starter wires

[n/a]

The starter on my 67 250sl has two small wires going to the selenoid switch. I assume one wire goes from the ignition switch to the selenoid, but what is the other wire for ?
Also can anyone tell me what voltage is required to close the selenoid switch. I have 11.75 volts but the switch is not closing.
thanks in advance.
Lionel

[jeffc280sl]

One wire should come from the ignition switch and the other from the battery.  When the ignition switch is turned to start the engine the solenoid is is pulled down which connects +12V from the battery directly to the starter motor.  When the ignition swich is moved to the run position the solenoid is released and +12V is removed from the starter motor.  So one wire should have +12V at all times and the other wire should have +12V when the key is in the start position.

Jeff C.
1970 280SL 4-speed

[A Dalton]

The other wire is alternator B+ feed..

[Shvegel]

If your car is an automatic the neutral safety switch is on the firewall right behind the valve cover(at least it is on my 280SL) make sure that the mark on the switch aligns with the arm of the switch when it is in neutral or park(I forget which). If it isn't make sure your ground cable is clean and the connections are tight.

[n/a]

Thanks to everyone who responded to this post.
Looks Like I should have given some additional info.
the car is an automatic.
the two wires I am talking about both go to the same connection on the selinoid switch, I do have two more heavy duty wires going to the other connection on the selinoid. I think one of the heavy wires comes directly from the battery the other is used to power the rest of the electrical circuits.
Lionel