[C38] difficulty starting

[Chuck Finn]

David,
I see we are thinking along the same lines!  Ever since Tom T. made us 
aware of the dangers of our amp meters and Larry M. had is fire, I have 
been thinking of the last high amp draw that goes all the way from our 
battery, to the control panel, to the engine.  That of course is the 
glow plug circuit.  When you think about it, this is another really dumb 
idea for two reasons.  First is the possibility of wire fatigue/wear and 
fire.  Second is the voltage drop.
My thinking is the best answer is re-wire the glow plug circuit with an 
inexpensive starter solenoid ($15).  This will dramatically shorten the 
wire distance and reduce the chance of fire.  It will also eliminate the 
last high amp connection to the wire harness and control panel.  I am 
thinking starter solenoid because they can handle much more than 20 amps 
and are off the shelf.  Will also install a 25 amp in-line slow fuse.

This seem like such a simple answer that I am worried I am missing 
something....  Especially since solenoids have been around forever!

Thoughts?

Chuck Finn
Commodore

On 11/17/2010 12:18 PM, David Epstein wrote:
> Patrick,
>
> One possibility is the wiring to the glow plugs and/or the switch.   
> The later models include a solenoid for the glow plugs so that the 
> higher current (about 20a for all three plugs) is not reliant on the 
> wiring harness and the switch itself.  In my online search, I learned 
> that people reported a huge difference in the effectiveness of the 
> glow plugs after installing a solenoid, and a much shorter "warm up" 
> before starting.  I am in the process of installing such a solenoid on 
> SuperStar along with replacement of the engine control panel.
>
> Did you change the engine mounted fuel pump, or the electric "lift" 
> pump?  Also, do you have problems starting when the engine is warm, or 
> only when it is cold?
>
> David Epstein
> SuperStar #122
> Marina del Rey
>
>
>
>

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