Well, I unmounted the solenoids from behind the pump and set them on top of the pump so I could see what was happening. It seems that in my rush to connect all the wires i cross-wired a blue and a green. I remedied the situation and hooked the wires up to the battery and lo and behold, no sparks so I pushed the out button and the slides go out and come back in like they are supposed to. I'm SO happy! Thanks for all your input and this site has proven to be invaluable. Now I'll have to mount the solenoids back where they belong unless I figure something better. It could happen.
Stan