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OD electrical overload

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TimK

TimK

Jedi Knight
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<span style="font-style: italic">Just to follow up Keoke's comment with a real-life experience. I just had to replace the 10 amp fuse with a 15 amp fuse because the 10 amp blew when I installed an aftermarket solenoid (purchased from Healey Surgeons) and shifted into overdrive once. The OD was gone the second time I tried to shift into it. A new 15 amp fuse solved the problem.

No Tim, you have something in real life amiss in that circuit. Obviously , everyone else that installed the 10 amp fuse including my 5 amp one did not have to update the fuse with a 15 Amp unit. Perhaps if we clarified the type fuse{ 5 AMP Slow Blow} required in that circuit and the solenoid is properly adjusted you can join the masses too. P.S. if you installed an American 10 Amp Fuse it has the equivalent performance of a 20 Amp UK Fuse??---Keoke </span>

Keoke was right, I have an overload problem and probably burned out my new solenoid. I just went out for a short drive and while the OD was engaged I noticed my ammeter (yes the P.O installed one thankfully) go to nearly 15 amps. The OD started to slip then it disengaged completely. I touched the ignition wires under the dash and one was very hot. I pulled over and checked the OD fuse (15amp) and it was not blown, but I obviously have a problem. I assume it has something to do with the OD lever adjustment.
 
Hi TMK I am sorry to hear you are still having problems. You just might take a good look at that PO's Amp meter installation. He just might have goofed up the electrics a bit. ---Keoke
 
The ammeter is hooked up correctly and has worked well for 27 years. All my problems started when I adjusted the OD lever without an ammeter. I adjusted it because the OD quit working and that was one of many things I tried. I probably misadjusted it and now it is not allowing the solenoid to go to the 2amp holding point. It may not be coming off the high amp pull-up mode, or be going back and forth. I'm going to get a 30 amp ammeter and use it to adjust the solenoid according to Norman Nock's tech tips.
 
Hi Timk,

If you happen to have an old small battery charger with an amp meter built in, disconnect the wire from the solenoid and attach the battery charger. When you turn on the battery charger, you should hear the click of the solenoid actuating and the amp meter should be a little below 1 amp. If it pegs to the max of the charger then the arm is out of adjustment as the plunger cannot travel all the way up to the top of the solenoid to
" break/open " the normally closed " pick " circuit. Turn the charger off and readjust the arm and try again. When it is right it will operate so quickly that you will not be able to see the meter swing over 1 amp on the battery charger.

Ed
 
Thanks, Ed, but I don't have any thing like you suggest, so I'll just have to get an ammeter and proceed as you suggest.
 
I have determined that I did not burn out the solenoid. It works after having cooled down. I have ordered a cheap ammeter gauge (-60 0 +60) to test the solenoid lever adjustment, but it is for negative ground. Does that mean it will read negative when using it with my positive ground system? I plan to hook it in series with the solenoid wire using jumpers.
 
Simply depends on how you hook it up it will read the current magnitude even if the indicated polarity is wrong. Hook en up!--Keoke
 
I took off the trans. tunnel cover and took the side cover off the OD solenoid box. I had taken a stupid shortcut and used the old plunger/solenoid shaft with the new solenoid, even though the new solenoid had a new plunger/shaft??. I took out the old one and compared to the new one and it was about the same amount shorter as the contact button travel at the top of the solenoid. So when I put the new plunger/shaft into the new solenoid, it worked perfectly. I hooked up the ammeter I got and it showed a momentary flick and then settled just above zero. I then replaced the 15 amp fuse with a 10 amp fuse and took it for a drive and it functioned perfectly. I have now confirmed Keoke as a leading expert in all things electrical, as if there were any doubts (as well as almost everything else). Thanks for hanging in there with me, Keoke.
 
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