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Mounting Starter Solenoid Upside Down

Mounting under seat batt. solenoids this morning.
Better cable arrangement mounted upside down. got me thinking "is there a correct orientation"?
quick Google search - low and behold! - Super Cub.org is the first hit "mounting solenoids upside down"
what more could I ask for!!....

Read through the thread, enjoyed all the bashing and banter, however, I'm still left wondering - what's the preferred solenoid orientation?....

Thanks
 
Oliver said:
..however, I'm still left wondering - what's the preferred solenoid orientation?....

Thanks
Click to expand...

mount it anyway you need it to be, for the posts to be where you need them...

(just re read this thread, lost of CRAP in it!!!!!!!) geesh!!!
 
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Ignorance is bliss. Do as you please. Mounting the solenoid correctly is free insurance. What is controversial about that? Who knows the minds of others???
 
Darrel, very prophetic reply.
so... does that mean you are still advocating upside down?Or just further adding to the confusion of this thread
 
I think I will print this thread out on soft paper and use it in the bathroom......
 
My dad had the starter engage is rough air when he was spraying a field( I think he was dropping granules with the spreader for corn bores). It was in 1971 and the plane was an Aero Commander Quail with an GO-480 Lycoming. When he saw the smoke he landed in an oat field. Had to mow down some oats to make a runway for takeoff after the fix.
 
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Still advocating installing the relay upside down as cheap (no cost) insurance. Inadvertent starter engagement does happen as several people have written about.
 
....here we go again...:roll:

Thanks,
there going in right side up - if viewed while standing on your head that is. Of corse then my flap handle appears to be on the roof, like a carbon cub, which, i think, is kind of cool...
 
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and most magically!!

when that 4g that supposedly made it engaged at first, is no more, it somehow? stays engaged??? BS..BS...
 
Ive heard that when a starter gear inadvertently engages the ring gear at high rpm, the sudden diffusion of flux electrons excites the orbital field in the starters primary windings, this will effectively reverse the polarity of electrical current in the primary system, therefor reversing the electromagnetic field surrounding the starter solenoid plunger. This rare but documented condition will continue as long as the starter gear and flywheel remain in contact, causing considerable damage to both engine and starter. Unless...the solenoid is mounted upside down which case it will only continue for the duration of the high G anomaly....

Hope that clarifys things a little...
 
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A very long time ago we had a Mooney that would show sparks at night. The starter was trying to engage, but engine was turning too fast to let it. Replaced both solenoids with a pair from a '48 Willys and never had that problem again. Very little damage to ring gear.
 
Can't believe I'm getting sucked into this, but here's MY two cents worth.

I was taught to install solenoids/relays in this order; 1) right side up 2) upside down 3) any variation of the first two. The idea being that the slug inside the case has to slide up and down to operate the contacts. Right side up or upside down allows the slug to move as designed. If you mount it sideways, gravity will pull on the slug when it moves, theoretically adding friction and increasing the odds of a hang up.

As to these failures cited above, I'll wager important body parts that other issues contributed to their occurrence.

Bottom line, if it makes you happy to mount them, covered in yellow paint and tipped 16.5 degrees from true vertical, go ahead. As long as they are mechanically attached and safely wired, your legal and safe.

Web
 
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