Do i hook my black negative batter cable i have a 1985 ford ltd s.w. small station wagon with a 3.8 liter engine black battery cable to starter solenoid or fire wall to ground the wire?

Starters are grounded through the engine block. You need to confirm that the negative battery cable is firmly attached to the engine block for good grounding.

how was it hooked up before you started working on it. the black wire is the negative cable and that is the body ground and most bolt it to the engine or a bracket and there is a short wire sometimes and that will goto the body near the battery. now that is done. the positive red wire goes to the starter and or a block that has a wire going to the starter. the block is more like a metal strip with a bunch of bolts sticking out and the wires should be all red. that is mounted to the firewall and is plastic so it does not ground to the body.the short wire from the positive red cable is not always used. so if it was not hooked to anything leave it alone.

There are three posts on the starter solenoid. Two large ones, and one small one. One of the large ones has a braided wire going into the starter. leave this one alone. On the other large ones, you will connect the positive battery cable as well as the large red wire coming from the alternator. The small purple wire connects to the small post on the solenoid. Lastly, on the engine block pointing the opposite way (towards the drivers side) is another stud and you will connect the negative battery cable to it.
Make sure that none of the wires can touch the other posts coming out of the solenoid.


4: Negative Battery Cable
6: Purple Starter actuator wire - 12V when key turned to start.
9: Positive Battery Cable
10: Positive Cable from Alternator

the large stud:three eights copper: is the one that the battery cable goes on. the small post 'This ford has just the one' is where the signal wire goes. If you have other smaller gauge wires that have a large ring terminal they go on the lartge lug too. Hooking up your battery. positive cable on positive terminal first. tighten it up. place negative cable on negative terminal. if you get large amounts of sparks check your cabling for chafeing or dead shorts. you may get a small spark if you have a hood light on or assesory. good luck

the positive cable is dirty at the battery or starter or the starters shot

It is in the dash, under the heater.

Try boosting the van.If that works then you either need to clean the cables and battery posts or you need a battery.If boosting it does not work then you may need a starter or the cables to it have came loose,also the engine ground could be the culprit,if this is true then put your booster cables in this configuration;positive to positive and negative from the boosting cars negative post to your engine's block,find a good clean grounding point on the block and hook the clamp there.If the van starts then clean the factory ground point,replace the cable end,or replace the cable.Let me know if none of this info helps and i will give you more things to try.

Yes you will get a small spark. If it was a big zap u have the neg and pos cables mixed. As u already know black neg and red pos...Hope this helps and the spark was just the systems in your car wanted to recharge itself.

you say battery leads, Red + Black --- Positive goes from starter to positive post on Battery, negative cable from battery goes to good engine ground on block and you will need a ground strap from engine to frame..

Step1 Disconnect the black negative cable from the battery. Step2 Raise the vehicle using a jack and support it safely on jack stands if necessary. Depending on your vehicle model, you might have to install and wire the starter-solenoid assembly from underneath the car. Step3 Bring the starter as close as possible to its mounting bracket on the engine. Sometimes you can use the jack to support it while you make the electrical connections, and this comes in handy since the starter is somewhat heavy and awkward to work on while you hold it with one hand. Step4 Use a wrench or ratchet and socket to connect the red battery cable to the big bolt on the solenoid and the bypass ignition terminal wire to the small bolt underneath the first bolt. If there is enough room, you might want to start threading the starter mounting bolts without tightening them before you make the connections. Step5 Make sure the wires are well connected and finish mounting the starter on the engine. Step6 Lower the vehicle and reconnect the black negative cable. Remote-Mounted Solenoid Step1 Disconnect the black negative cable from the battery. Step2 Mount the solenoid in place in the engine compartment using a wrench or ratchet and socket. Step3 Connect the red cable coming from the battery to the large bolt on the left-hand side of the solenoid. Step4 Connect the starter cable to the large bolt located on the right-hand side of the solenoid. Step5 Connect the control wire to the small control circuit terminal on the left-hand side of the solenoid. It is usually marked with the letter "S" . Step6 Connect the other small wire to the ignition bypass terminal, which is on the right-hand side of the solenoid. Step7 Reconnect the black negative battery cable.



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