studs marked "BAT" on the solenoid case. That terminal MUST be connected to the battery cable as that one has one end of the solenoid coil attached to it, the other end grounded by the start button. If the starter and battery cables are reversed on the solenoid studs, the starter coil will not be powered and solenoid will not operate (CLOSE).

Royse · Dec 2, 2015

Jon Hagen, you have this right even if you haven't owned one.

Russell, if you have it hooked up with the small terminal pointed
in and it won't engage, you probably have the wrong solenoid.

You can measure it with an ohm meter to make sure if you like.
The actuating coil should be between the small terminal and the
battery terminal. It should read zero ohms or very close to that.

8N electrical question

Russell Dewsnup

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Cooter143

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TimnVa

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DeltaRed

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old

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Bob

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old

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Jon Hagen

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Royse

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