has anyone use one of the high torque mini starters that are on the market? Been thinking about replacing the 4 yr old AutoJunk starter on my '72. I know there is more header clearance and better heat tolerance, not to mention better cranking. Does anything have to change with the switch/wiring for higher amperage starters?

 

Unless you have a hopped up engine, is there really a need for it? The stock starters are on millions of engines with a pretty good track record.

 

I'm with you baitmaster , I'm putting back together my wifes 79" F-150 with a roller motor E7TE with a few upgrades ,4 barrel intake from 68" Stang w/Holley and a set of Flowtech 12500FLT headers and I have a high torque starter off a late model Ford (identical to the one on our 1994 F-150 with 5.8) laying around that I would like to install . You mentioned 3 advantages header clearance ,and better heat tolerance, not to mention better cranking , so I was wondering how to wire it ! I've experimented off the truck and found that if you connect the small wire on starter to the post where the main hot cable hooks up ,when you apply voltage to the main post the starter works ! I'm in hopes this is the right way to hook it up, it seems to work but I wanted to check with you guys to see if anyone has retrofitted a newer starter on the older stuff! Hey guys your input may be helpful ! Thanks! ...cougar...

 

Hi cougar - this thread is a bit old but I'll throw in my advice on them.

I am running one on my '79. I had to use it for header clearance. I am having a lot of problems with them going bad after only 2 or 3 weeks. I am about to replace it again, and this time I'm going to wrap it with starter heat wrap. I suspect that the grease in the solenoid is drying out due to the proximity of the headers, but I can't tell for sure. That, or they're poorly made.

The wiring changes quite a bit, depending on what you're using. There is a generic kind that is mass marketed; Ford Racing among other brands re-badge and sell the kind I'm talking about. For this type, the PMGR solenoid is mounted on the starter itself and you have to swap your starter cable to the hot-at-all times post of the original fender solenoid, then you run a smaller wire from the hot-in-start post of the fender solenoid to the starter. The starter should come with instructions on what you need to do, or you should try and find instructions through the manufacturer. If you can post a picture of the starter I'm pretty sure I'll be able to tell you what terminal does what.

Unless you need to use a smaller starter because of header clearance or you need the torque because you have a (very) high compression engine, I don't really recommend them personally. They are very expensive, and many of them are poorly made (foreign parts). The wiring is also a pain because it is dangerous to run a heavy-gauge unfused cable down to your frame. The first time I took my truck out after installing headers and a mini-starter with the new wiring, I melted the starter cable to the headers and set my battery cables on fire, even with me doing all I could to clear the cable of the heat. That was NOT an enjoyable experience (for my style starter, the starter cable is hot-at-all-times). My experience is that they are more trouble than they're worth, unless you're like me and you don't have a choice and get stuck with them. That's my .02

 

You do not have to do a bunch of re-wiring. Permanently jumping the small terminal on the starter to the large terminal on the starter where the wire coming from the Ford solenoid on the fender attaches, will work. Then the Ford solenoid and all the Ford wiring can stay the same.

 

I don't mean any disrespect or anything, but you're not supposed to do that. The reason this can cause problems is because back-EMF caused by the inductance of the starter motor windings will try and hold the solenoid engaged after you let off the key if you wire it this way. This can cause the starter drive to grind into the flywheel.

The following is a link to Ford Racing's instructions for mini starters; see the first warning on the first page:

http://store.summitracing.com/instru...00%2Da50%2Epdf

 

Hey fmc400 ; Thank you very much for your fine knowledge and your willingness to share this knowledge (with the link) with us !! With this I'll now be able to correctly wire my starter ! Super cool . This should resolve the annoying sound (like starter still engaged) ,hmm ! Again THANKS ...cougar...

 

Yes, thanks for that link and info.

 

No problem. Cougar - just make sure that the starter you have is the same type as the link I posted. I know that there are a few other brands out on the market so I'm not sure if they're all the same. Your description kind of sounded like mine though. Some safety tips - if you do have to wire yours like mine, be careful of the headers so you don't melt your cables like I did; and when you're working on a starter, always keep the negative battery cable disconnected, especially if you're underneath the vehicle.