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Master and Starter solenoid mounting

rvbldr3170

Active Member
Hi all,
I am starting to think through the installation of some of the electrical stuff in my -4, and I am wondering where some of you have mounted the Master and Starter Solenoids. In the book "24 years of the RVator" There are a couple of articles, one of which says to lay them on their side, and the next one shows a picture of them and they are upright, and it says that mounting them on their side will cause galling and (I assume) premature failure.
I was planning on mounting them on the back (cockpit side) of the firewall, up above the cross angle in the upright position.
Question is: What have others done?
 
Mine are located on the engine side of the firewall near the left footwell. They are mounted on their side. They both have lasted over 500 hours this way.

It does get crowded there with the heat muff and scat tubing though.
 
On my -6 with the battery just aft of the firewall, I have the master solenoid on the backside and the starter solenoid on the engine side. Both are upright and have been working fine for 16 years.
 
I also have the solenoids mounted on the engine side of the firewall above the left footwell. This keeps all of my wiring runs short and I dont have to penetrate the firewall with more holes.

solenoids.jpg
 
Merle, you are building a -4 and CofG is an issue. Unless you want to put a c/s Hartzell on the front you are going to want to work at getting weight forward. I would suggest therefore you put the battery on the front of the firewall, in which case you will want your contractor/solenoid there also. I have done this and it leaves the battery cmptmt as an extra storage area which you will need in the -4.

If you decide to build the way it is in the plans, then I would put the solenoids beside the battery, so you minimise the lengths of the uncontrolled wires.

As to orientation, whatever is convenient. Electromagnetic force is far more powerful than a few G!
 
My 4 (CS Prop) Solenoid(s) Locations

As Steve says, with a CS prop one is limited with the battery & solenoid installation. Here's how I mounted mine.
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