I've been using a Ford starter solenoid as my remote starter s/w to activate my Gm starter for almost 2 years now without any problems. I got the idea from a nova forum as well as other sites. There are two ways you can utilize the Ford solenoid.

One way is by using the Ford remote solenoid as a relay to feed batt voltage to the S terminal on the gm starter. The battery cable still connects the conventional way, battery to the large terminal.

The second way is how I did mine. I run a large batt cable from the battery to one of the large terminals on the ford solenoid. The second large cable goes from the other larger terminal down to my starter. At the gm starter I run a short 2" wire from the big terminal to the S terminal.

I recently spoke to my local alt/starter rebuilder and showed him how I did my connections. He insist that the Ford solenoid should only be used as a relay to energize the gm solenoid S terminal. The pos batt cable should then be connected to the large terminal on the starter. He also stated that my way will eventually burn out my stock gm starter because it holds the bendix drive into the flywheel alittle longer than normal. I argued that my way has been mention in many forums and can be seen in the pdf install instructions in the summit remote starter kit. He insist that the ford solenoid requires less current than the gm solenoid and having my big 1 ga. wire between it and the gm starter is storing extra current to keep the bendix drive engaged even after I let the ign start key go.

I'm no electrical expert, but I've learned long ago that electricity moves when you have a complete circuit, right? So even if he says that the large cable stores more juice than my solenoid will consume, I can't see how it will continue to energize the gm solenoid because letting go of the start position will break the circuit on the ford solenoid. Thus breaking the circuit to the gm solenoid, right? Isn't that why you have a strong return spring inside of the solenoid to return the drive back to the rest position?

I'm confused so if you can explain why my way is bad I'm all ears. Like I mentioned above I've ran this set-up for almost 2 years now without any issues. thanks for any replies.

 

The way you have it is how the instructions say to do it (for use with a conventional starter). If you buy a remote solenoid kit, it comes with a metal shunt to jumper what you did with a wire. I moved my battery to the trunk, so I put a remote solenoid on the inner fender (you can kinda see it in my smaller pic) mainly to use as a junction for the battery cable and to hook up my alternator. However, I have one of those small high torque starters, and jumping the connections at the starter did make mine run on for a couple of seconds. It's a quirk with those types of starters, so jumping the connections doesn't work. So, I just have my starter hooked up conventionally, with the remote solenoid between the starter and battery. Basically it's a redundant setup with two solenoids, but I mainly wanted to go that route to have a convenient hook up location.