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Assist relay

jon_allen

Regular Contributor
"Hi All,
Having wor


"Hi All,
Having worked as an auto mechanic for 25 yrs, I am still baffled by what I believe is called an assist relay which is wired in series to the starter motor solonoid on several types of marine engines. What is the purpose of this? I have seen it used on some late model Ford trucks
Thanks, Jon Allen"
 
"The purpose is to reduce the

"The purpose is to reduce the load on the circuit going through the ignition switch. With the assist relay You only need to pull enough amps to operate the assist-relay, the amps needed to operate the starter solenoid only goes from battery+ - through the relay - and to the starter solenoid. 'Cheaper' switch, cheaper wireing harness (thinner cables), less risk of Volt/Amp loss to the solenoid. Another feuture 'gained' from this is You may ground the assist relay on the alternator 'field'. (ground when engine not running - 12+ when running) and prevent engaging the starter when engine is running."
 
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