TR6 Help with TR6 starter installation.

[2wrench]

Bought a new starter from Roadster Factory for my
'74 TR6. Isolated car battery. Installed starter. Set
negative battery cable on post to reconnect and heard a big POP!

Negative battery post now has a significant dibit in it.
Obviously, something is wrong.

This new starter had one post available that seemed
to be the obvious location for the hot wire, so I put it there. The ground wire was connected on a paddle and so it seemed could only go one place, so I put it there.

Wires were covered by a blue plastic cap/sheathing and I never removed nor looked under them. They face the
engine side and I thought theses wires were simply protected
from the engine heat.

I surmise I hooked the wires up wrong. Can someone please
help? Thanks in advance.

P.S. Did not come with installation instructions. Seemed pretty straight forward.

 

[TexasKnucklehead]

It should be straight forward.
I've attached a picture of my 74 tr6 starter connection, yours should look very much like it. The big red wire routes up to the battery through a huge terminal block. I would look closely at this wire (with the battery disconnected). Chances are good that while you were replacing the starter, this wire was wiggled around and some insulation has been damaged (or fallen off) and is shorted to the frame. You will always get a spark when you connect the battery, but you should not have to replace any divots.

 

[2wrench]

Thanks for the reply. My installation involves
a new "upgraded" starter from the Roadster Factory.

Here is a picture of it installed. Notice how the red
hot wire has a slightly blackened area midway up?

When moving this wire around, I heard a snap. My son
(who has better eye's than I do for these closeups) said
he thought it was only the plastc outter sheath that was
dry and brittle had snapped. It is not touching any
metal as you can see. If this wire were compromised,
could it cause the kind of problem I'm having?

https://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u222/2wrench/?action=view&current=P1010176.jpg

 

[Guest]

Sure looks like you grounded out the hot wire from the battery against the starter body (see the flash under the black insulating boot). For sure you need to replace that assembly (available from TRF) before you go any further. Like laying a screwdriver across two battery posts. Coulda been worse!

 

[vettedog72]

That wire is pretty important because of the current it carries and because it is all ways "hot". You dont want the wire to have enough insulation broken away to allow it to short to anything. For a fix you could use the clear "spaghetti" slip over that will shrink down to the wire (when heat is applied, from a hair dryer or other wise) causing a tight fit around the wire. That should hold you until TRF runs a special of the wire. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[2wrench]

Bill, do you think it is hooked up wrong? I know the
picture isn't the best.

Is there a chance that I have a wrong starter for my
car, like it is of a different polarity or some such
thing?

I did no research because there was only one post to
screw to and the neg was a paddle. Down on one side
might be another (the correct post??) to connect to
that I didn't look at. Seems like a weird place to
connect, unless there is more I don't understand.
This is one of those new high torque starters. Seemed
pretty easy and straight forward.

When you say to replace, are you talking the hot wire or
do you mean the starter itself? Could I have damaged
other parts of the car with this error?

Reviewed old posts. Tomshobby bought one of these
starters. His has a solenoid looking part attached, but
it looks as if mine does not. Just thought it was probably
internal or something. Hope I didn't put the wrong part
in. Questions, questions.....

 

[2wrench]

Opps, one more thing: Bill, did you click on my link to
show the starter I installed? It is the link to
photobucket. The starter is silver colored.
Not OEM equipment. Thanks.

 

[2wrench]

Okay, Bill. I think I see what you mean by the
flash at the bottom of the hot wire. Now, also, I think
I understand that I got the metal on the hot wire just
a little too close to the starter motor body.

So do remove and replace on the hot wire and make sure
the metal at the end of the wire does not touch the
body of the starter, except for where she bolts, is that
it?

 

[Paul Slice]

below is a pict of the gear reduction starter connections on my 70. Looks like its time for a new + battery cable on yours, but it appears to be installed correctly from your picture.

 

[2wrench]

With huge amounts of gratitude.....

Thanks to all the forum members for their time and
responses...

And yes, I grounded the darned hot wire to the starter
body. Good eye and good call, Bill.

Ordered new parts to install. Taped the devil
out of the hot wire and raised it up a bolt higher.

Starts and runs fine.

Can't help myself. I planned to go on a drive today
to a wedding and I'm going for it!

Thanks, again, so much to each of you for your help!

 

[DNK]

2wrench, thanks for posting this. I am looking for some heat resistant wire wrap or tubing just for that location. I have 2 #8 wires and 1 #10 wire that go to the starter and I want to protect them so I don't have that problem ever.
Can someone on the forum direct me to a source for this??

 

[Bugeye58]

Aeroquip fire sleeve. Available from racing supply houses such as:

https://www.racerpartswholesale.com/aero6.htm

Jeff

 

[DNK]

Ouch- thanks Jeff

 

[Guest]

I just use shrink tubing, several layers.

 

[DNK]

Thought of that Bill, but if by chance they touched the headers,wouldn't stand a chance.

 

[Bugeye58]

Ouch- thanks Jeff

At least you only have to buy a small quantity of the small diameter stuff. It really hurts when you have to get 25 feet of the 1" ID!!
Jeff

 

[DNK]

After I wrote the post I thought ,well I only need about 3 feet. Probably need at least 1/2" ID

 

[Guest]

I custom wired my wiring harness to allow me plenty of room and extra wire length and tied the hot wires to (and from) the starter well out of the way of the header. Plus, I wrapped my starter with double starter wrap to protect it from the header. When I installed my high-torque starter, I went through heck getting it to go in so I ended up with wires in compromised positions. Solved that with the wrap and the extra-long wires.

 

[DNK]

I just bought a hi torque and was going to ask the question. How hard is it to pull the headers off a car that has not run with them on and has no exhaust hooked to the end?
Plan on installing the starter and running the wires with out the headers in place. what do you think Doc?

 

[Guest]

I think I have done each of those things described in all sequences. All are doable and not a real problem.