Scope, The power for the "I" lug on the Delco solenoid comes from the large Battery lug and not the small "S" lug that goes to the ignition switch. So your third schematic is incorrect. I've tested the operation of solenoid to confirm this. I've tried to find a diagram showing the internal design of the Delco (Ford style) solenoid, this is about the best I could find so far... http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/t...erSolenoid.jpg I also tried to find out how much current is required to energize this solenoid. It seems likely to use between 2 to 8 amps from what others are saying...http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/st-1.shtml Notice the remote solenoid in this kit from Mad looks the same or very similar in design to the Delco solenoid and they claim it uses 2 amps.

 

Thanks. I couldn't find a schematic for the AC Delco part, so I used common sense (often a dangerous assumption). If you've actually tested your unit, I'll go with that over something on photobucket any day. If you've got the unit, it would be easy to measure the actual hold-in current, if you're interested in that. (Pull-in current, which is very brief, will be much higher and harder to measure.)

Let us know how it works out.

 

I think I would install a discrete manual disconnect under the hood. One should be able to reach that in 30 seconds or so. Contacts in alternating current relays occasionally fuse, too.
Here is a link to a starter repair kit for our era of Toyota starters. I have no idea about the quality.

 

I bought a disconnect that has a small bolt with a knob, you unscrew the bolt to disconnect the power. I still have the large, old style starter...I may try to open up the solenoid on it and see what it looks like inside. I tested the new Delco solenoid, I repeatedly energized the solenoid using a wire with an in line 5 amp fuse. I didn't blow the fuse, So the amount of current draw should be safe for the ignition switch? I'm thinking if I wire it directly to be energized by the ignition switch, I'll wire it up with the in line 5 amp fuse to make sure I am protecting the switch.

 

Chuck, you are enjoying this project WAY too much. Pretty soon all you will have is two axles with a huge ball of wires and relays and fuses and diodes and other assorted electric/electronic paraphernalia sitting on top. Try to leave yourself enough room to get behind the wheel.
When you get that starter open try to actually engineer a system that would bypass the main contact while having the motor "always on" and still allowing the bendix to function normally. I think you will find that to be quite a challenge. I did it and it worked but a few months later the starter quit again anyway. It was the large style starter like yours. Now I just keep a lifetime guarantee starter in there.

 

Your current setup has the starter solenoid, which is probably more than 5amps, working through the ignition switch. So your setup should be an improvement over stock.

But 5amps is still a lot. Note that fuses are designed to take more than rated current for that initial brief moment to get things to turn on. What I would worry about is the current switched by the ignition switch. Just use a wire touched to the battery post to power the AC Delco solenoid. See that spark? That's what your ignition switch is sweating.

But lots of trucks were never upgraded or had their ignition switch fail, so you're moving in the right direction.

 

I soldered connectors on a 10 gauge wire to go from the remote's "I" terminal to the blade terminal on the starter. I also soldered a fused patch wire to go from the original starter wire to the "S" terminal on the remote solenoid. So far the remote solenoid seems to be working flawlessly. I saw on another forum where someone had a problem with the starter clicking on their Toyota and it turned out that the main ground cable had internal corrosion. I'm in the process of upgrading the main cables. I used a short heavy duty cable (normally used on freightliners) as a negative trunk cable. The cable is listed as a 2/0 gauge and is about 7 or 8" long. I ran it under the fuse box. The nice thing about it is that I can connect 3 large cables to it (branches). So one of the branches is a 40" long ground cable used on V8 Cadillacs, I connected it to the bottom mounting bolt on the starter. I'm posting a link to my bucket account...Warning, I was not aiming for pretty just functional. http://s1223.photobucket.com/user/ch...oyota%20Pickup Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and advice. If anyone has any ideas on upgrading the main wires let me know.

 

I finished upgrading the positive side yesterday. Skipping the quick disconnect, I doubled up on cables and installed two GM PN:21023288 side terminal cables from the battery to the remote solenoid. There is a very good deal on these Genuine GM side terminal cables on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/350384739742?lpid=82 I started the truck today and it was the quickest start since I've owned the truck. The main cable from the remote solenoid to the starter solenoid is a 4 gauge cable that ZZPerformance sells for the W body GM 3800 wiring upgrade. It is 21" long cable that you can see in my bucket's Accessory Bracket Album. It was an extra one that I had. The red boot covers the connection on the starter end nicely. If, I was ordering a replacement, I'd order the 22" long Monte Carlo version.

 

Just to be absolutely certain, I tested for continuity between the large lug out and the "I" terminal with the remote solenoid unenergized. I found no continuity in either direction. So there is no possibility of feedback causing starter run on like there could be if you jumpered both of the terminals on the starter solenoid. I can not say if all of the other Ford style remote solenoids are designed the same way as this one is internally.

 

I am adding an update. I know the relevance of this is limited in this section of the forum because most everyone has a factory starter relay. However, it may be useful for folks with earlier models or different vehicles. I unintentionally created some confusion by posting the first link, It would have been better to have posted the image of the wiring diagram at the bottom of the pontiaczone.com link instead of the entire link. The wiring diagram is basically the way I went with mine, with a few exceptions. The first exception is that I do not have the wire with a diode going from the "I" post to the coil. Also, I have an ATO (blade) fuse holder in the wire coming from the starter switch to the "S" post on the Remote Solenoid. And, I have an in line glass fuse holder in the 10 gauge wire that goes from the "I" post to the spade (S post) on the starter solenoid. Some folks may be wondering why all the additional fuse holders, there is more than one reason for each fuse holder. For example the first replacement starter I used was the 1.0 kw (small) version, it lasted for one year. When it went bad it fried the "I" output on the remote solenoid. As I don't have detailed specs on the remote solenoid, I don't know exactly how much current the "I" post can handle. Currently I have a 20 amp glass fuse installed in the 10 gauge wire. I hoping this will protect the "I" terminal on the remote solenoid if the starter malfunctions. I have extra glass fuses and blade fuses in the truck. Another reason for using the glass fuse holder is that I can change the wiring configuration of the remote solenoid easier, I have another 10g wire with the top of a fuse holder on one end and a larger ring terminal on the other end. The starter I have installed now (was a new unit when installed, not a reman) is rated at 1.4 kw, it has been working well for over a year. There are a few other things I wanted to mention, I was trying to find heavy duty, quality battery cables to match to this application with out having custom cables made. Over time, I was able to find larger cables, I now have a 2 gauge going to the remote solenoid and a 2 gauge going out. I mention this because when I replaced a 4 gauge going out cable with a 2 gauge, there was a noticeable improvement in starter performance. The other thing I wanted to mention is that it appears the F490 solenoid is a cross to the F903, both are heavy duty and I think that both have flyback diodes to protect your electronics.