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Thu May 29, 2014 3:06 pm

Remember way back in the day when you drove into a gas station and rolled over the black hose the old "ding, ding"? So I found and bought this old gas station bell at a swapmeet recently. Looks like the blue and orange of the 76 Stations.
When I got it home and removed the bell I was missing pieces. I located the missing solonoid and striker from Miltons Bells website. They are not very helpful other than having the part i needed. The contact points appear to work. When plugged in and i give it a air blast (turkey baster) the contacts meet and it blows the circuit breaker at my house. No ding, ding:(
Anyone know anything about these? Does it look complete? Possible problem/solution? Thanks

Thu May 29, 2014 4:03 pm

Hard to tell from that extraordinarily bad photo but do you really have 2 blacks a green and a red all tied together with one wire nut?

Should be one of the blacks from the solenoid to the white from the cord, other black from the solenoid to a red on the switch, other red on the switch to the black from the cord and green to the frame of the unit.

Thu May 29, 2014 4:20 pm

hopefully you're not in it for a lot of money

http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.com/DRIVEWAY-SIGN...7AodyTwAbw

Thu May 29, 2014 5:29 pm

Hey Skills, Im in it $12 at the swapmeet and $12 on the solonoid. :) I dont want a new bell, but Miltons is where i got solonoid.
Sorry for the weak pic Busdaddy and i appreciate your info.
I had black from cord to red of contact and blk solonoid wire under one wire nut. Other side was red from contact, blk from solonoid and white from cord. Green was freshly cleaned ground.
I rewired as you suggested and guess what? I didnt trip the breaker :D
The solonoid dint fire, no ding ding :cry:
Im at work and dont have a wirenut...and I tried to move the blk from cord and red contact wires to place the bell over top (thinking this might be necc.). I think you know what happened next :oops:
am I close?

Thu May 29, 2014 7:32 pm

You can buy those driveway signal bells at Napa. The part # 720-1251. I sell them all the time to the dry cleaners in my area.

Fri May 30, 2014 9:32 am

It's wired as a dead short across the switch.

The white (neutral) wire should go directly to the solonoid and the black (hot) should connect to the line side of the switch. The load side fo the switch should then go to the solonoid.

Let me know if this is clear enough...

Fri May 30, 2014 11:45 am

Thanks Toolbox. That is how Busdaddy said to wire. I did that and it solved the original problem of circuit breaker blowing.
Afterward I shorted the hot black/red switch wires to the base. SPARKS!! Now, got wirenut secure, switch still moves (air pressure) but the solonoid does not fire the striker. Could I have cooked the solonoid? Is there a test for that? thoughts...

Fri May 30, 2014 12:04 pm

c21darrel wrote: Could I have cooked the solonoid? Is there a test for that? thoughts...
Connect the white from the cord to one of the blacks on the solenoid and the black from the cord to the other black on the solenoid, leave everything else disconnected. It should fire once when you plug it in, don't leave it plugged in longer than 10 seconds or you may cook the solenoid.

Fri May 30, 2014 2:07 pm

Quote: Connect the white from the cord to one of the blacks on the solenoid and the black from the cord to the other black on the solenoid, leave everything else disconnected. It should fire once when you plug it in

Did as you sugest, nothing. Zero happens and when I pumped to fire the switch (which is isolated out of the wiring) still nothing. :(

Fri May 30, 2014 2:11 pm

How do I know which side of switch is load or line side? does it matter?

Fri May 30, 2014 2:34 pm

It matters. I swapped sides on the switch wires. I got DING. Thanks busdaddy, ToolBox. Great help.

Sat May 31, 2014 4:53 am

As mentioned your bell looks similar to the bell offered at Napa.
I had to keep one in tip top condition for 7 years.. :wink:

FYI the kicker solenoids are nothing more than standard door bell solenoids..
The sensing diaphragm was a common failure.

I worked a full serve service station for 7 years in the early days of my Auto Tech career. It was built in 1958 and still family owned today..

We would combine front bay jobs with attending the pumps.

The bell or driveway signal was and is vital part of that job.
It was some of the best most fun years of my career.

A few years ago I put in a driveway signal with a Milton Bell at my home.. for sentiment.
True old style with the air compression hose on the drive 200 feet away and routed with underground plastic tubing. I mounted the bell centrally of my home on the side of my chimney (under an eve). The hose is laid at a sharp angle so when anything rolls up my driveway the bell "clangs" 4 distinct times... We can hear it in just about any room in my home.
Love it!!

Advice for long driveways...
In hindsight , about the only thing I would have done different.... I would have opted for using a remote electrical switch but still utilizing the sensing hose. That way I could have just buried wire instead of a hose and had it even further away from the house and bell.