Coll Hersee solenoid not working

Apr 29, 2012
67
Catalina 30 TRBS Lake City Marina
Help! I have a M25 in a 1987 Catalina and I was upgrading the glow plug circuit with the recommended Coll Hersee solenoid to speed up the start up and got it all wired up and I cannot get the solenoid to switch on. I took positive from the starter post and fused that to the one side of the solenoid, cut into the glow plug line just past the glow plugs and put the short line to the other side of the solenoid and the long line(to the panel) to the small stud on the solenoid. I have power to the small stud when glow plug button is pushed and power to the large stud from starter but nothing to the large stud going to the glow plugs. What am I missing? Is there a way to see if the solenoid is bad?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,709
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Help! I have a M25 in a 1987 Catalina and I was upgrading the glow plug circuit with the recommended Coll Hersee solenoid to speed up the start up and got it all wired up and I cannot get the solenoid to switch on. I took positive from the starter post and fused that to the one side of the solenoid, cut into the glow plug line just past the glow plugs and put the short line to the other side of the solenoid and the long line(to the panel) to the small stud on the solenoid. I have power to the small stud when glow plug button is pushed and power to the large stud from starter but nothing to the large stud going to the glow plugs. What am I missing? Is there a way to see if the solenoid is bad?
Is the solenoid coil grounded? Which model solenoid?
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,709
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Yes the solenoid is grounded to the engine via 10ga. wire to base. The model of solenoid is the 36151 continuous duty 12 volt sold on this site.
The 24059-08 energizing coil (the two small terminals) does not ground through the metal case and needs a second ground wire from one of the small terminals to the engine block. One small terminal gets positive 12V the other is neg 12V... Grounding the solenoid body is not enough.

 
Apr 29, 2012
67
Catalina 30 TRBS Lake City Marina
Thank you Mainsail, I knew it was a simple fix and that You would know what it was!