I am working on a jcl110cc atv for my son. This quad hasn't started right since my son jammed the trickle charger in the wrong way and shorted the starter relay. We could start it by jumping the poles on the switch. I am finally tiredof this and want to replace this relay. I have several selinoids from lawnmowers and wondered if I could use one of these? I also plan to use a better/bigger battery w more cranking amps. My real question is what are the two wires built into starter switch for? I have the battery and selinoid connected and followed 12volts from relay to starter but need to connect those wires. Any help w this would b appriciated since this quad is only 3 years old and already has so many other issues. I need to get it started before I can address any carb/ mechanical issues.

 

Post some pictures for us it makes it way easier to diagnose problems.

 

First I can't imagine any scenario that would damage a starter solenoid by plugging in a charger wrong. Are you sure about this? Then again I've learned in the past that no matter how carefully I think through all the possible wiring mistakes that can be made, someone will one up me and do the unthinkable..

Any old solenoid that is roughly the same physical size will work if it has four terminals - two big posts for the battery and starter, and two small wires for the actuating coil. If you only have one wire for the actuating coil it may or may not work - some additional measurements will need to be done to see if it will work.

A bigger/better battery with more cranking amps will only mean that you can crank your non starting quad a little longer before it gives up. It isn't going to fix a hard to start quad.

I presume the 'two small wires built into the starter switch' is referring to the two small wires on the solenoid. If you apply 12 volts across these two wires it energizes a coil inside, which generates a magnetic field, which then sucks down a steel plate and shorts the two big posts together (just like you've been doing manually). The energizing coil draws about 2 or 3 amps at 12 volts. The starter draws 30-50 amps at 12 volts. This is what the starter solenoid does - it allows a small amount of current to switch on and off a large amount of current. If you tried to pass the starter current through your little 'start' button it would melt, as would the little wires feeding it.

Does your solenoid "click" when you turn on the ignition switch and press the start button? If so, you may have a bad solenoid. If not, it is more likely you have other problems. These are usually easy to solve, but you will a voltmeter to zero in on what the problem is.

 

the solenoid on my sons jcl 110cc quad has a 15amp fuse right on the solenoid. You can see this fuse when you pull off the connection with the small wires, which i believe are control wires for the start button and kill switch. also i would think!, lol that you should be able to any 12Volt solenoid with the same plug connections, because a solenoid is just a switch that sends power to the starter. just like a light switch in your house sends power to the light.

 

I've never seen a fuse on a solenoid, so this is very interesting. It's completely feasible to run a big wire from the battery to the solenoid, then run the main power wiring from the solenoid (through a fuse of course) to everything else. Normally the wiring splits at the battery plus terminal, with the big wire going down to the solenoid and the other stuff is fed through a fuse with a small wire.

So maybe bjreed1999 only has a blown fuse. Thanks for posting this local1375keno!

Bjreed1999, if you do decide to rewire just be sure that there is a 10 amp (or so) fuse in line with everything other than the starter/solenoid wiring. Not having the smaller power wires that run all over the quad fused is an extreme fire hazard.