Remote Hand Starter Switch

[Ralph E.]

Re: Remote Hand Starter Switch

Ralph:

When I used the remote starter on most cars (not my 1967 Corvette), the key is in the off position in the ignition switch. I connect the leads to the remote starter switch to the starter solenoid "S" terminal (one with the purple wire) and to the starter solenoid "B" terminal (this is the battery positive (+) cable connection). Then I use the remote switch to bump the engine.

Now according to the Chevrolet Service Manual they want you to

1. Remove the black wire between the coil negative (-) post and the distributor. This effectively takes the distributor out of the electrical circuit and prevents the coil from firing.
2. Put the key in the ignition switch and turn the switch to RUN or ON position (same position, just different terms). This puts voltage to the coil positive (+) post thru the ignition switch, but this does not hurt anything. The coil cannot fire with the distributor out of the circuit (#1 step)
3. Hookup the leads to the remove start switch like I just mentioned above. Or break into the purple wire somewhere in the engine compartment and use this connection instead of the "S" terminal connection on the starter solenoid. If you do this, then simply hook the other lead of the start switch to the battery positive terminal (+) rather than trying to connect it down at the starter solenoid.
4. Use the switch to bump the engine.

When you energize the starter solenoid "S" terminal by any means, it puts voltage to the starter itself PLUS it also puts voltage to the coil positive (+) terminal from the solenoid "R" terminal. So regardless of how you do it, the coil (+) post will get 12 volts power. Now this means that the ignition switch will also see this voltage since it is connected to the coil thru its own separate pink wire. Apparently if the ignition switch is OFF position it is internally grounded. The Chevrolet Engineers did not want a continuous or long duration current flowing back thru the ignition switch to internal ground. So they issued the CAUTION in the Chevrolet Service manual.

Is this a big deal?? It probably doesn't hurt things either way you do it, as long as you do it for a few seconds every so often.........and not for a long time like would be required to test out a fuel pump for pressure and flow capacity.

So you be the judge on which way you want to do it. As I said before, I never paid this CAUTION statement any mind for YEARS. but now having read it and seen it, I simply do what it states to avoid any possibility of an issue.

Take this for what it's worth............this is my final post on this subject for awhile.

Larry

Thanks Larry, now I can proceed with more confidence.