Now then.

I need to wire up my reverse which is basically a car starter motor. I want to operate it via a dash mounted push button switch but hopefully without long runs of heavy cable. I presume the answer is a relay of some kind but me and mr electric are not on speaking terms - I can just about wire a plug!

Any ideas welcome

Cheers

Chris

You are going to have to have a heavy cable from the positive side of the battery to a starter solenoid adjacent to the motor, and a heavy cable from the other side of the solenoid to the motor. Assuming that the motor is already earthed through the chassis, you just need to wire the push button on the dash to give a negative feed to the isolated solenoid.
Take this feed from the neutral light output from the gearbox, This way there is no chance of accidently pushing the reverse button while in a forward gear! You then just need a positive feed to the solenoid from a live on the fuse box.

[Edited on 27/6/09 by Phil.J]

I assume your useing a pre-engaged starter. In which case you run a main feed cable from the battery to the starter. Ensure your starter is well earthed to the chassis (run an earth strap if needed). Then you take a trigger wire from your button to the small terminal on the starter. The starter solenoid both engages the starter gear and switches the main feed.
You might want to feed the button via a relay triggered by the neutral light to ensure you don't engage reverse while still going forward.

adrian

Don't want to muddy the water BUT the starter motor is going to take a big draw from the battery, would it also not be sensible to add a further condition/relay so that reverse could only be engaged when both in neutral & when the engine is running.

Alan...

Thanks chaps

I done a little sketch



Would making the relay feed from the fusebox come instead from the alternator light satisfy the "engine running" requirement?

Cheers

Chris

Chris,

Not sure you're quite right, can you confirm how the neutral light is wired? does it go from a switched fuse, through the bulb, down to the neutral witch & then to earth?

Also as a total OT aside, I'm currently working at your avatar's ground putting in a fibre optic cable.

Alan...

If I recall, the switch is earthed when the bike is in neutral so the wire goes to one side of the light and there's a fused supply to the other terminal of the light.

I'll have to make sure.

Be carefull with the hallowed turf!!

Cheers

Chris

So when in your diagram you say "earth from neutral light" do you mean teed into the wire thaty goes from the bulb down to the neutral switch?

Alan...

Yeah I think so........

That would work fine for the neutral side, the other one the engine running would just be my preference & might not be necessary. You could take the power from a switched fuse, that would at least ensure the ignition is switched on, but the engine still wouldn't have to be running.

I've done this in the past & trying to remember how, it's late & the whiskey is having some effect. it involves a changeover relay put into the circuit for the charging light. When the ignition is switched on the relay makes one way, breaking the circuit for the starter, once the alternator starts to charge the relay drops to the other set of contacts allowing the starter button to function.

That makes sense to me now, but might not in the morning.

Alan...

In situations when I've broken down or run out of petrol I've driven my Golf quite a long way on just the starter. To get out of the way of traffic or whatever.

With a car as light as a BEC (even with Chris in ), for short work, I'd have though it didn't necessarily need the engine running.

Cheers,
James

quote:

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Originally posted by James
In situations when I've broken down or run out of petrol I've driven my Golf quite a long way on just the starter. To get out of the way of traffic or whatever.

With a car as light as a BEC (even with Chris in ), for short work, I'd have though it didn't necessarily need the engine running.

Cheers,
James

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quote:

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Originally posted by James
In situations when I've broken down or run out of petrol I've driven my Golf quite a long way on just the starter. To get out of the way of traffic or whatever.

With a car as light as a BEC (even with Chris in ), for short work, I'd have though it didn't necessarily need the engine running.

Cheers,
James

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