C6 neutral saftey switch wire diagram

[DirtDonk]

The colors are there for a reason I figure. So using the ones most consistent with what we think of as "hot" and "ground" is just going to be a good thing in the long run.

I like to cover my battery cables nowadays for some reason. But even when I cover them in black, I leave the Red ends showing so there's no mistaking what their purpose is.
Here's a later model Ford relay (used on an Explorer with your type of starter in fact) where the battery, starter and alternator wires all come together on one post.
The smaller red one is the one that energizes the starter-mounted solenoid.



One consistent oddball in all of this is the fact that Ford has used some version of a Black wire for the alternator charge wire for so long. Either Black only, Black w/yellow or red stripes, or on later models, Black w/semi-orange stripe.
And alternator grounds in the old days were Black with a red stripe!

But at least the shear size, and the stripe on the newer charge wires does set it apart from most ground wires. And it's pretty obvious what it does anyway, if you bother to follow it along and look at it closely. No mistaking it for a ground, if you know what a ground is.

Just goes to show...

Paul

 

[lowbush]

If I did not say it before, I want to make sure I do know, thank you guys for you help. I am sure I will have some more wiring questions as I go, but I am very close to the end of it. I have to get the power hooked back up, finish the steering column and wire in the MSD box, which I am pretty sure I have a handle on, but I may have some questions on that one as well. It's an MSD distributor so I am pretty sure it is run the white wire from the box to the distributor and the coil pos and neg to the coil, I know that I run the coil pos from the EZ harness to the switched 12v on the box so I at least got that part right. I also know that since I will be using the white wire I can run the violet wire to a reed switch that is grounded and create a magnetic kill switch. So I think I am going to go ahead and do that I just need to figure out the right reed switch to accomplish it.

 

[Steve83]

Later Fords used a "starter solenoid" mounted directly to the starter that not only energizes the starter motor but engages the drive gear as well.
Your Bronco is wired as kind of a hybrid if you will, utilizing both the relay and the solenoid even though either one can work by itself. Like some other Fords were as well in fact, during the transition between the two types of starters.

The firewall/fender mounted relay is not strictly necessary for this new type of starter...

Having the solenoid trigger bridged to its power wire isn't "hybrid" - it's just wrong, and it's what causes the feedback that can damage the starter. '92-96 trucks (and I think most later ones) use the older relay to trigger the new solenoid, but A relay is always required. The ig.sw. isn't designed to pass the amount of current that the solenoid draws, so some newer vehicles use a common Bosch/ISO relay in the fuse block instead of the big fender relay. So a relay alone won't operate a solenoid-style starter (the solenoid MUST be installed), and every solenoid requires a relay - they're not separable. You either need a relay & an old-style starter (swinging pole shoe); or you need a relay & a solenoid starter.

.
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...Ford has used some version of a Black wire for the alternator charge wire for so long. Either Black only, Black w/yellow or red stripes, or on later models, Black w/semi-orange stripe.

The early Expedition (which is an EXCELLENT alt. wiring donor for eBs) uses Red:

 

[DirtDonk]

I'm sure you're right Steve. 'Cause you usually are about such things.
But I have no idea what you just said... ;D

Just kidding. But I did have to re-read it a couple of times to figure out what I was missing.
I think you were correcting me in wording something a little vague. And also for something I didn't say (I don't think?) at all.
I never meant anyone to think that my use of the word "hybrid" was in any way talking about how his starter was currently wired with that little jumper. In fact I clearly stated (again, I think) to disconnect and toss the jumper. I'll go back and correct it if I didn't.
The word was specifically used to describe the general use of the old Ford style fender-mounted starter relay in conjunction with the new starter solenoid.

Based only on the fact that, while Ford did continue to use the old style for awhile, they eventually got away from the big old fender mounted type and went to, as you say, a small boxy type more conducive to mounting inside a modern fuse/relay/power center box.

Now, when I said his current firewall relay was not necessarily needed, you're right, I should have specified that some sort of relay was a good idea if you removed the old original one to clean up the wiring and wanted to wire the battery cables straight to the new PMGR starter. As many vehicles are wired.

And though I never like to run much through our ignition switches other than what's necessary anyway, I was (maybe incorrectly) thinking about all those old GM cars and trucks from at least the '60's to maybe the early '90's, with their ignition switches wired straight to the starter-mounted solenoid with no ill effects.
And a lot of the aftermarket universal wiring harnesses have the Violet wire running straight from the key to the starter too. The more expensive ones have a relay for the starter, but I'd have to say that most still don't.
Guess they expect you to make sure you use a sufficiently stout ignition switch. Or add your own relay.

Maybe those old GM switches were more robust in the way they could handle current. Or maybe the solenoids don't draw that much current after all. But yes, I should have specified a relay (of some kind at least) be retained to take the majority of the load off of our poor old switches. Especially the newer replacements that sometimes seem to be of questionable quality and longevity.

Thanks for correcting and adding that important detail.
We don't want you to have a meltdown lowbush!

Paul

 

[Steve83]

I'm not familiar with how old GM starters were wired; my '97 K3500 uses a relay to trigger the solenoid, very similar to '92-96 Ford trucks (& many more Ford/L/Ms), so IMO, there's nothing hybridized about that configuration. But even if the old GM solenoid used to be directly triggered by the ig.sw., these don't have GM ig.sw.s, so I wouldn't try it. Even the newer Ford ig.sw.s are known to catch fire, so stressing an older-style (even a high-quality new replacement) is risky.



As cheap & easy as it is to leave the original relay in-place, or to delete it & add a newer, smaller relay, why take the chance?

 

[DirtDonk]

Couldn't agree more.

Paul