WTF is this thing called?

ok….

So I referred to a picture I had taken of my solenoid wiring prior to me breaking the previous unit. I wired it EXACTLY the same.

Starter is still kicking over as soon as I touch the negative terminal to the battery.

Is this thing faulty out of the box?
 
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ok….

So I referred to a picture I had taken of my solenoid wiring prior to me breaking the previous unit. I wired it EXACTLY the same.

Starter is still kicking over as soon as I touch the negative terminal to the battery.

Is this thing faulty out of the box?
If you have a mutlimeter you can check to see if it’s shorted .

What starter is in the car?

A mini or a standard 87-92 ?
 
If you have a mutlimeter you can check to see if it’s shorted .

What starter is in the car?

A mini or a standard 87-92 ?
Standard starter sir. Probably quite aged, but exactly how old I couldn’t tell you.

I do have a multimeter and I follow instructions well, sir.

FWIW, zero starter issues before this. I was working on something completely different and broke the post on the starter solenoid through an unfortunate accident.
 
Pull the trigger wire from the small terminal and check if the starter still cranks.

If not, (and I hope it does not), use the meter to verify the trigger wire has 12v or not. If it has 12V only when the key in the the start position, things should be good and not doing this. If the trigger wire is always at 12v (or whatever your battery is at by now), you’ll need to verify it’s the correct wire. If it is, the switch on the column is suspect.

If it still turns over without the trigger wire, the contacts might be welded. Ford solenoids do this easily from a weak, but not dead, battery. If you can tap the solenoid (relay) hard enough to jar it, but not break it, they often break free. (A screwdriver handle is ideal, but the wrench you have ready to unhook the battery terminal works in a panic.)

Then you charge the battery, check the cables and connections and are often are good to go.
Someone should be posting the color starter circuit diagram soon.
 
Pull the trigger wire from the small terminal and check if the starter still cranks.

If not, (and I hope it does not), use the meter to verify the trigger wire has 12v or not. If it has 12V only when the key in the the start position, things should be good and not doing this. If the trigger wire is always at 12v (or whatever your battery is at by now), you’ll need to verify it’s the correct wire. If it is, the switch on the column is suspect.

If it still turns over without the trigger wire, the contacts might be welded. Ford solenoids do this easily from a weak, but not dead, battery. If you can tap the solenoid (relay) hard enough to jar it, but not break it, they often break free. (A screwdriver handle is ideal, but the wrench you have ready to unhook the battery terminal works in a panic.)

Then you charge the battery, check the cables and connections and are often are good to go.
Someone should be posting the color starter circuit diagram soon.
Thanks for the help sir. Much appreciated.
So this morning I got to work.

Trigger wire removed from the solenoid and it still triggers the starter as soon as the negative terminal touches the battery post.

No voltage at the trigger wire when this is happening.

Battery is fully charged, it was on a charger while I’ve been working on it. I gently whacked the solenoid with a small hammer, still does it.

Solenoid toast?
 
4957E819-4981-4F0F-949A-572D5A918FED.jpeg

I need to replace this, I just have no idea what to call it. It’s mounted on the driver’s side inner fender just behind the battery.
Thanks in advance bros.
Could be a Solenoid, try tracing where the wires go, this may tell you more closely what it truly is.
 
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Oh, I like this idea.

Standby for results.
Take the multimeter . Turn it to check resistance . See if the two big posts have a direct short to eAchother with out anything on or connected . If it does you know you have a bad solenoid .


If you still have the standard starter the big cable should be on the right side stud as shown in your old pic with the broken one . The battery cable should be on the left side with all the other wires that power the car .