BendixRelayHeatSoakExplained?

[gehl@domain.elided]

JimG et al,
I reread your latest post concerning starter selenoid heat soaking.  
I have had this problem before and attributed it to heat affecting 
the selenoid coil such that it reduced and/or distorted the pulldown 
capability of the metal piston.  This piston was able to engage the 
pinion drive gear but not sufficient to ram the washer onto the 
copper conductors.  I suspect the chattering noise you may hear is 
this washer dancing on the copper bolt heads.  When you wired a
Ford selenoid remotely into the works you bypassed this problem.  

I like this solution and unless someone tells me that I am about to 
cut off the branch on which I stand, I will experiment with a remote 
Triumph or Austin-Healey relay (at the very least it will reduce 
current loading through the key switch) and probably, for kicks, 
disable/remove the internal bendix relay and see how it works.  
Another research project!  Feel free to comment on this.  Thanks!  
Mark