At 09:20 PM 3/6/2011, Larry Alofs wrote:
>A while back I connected a starter to a car battery so that I could
>measure the current in that solenoid circuit.  It seems to me that it
>was around 37 amps.  That is an awful lot thru a 1/4 inch push-on
>connector as well as the ignition switch.  If the crimp of that
>connector to the wire is a little corroded, the resistance will
>produce a lot of heat.  If anyone else has measured this current, I
>would welcome confirmation or refutation.

I just checked my permanently rigged jumper that hangs near the
alternator B+ on my '89 A/T - using a Sears Clamp-on DC ammeter I got
six and change which makes sense to me.  40 amps through my jumper
would heat it up very quickly - I'm pretty sure I'd notice both the
hot vinyl and the significant arc when I disconnected.

40 amps sounds more like a possible range for a free-running
starter?  That would be about 500 watts, or 2/3 of a horsepower.

Yours,
David