2 solenoids

[Hank small Engines 2]

im new to wheel horse family, i have a 516h w/onan p216g, i notice that it has two solenoids , why two ????????????????? the wiring diagram say aux solenoid. 

[roadapples 6,983]

Can't answer your question, but

        

[WHX?? 49,176]

  Got a pic of them so called solenoids? 

[953 nut 55,834]

I think what you are seeing is a "Start Relay" that provides the start signal to the Solenoid. This is not a diagram of your system but close enough for conversation.

   five pin relays cost less than larger wires so the Toro bean counters started adding them everywhere and reduced the cost of wire.

[Hank small Engines 2]

so this other solenoid control all the safety switches ? before it activates the starter, can i do away with this aux solenoid ?

Edited September 24, 2021 by Hank small Engines

[953 nut 55,834]

30 minutes ago, Hank small Engines said:

so this other solenoid control all the safety switches

The safety switches control the power to the relay allowing it to close if all are in the correct position. The switch portion of the start relay has heavier wire to and from the relay that will activate the solenoid.

Relays were used so that lighter (smaller) wire could be used to and from all the safety switches, if you eliminate a relay the wires to it would need to be heavier.

If you are having an issue with the start relay you can buy a replacement at any auto parts store for about $ 2.50. Unless you know what you are doing I wouldn't recommend altering the wiring.

[Hank small Engines 2]

hello , so the wiring harness on the engine on p216, are all the wires suppose to be different colors ? because ive been looking at the colored wiring diagram. and on my engine all the wires are black with white writing on them that all the wires say the same thing

[953 nut 55,834]

Probably a previous owner did some rewiring and that is what they had.

         Your solenoid needs to be grounded to work

 

[Hank small Engines 2]

i brought 1988 wheel horse 516 h. that the previous owner had for a few years he told the only way to start it, is you turn the key top the on position , then jump the solenoid near the starter , and would run until you turn the key off. the only reason i brought this was for the engine. i have a sears ss 16 twin with a bf ms engine that ran great, until a nut came loose in the air clean and the carb sucked it in and destroyed the onan engine, nut went through the piston , shattering it , in turn broke the connecting rod , in turn broke the cam shaft sending the cam shaft through the top of the motor under the intake. junk know only thing i could salvage inside the motor was one piston and crankshaft. so now i have this p216 that i want to replace the bf ms 16. the p216 is slightly bigger than the ms. but i figured i would use the wiring harness from the wheel horse, to operate the engine. but the wiring harness is junk , there were few wires missing at the connector plug for the body / engine plus the inside of connector plug is all corroded not sure it making good connection. does anyone here have a good wiring harness the would like to sell ? hank

[WHX?? 49,176]

Ok now we get it your pic says a thousand words. Some PO thought he knew more than than the manufacturer did and had his way with her. What you have ther is a bunch of cobblement that is gonna be a project to  sort out so all  bets are off. 

Somebody skool me on what  bf ms motor is? 

Sounds to me with what you should be doing is make your own wiring harness. A WH harness might be be totally wrong for a Sears.

Good luck with your project. 

[Hank small Engines 2]

its sears garden tractors onan engine bf ms

[gwest_ca-(File Mod) 11,101]

At one time Wheel Horse used black wires but they had a colored stripe down the wire for identification.

The colored wiring diagrams are not correct in some diagrams as we do not know what the colors are on the engine side of the connector. These wires would have come from Onan so they could be plugged into the tractor wiring on the assembly line. Plug and play so to speak.

 

Wheel Horse used the BF-MS engines on the 1976-1978 D-160 Automatic tractors.

[Handy Don 12,468]

I'm running a more recent P218 with the same dual solenoid as the P216 in a 516. It supports the tractor wiring for the ignition switch and (to me, essential and valuable) safety features. If you are moving the engine into the Sears, it'll be up to you to figure out how adapt that tractor's ignition and safety wiring to the P216. The solenoid might well be a helpful, and very reliable, way to handle it.

As noted above, you have a lot of cobbled wiring. I would be starting from scratch with the diagrams from the both tractors and both engines to validate and label what is there. Next I'd create a new wiring diagram that is correct and complete. Then finally I'd go ahead and implement the wiring as needed (being mindful of proper wiring sizing -- I'd use 16ga for most; 6ga for the connections between the starter solenoid and the plus battery terminal and between battery minus terminal and the primary ground on the engine).

[Hank small Engines 2]

2 hours ago, Handy Don said:

I'm running a more recent P218 with the same dual solenoid as the P216 in a 516. It supports the tractor wiring for the ignition switch and (to me, essential and valuable) safety features. If you are moving the engine into the Sears, it'll be up to you to figure out how adapt that tractor's ignition and safety wiring to the P216. The solenoid might well be a helpful, and very reliable, way to handle it.

As noted above, you have a lot of cobbled wiring. I would be starting from scratch with the diagrams from the both tractors and both engines to validate and label what is there. Next I'd create a new wiring diagram that is correct and complete. Then finally I'd go ahead and implement the wiring as needed (being mindful of proper wiring sizing -- I'd use 16ga for most; 6ga for the connections between the starter solenoid and the plus battery terminal and between battery minus terminal and the primary ground on the engine).

 

[Hank small Engines 2]

hello handy don, ive been on ebay and found a complete engine wire harness that correct for the p216, that colored coded wires off an p216 . it has never been cut or spliced. i was more worried about the engine wiring harness . because the upper body harness ill configure to my sears tractor, using the same wires to safety switches, but just using the sears switches. the only safety switch i use on the sears is the shifter. has to be in neutral to start. i have to modifty the body of the sears a little to make this engine fit seeing the p216 is just half inch longer then the old bfms onan. the mounting holes on the sears are the same as the p216. and i removed the pto to fit just the pulley of the sears. that fits perfect ! sir i want thank you for your time. if anyone reading this needs body parts or mechanical parts for a 516h tractor let me know. there still quite few good parts left over that im will to sell, below is what im selling .

[Handy Don 12,468]

24 minutes ago, Hank small Engines said:

hello handy don, ive been on ebay and found a complete engine wire harness that correct for the p216, that colored coded wires off an p216 . it has never been cut or spliced. i was more worried about the engine wiring harness . because the upper body harness ill configure to my sears tractor, using the same wires to safety switches, but just using the sears switches. the only safety switch i use on the sears is the shifter. has to be in neutral to start. i have to modifty the body of the sears a little to make this engine fit seeing the p216 is just half inch longer then the old bfms onan. the mounting holes on the sears are the same as the p216. and i removed the pto to fit just the pulley of the sears. that fits perfect ! sir i want thank you for your time. if anyone reading this needs body parts or mechanical parts for a 516h tractor let me know. there still quite few good parts left over that im will to sell, below is what im selling .

 

 

I'm not sure what you will accomplish with a new Onan engine wiring harness. You are trying to wire a Kohler to a Sears, right?

[Hank small Engines 2]

no an onan p216g into a sears

[Handy Don 12,468]

6 hours ago, Hank small Engines said:

no an onan p216g into a sears

Ah, ok.

FWIW, ALL of the wiring in the engine harness on my P218 is black. On my parts P220, it is mostly black with one or two white. I think you'll still be wise to validate and label all the wiring, especially with regard to the connections to the tractor.