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starter wiring 164

2602 Views 10 Replies 3 Participants Last post by  beeton
Not sure if my browser is out of date or the new format is harder to read but I am having trouble searching for a definate diagram or photo of the 164 starter (1995) wiring connections at the starter and solenoid. I replaced the ground strap as it was ratty but no start. Looked underneath to estimate the starter removal procedure and when I was checking the wiring, one came right off. I am trying to clean off the end to see the colors but can't find a proper diagram showing where the wiring is connected on the solenoid. Any help would help and thanks.

The wire is Brown and green (or green and brown... really hard to see from underneath).

Thanks.
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Not sure if my browser is out of date or the new format is harder to read but I am having trouble searching for a definate diagram or photo of the 164 starter (1995) wiring connections at the starter and solenoid. I replaced the ground strap as it was ratty but no start. Looked underneath to estimate the starter removal procedure and when I was checking the wiring, one came right off. I am trying to clean off the end to see the colors but can't find a proper diagram showing where the wiring is connected on the solenoid. Any help would help and thanks.

The wire is Brown and green (or green and brown... really hard to see from underneath).

Thanks.
As for grounding strap do you mean strap bolted to transmission and chassis point by rear of air cleaner?

Is your brown and green wire small wire with a female push on terminal on the end? Is it really a loose fitting green protection colering on a black wire?

If so it is pushed on a male spade terminal on front end of solenoid and about impossible to put on soloenoid with heat shield installed.
Re wire to solenoid

Sorry for the lack of detail.
Yes, the grounding strap was the flat one bolted to the engine (left side) and body near the coolant bottle (left side). The ribbon was 80% done through at the engine side with lots of corrosion at the nut and so I cleaned off the contact points and replaced the ribbon woith a sturdy battery style cable.
The brown-green wire does have atough but loose fibrous covering and it comes out of this cover with another wire, I have traced it back to the black rectangle jumper box at the firewall. There was no connector on the wire end and it looks as if it rusted through (it was connected when I was feeling around down there from underneath but basically dropped off when i touched it). Sounds like this is the cause of my no-start problem.
I will tack on a spade connector and see if I can get a hand in there to feel for the old connector BUT a photo of the solenoid end would help as I just can't seem to find one and the drawing from the manual doesn;t have the detail.

Many thanks all around.

Peter
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drawing of starter solenoid

This may help but it is the only image from my manual (scanned). The portion of the wiring diagram that mentions the starter only shows black as the wiring color to the starter-solenoid. Confusing.

If anyone out there has a better diagram showing the actual connection point for the brown-green wire, it would be appreciated.

Regards

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Alfa 164 starter and solenoid pictures

Here is the 164 starter and solenoid pictures that show where the small wire with female terminal hooks to male terminal on front inboard side. This is closest to engine block when installed on engine.

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wire to solenoid

O.K. So the mission is to feel around under there and:
1-make sure the connector is on the terminal (to affirm the spot where this wire should have been connected)
2-pull it off
3-connect a new connector to the wire
4-try to slip it on... all while the heat shield is in place.

Sounds like a fight. Will try when the weather climbs beyond +5c

Should just get to it and remove starter to clean things up but the exhaust manufold nuts look a bit tired and just too worried about snapping a stud and making things much worse.
Will report results.


Regards
Peter B.
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Brown green whire (or green brown) still eludes but car started?

Yep, warmish weather prompted me to jack up the 95 and with photo of solenoid in hand (thanks to Alfisto Steve) I groped around with my latex gloved left hand and felt the wire terminal. Pulled it off and the black wire was still attached. What?
Cleaned that off a bit and managed to fit it back on (very contorted hand movements but working with small tools over the years has given me much dexterity) and made sure to really push it onto the terminal and car started first attempt.
Now, I still have that Brown-green wire hanging there with no idea as to where it should go. I will be checking for 12v later on but I expect it might be for a sensor?
The brown-green and a 2nd wire are coming out of one shroud and the solenoid seems to be coming out of anither and both shrouds are coming out of yet a larger shroud (covering). I will try to trace these back to the jumper box on the firewall and identify them better.

Any one out there with a proper wire diagram showing the brown-green wireterminating somewhere near he starter? It's not long enough to be far off this area.

Regards
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I'm simply chiming in with more useless info as mine uses a 4 cylinder but who knows, maybe the harness is the same. I too have a wire dangling under the car in this general area that it's "proper location" is elusive. IIRC it is green and something as well. glad you are making progress. ciao jc
more on brown-green mystery wire

Anything helps. To clarify my answer to Alfisto's Steves question earlier, the wire is Brown and green and is within a loose black covering. The wire did not have an end fitting (spade or otherwise) but the end was hard and seemed burnt so I figured the connector had deteriorated and broken off. Seems the wire is not teh black wire Alfisto mentioned as that was still connected. Once I removed, cleaned a bit and pushed it back on, the car started so my non-start may have been a loose fitting exciter wire all along. Sill not sure where this brown-green one connects to.
The location of the excitation cable as per the drawing in the manual does not look similar to the location in the photo.
Glad you got it going as for the grre-brown wire on back side of engine there is a gray-green wire according to book that goes to low oil pressure switch near oil filter rear engine mount on 24v engines. Does your idiot light come on with key and then go out when you start engine and get oil pressure?
re brown-green whire near starter

Glad you got it going as for the grre-brown wire on back side of engine there is a gray-green wire according to book that goes to low oil pressure switch near oil filter rear engine mount on 24v engines. Does your idiot light come on with key and then go out when you start engine and get oil pressure?
Idiot lights do not come on except for a "brake" light, although all of my brake lights seem to be o.k. A mystery for another day.
As for the wire, definately is brown with green and puts out 12v when running.
I covered the end tightly with el tape and moved slightly away from the exhaust to prevent it from melting and shorting something out.

Thanks for the help... will continue trouble shooting but the fact that it starts right up is a blessing.

Will replace the stock wire connector at the solenoid with a shielded one as soon as I can.

Have a good weekend.
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