O.K. here's my dilemma. 1983 shovel. When I push the starter button the starter drive will not engage, Starter just spin's. If I short out the two post's on the solenoid the drive engages but won't disengage. New solenoid,relay,relay harness,and battery. I run a jumper wire from the positive post of the battery to the small terminal on the solenoid and it will crank over but again will not disengage. I pulled the outer primary off thinking maybe the drive was binding somehow but even then the drive does not come out far enough to engage the the clutch hub unless I jump the two posts on the solenoid. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, the weather's starting to get nice.

 

Have you got the main cables reversed on the solenoid? Positive wire from the battery goes to the long terminal and the wire from the short terminal to the battery.

And I'm sure you put the spring back into the center of the solenoid plunger.

 

Thanks for the reply. The spring is in the plunger,new by the way,and I'm pretty certain that the cables are on it correctly but I'll double check after work.

 

The cables are on correctly. I pulled the outer primary and see that when I hit the starter button the solenoid is not pulling the starter drive out far enough to engage the ring gear on the clutch hub but when I short the two posts on the solenoid it does pull it out far enough to engage.

 

Did the spring in the plunger have a spacer behind it. Some years had a spacer but I think the '84 didn't. You may have a defective solenoid.

New relay harness: Does the harness have the small green wire that is grounded to the starter housing through bolt?