Re: (ET) contactor question

[Markus Lorch <ev lorch net>]

> It seems to me that I have an internal connection between the top 2 
> studs that shouldn't be there, but does it make sense that it could fail 
> that way?  Or am I not thinking about this correctly?
>
> If it sounds like the contactor is bad, is it possible to use an E-T 
> contactor as a replacement?  How would I hook it up, with only 4 studs?

Hi Thon,

I would say it is normal to have a connection between the two studs that
go to the coil. It depends on the resistance if it is a short (bad) or 
if it is the normal resistance of the coil. When you hook up these two 
studs to your battery (to 24V) directly do you hear a clicking
sound or do you have serious sparks generated when you connect the wire.

In any case, I would look for a truck starter contactor (they run on 24V 
AFAIK) or some other 30+ amp 24V surplus contactor. If you cant locate a
24V one then go ahead and use an automotive 12V 30 or 40amp 
contacter/relais, measure its internal resistance and add a resistor 
with the same amount of resistance in series to the relay coil or even 
simpler use two or the same 12V relays in series. (cheap, from the junkyard)

Hope this helps

Markus