Starter solenoid wiring?

[pats10350]

I want to run my power wire from my alternator to my starter. Im just not sure where to run the wire. There is a connection for the positive wire going to the battery. There is a smaller red wire that goes to the dash, and then there is a third connection that has nothing connected to it. I'm assuming I connect the power wire where the positive battery wire goes. Am I right?

[harleyboy]

you should have a battery cable a hot wire and a purple and black wire (that is what I have) going to the starter, the alt should run to the battery on the little pig tail on the pos side.

[Scotty_S-15]

Yes, the large red alternator wire connects to the very large wire at the starter, which goes to the battery. The purple wire to the ignition switch (via neutral safety switch, etc) is what energizes the solenoid and gets the starter spinning. That is usually marked Sol for solenoid. The third post is unused in our applications.

Just a thought thought. That large red wire to the alternator should be protected by a fusible link, usually near the starter end of the wire. If that wire, or anything beyond that were to short out without that fusible link protection, you might have a burn-down. Also, I ran my alternator wire to a junction block which connects to the battery instead of the starter. In my case, the junction block used where my cable from the bed-mounted battery joins with the starter cable and a couple others.

Logic of this was to keep as many wires as possible away from the extremely hot environment around the starter, particularly the fusible link, and to make life easier if the starter needs to be changed out.
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[pats10350]

The junction block is a good idea! Thanks for the advice!