1996 cavalier starter wires

Battery lead red (hot wire) to black continuous at ignition. Touch starter lead from ignition to hot wire.
You will need to cut both starter and continuous wires from the ignition loom. Your hot wire can come from your radio, battery, or anything that has direct current.

Both red wires go to the bigger post on the starter. The purple goes to the small post. There should be 2 big post, make sure the red wires go to the one that has nothing else on it cause the other is the ground.

I don't know the 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier, but that shouldn't matter.
Starters have a very simple wiring.
The thing you have to do is find the solenoid wire because all the others go on the one terminal.
Start by attaching the main (thick) cable from the battery to the main terminal on the starter.
Then turn the ign. key on. Nothing will light up.
Try touching each of the smaller wires onto the main terminal until the ignition lights come on. Fit this one to the main terminal permanently.
Now that you have power to the ign. switch, you will be able to find the solenoid wire. It will help if you have a volt meter or test light for the next step.
With someone sitting in the car to work the ign. switch, you test each of the other wires as they turn the switch to the "Start" position. The wire that gets power to it is the solenoid wire and the ONLY one that doesn't go on the main Starter terminal.
The solenoid wire obviously goes to the terminal on the solenoid.

Confirm power is availible at starter main power supply, step one , using mutl meter check for 12 volts at battery positive terminal , 2, check main voltage supply lead to starter from battery pos post , 12 volts present? yer check voltage supply lead from battery pos post to altenater , then to starter , 12 volts present, yes , check small wire to starter at starter for switched 12 volts present yes change stater after confirming suitable ground, no, trouble shoot ignition / starter switch in colume

try the wiggle test on your battery terminals and ground and positive wires running to/from starter watch for light fluctuation on car if there loose clean tighten and try and start if nothing suspected problem is stater proceed to test starter repost stater test and i will post diagram for ya too big for one post. And also try to jump start before stater test. hope this helps

all wires in a cars harness are color coded so now carefully cut the tape back until you find the leads and then repair them. you will need to use wire connectors don't just twist them together. by the way those are the solenoid wires.

Hello Friend:

#1) Double Check your Battery Charge it and clean Your Battery Posts and your Battery Cables ,Make sure there is NO Corrosion Hidden Under the Cables

#2) Now Test it for Cranking Volts.By having someone turn the Key to Start While they do that Take a Volt meter Put Black lead on Meter to NEG. Red Lead on Postive Post. With the Key in the Starting Position Your Meter should be 9.6 Volts at least.If it has 9.6 or More.

#3) Next Step is to Check your Solenoid & Starter DICONNECT the NEGATIVE Battery Cable, Raise your Truck up and Secure it w/Stands. With a Drop Light Take a Close look to See if your Battery Cable from your Starter and Your other 2-Smaller wires are Connected good and Tight.

#4) If all the wires are Good and Tight and Clean. Go Ahead and Remove your Starter mark your wires on the Solenoid so you get them back where the are Suppose to Go. Now Have it Bench Tested.Most Garages or even your Local Auto Parts Store can do This.

#5) If your Solenoid and Starter Don't Check out OK,Then Replace Starter and Solenoid.NOTE: Chevy Starters Have Shims that go Between the Starter and Block.Because the Casting on the Starters are not all the Same Thickness. If there were Shims when you Pulled your Stater Don't Throw them out you could Need them with your New Starter.

#6) Re-Install your NEW Starter and Solenoid Put your Wires Back on the Same Terminals they Came off the Old Starter Solenoid. Make Sure they are Good and Tight.

#7) Reconnect your FULLY CHARGED Battery. Remember your Stater should of had at Least 9.6 Volts Under Load .Or its no good.

#8) Now Try to Sart if it Starts Great the problem is Solved

#9) If it will still not Start The Next thing is Your Ignition Switch is Faulty , You should Replace the Ignition Switch.
Note: Your Regulator is Integrated inside your Alternator just for Future Knowlegde.

#10) This Should Solve your Problem.

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Thanks for Using Fixya From d_hubbs

you sure you got the ignition trigger wire on the starter?

It's just an old Chevy starter! On that round starter solenoid, you will see two or three posts. One thick copper post, and one or two small
steel ones. The thick copper post you can't miss. It's about as thick as your little finger. The one, or two, small terminals, (Posts), are the thickness of a ball point pin refill.

You should have the Positive cable that comes down from the battery, connected to the thick post. There should -> also be two or three wires in a small wire loom, that connect to this post. This small wire loom will have a metal round terminal, that has a hole in it, large enough to go over this post. The battery cable goes on first, then this small wire loom terminal. Then a lock washer, and a brass nut.

If you have a solenoid with two small terminals, in the solenoid itself, next to the small posts, you may see -> ST,
and -> R. There should be a single wire, that comes down out of a wiring harness. It will have a round metal terminal end on it, and a hole in it, just large enough to slip over the small post. You want to connect it to the post with -> ST

All that is going on here, is that the solenoid is a magnetic switch.
If it wasn't present, you would have a thick wire, like that battery cable, going up to your ignition key switch. Instead you have a real small wire going to it.

Electricity for other circuits, like the lighting circuit, heat and air circuit, and so on, get their supply from the large solenoid post, also. That's what that two, or three wire, harness is for.

ST stands for Start. This is the Start side of the solenoid. R stands for Resistor. There was a wire used to connect to this small post, and it led up to a resistor mounted on the firewall, of older cars. These cars used a distributor with points in it. A wire went from the resistor over to the distributor.

Your solenoid may not have two small posts. It may just have one, with ST next to it, Or -> S

Most chevy cars have 3 wires. I main wire that comes from the battery. Another a little smaller wire that goes to the same post in the center of the starter solinoid. And 1 small wire that goes to the smaller threaded post on the side.