I would like to use starter solenoid to supply windlass

[pr2501]

In attached image there is marked with red how it works normally.

My cables terminal for motor are thicker than bolt height looking out from solenoid. Can I use connection which is meant for battery to connect there motor and the other which is meant for starter to connect battery there?
As the terminal on the my cable for the battery connection is thinner?

And for the activation of the solenoid I have used wiring as on image, but no movement. Am I doing something wrong or my spare solenoid is broken?

[Sardean]

Battery + to solenoid
Battery - to windlass
Small wire batt neg to solenoid case
To activate solenoid connect from batt + to the small terminal you maked ignition.
You have battery and windlass marked on left terminal, this should only have batt+

Note. The two small terminals are not connected internally, one does nothing and the othe activates the solenoid.

[pr2501]

Where to get + for windlass?

I have battery and windlass on left and on right terminal.
Red is marked direction how starter is working normaly. Can I use green direction?

[smac999]

You probably need ground on 2nd small bolt. You can't use ign. That would be from a windlass switch Otherwise it would always be running with the key on.

[SVLastTango]

If you have not used this before you will want to check the amp and load rating. Starter solenoids are not designed for continues high amps and loads . If you have used it and this has worked you probably ok.

[lorenzoj]

The bare starter solenoid will not work without the armature. The magnetic field pulls the armature forward, engaging the drive gear and then pushing the contact button to allow the round contact disc to make contact between the two large terminals.
Power to the coil is connected to the small s terminal, not the ign terminal. A ground path from the body of the solenoid must also be provided.

If you install a spare armature, it must be restrained to prevent breaking the plastic cap with the connections attached. The starter bendix normally restricts forward movement preventing damage to the plastic end cap,

This solenoid is poorly suited to this function.

Lorenzo

[SkipperJer]

How does one reverse the windlass when using just a starter solenoid ? When I wired our windlass in I used a 100 amp reversing contactor (like a relay) bought from Northern Tool for about $55.00 USD.

[mvmojo]

Our windlass used to have a starter solenoid to activate it. It had probably been on the boat for 20+ years and worked fine.... until it didn't. About 2:30 am one morning while at a dock, the cat woke up and ran down to the foot of the bed where he sat looking down the passageway. His movement woke me up. Looking down the passageway, there were sparks coming from the ceiling! I jumped up, grabbed a CO2 fire extinguisher, switched off the battery disconnect switch and discharged the fire extinguisher ukp under the ceiling panels. No fire, but the wiring from the battery switch to the windlass had melted for about 20' and was fused together in several places. Turned out the solenoid was mounted vertically up in the forepeak such that if the spring failed, the contactors could fall down by gravity and make activate the windlass. It appears that the spring had rusted and finally broken. This let the contacts close. The PO had added the circuit w/out a fuse or circuit breaker, so when the windlass came on it was pulling the anchor against the roller and drawing about 140 amps. The motor burned up as did the wiring! Two lessons here - make sure you have a fuse or breaker as close to the battery source as possible, and if you use an automotive solenoid, mount it so gravity will not allow it to close if the spring breaks. That, and get a fire detecting cat!! The windlass circuit is now properly protected, there is an on/off switch on it so that it cannot be activated unless the switch is on, and power is switched using a solid state solenoid rather than a mechanical one. Unfortunately, the cat is no longer with us.

[SkipperJer]

Sorry to hear about your cat. We have an off/switch switch for the positive windlass lead. The only time the switch is on is when the windlass is in use. There is also a fuse in line.

[Bill Seal]

There are solenoids and then there are solenoids. The kind which sits on top of the starter is an actuator which pulls the pinion gear into the ring gear, and then makes electrical contact to the motor. The stand-alone kind is just a high current relay which happens to have a solenoid inside it, hence the misnomer. Look for a high current continuous duty relay (probably called a solenoid )
check out Grainger supply, they call them solenoids, too

[chasmains]

Hi.
The solenoid shown in your photo is a GM unit. Not really the best selection. It has a coil in the silver colored tube that pulls in the engaging linkage. I would use a Ford unit for, say, a 1980 Bronco V8. They are shown on www.rockauto.com and other auto parts sites. Bulkhead mount, all poles easily accessible. But these are NOT rated for continuous service, neither is the GM unit as someone stated above. However, amperage load when thauling in the anchor would not be high after the anchor is free or going to a short haul. The big V8 engine solenoids or a similar solenoid for big diesels would have plenty of contact amperage capacity. Still, be cautious of long term continuously energized activation because the solenoid’s pull-up coil is also not designed for this. Good luck!

[dougmroberts]

What you need is a continuous duty solenoid. https://www.amazon.com/Cole-Hersee-2...s%2C187&sr=1-4

[teccs]

Try a battery connecting solenoid: https://www.google.com/search?q=batt...w=1920&bih=925


You will need 4 of them to run the windlass forward and reverse only one for forward.

[Jetx]

Search Amazon for 12v winch relay... most anything that comes up could be made to work (unless your windlass motor is series-wound, but that's easy to spot since the motor would have 4 heavy-gauge wires connected to it).

[CGirvan]

When we bought our windlass it didn't come with the fancy reversing solenoid so I bought 2 150 amp continuous duty solenoids (windlass breaker is 135 amp). I wired one for up and one for down (the down is also a spare for up as I can freefall the anchor if one fails).