Any Ideas? Advice welcome

[Alec Merchant]

I have a 1957 TR3, ex Texas based car re-imported to UK around 1993. It has been rebuilt from chassis up, with much modification to engine and drive train. While it has original engine block, capacity has been increased to 2187cc and it has TR4A head, engine mated to TR5 or TR6 gear box. It has recently developed a new problem after coming out of workshop following overhaul of fuel and ignition systems. New problem is that the High Torque starter (that was on the car when I bought it) has started jamming and cannot be freed by rocking the car in gear. Initially rolling push starts in second gear got the car going and freed the starter, but now it remains jammed.

 

I have obtained a starting handle but need to deal with the underlying problem. There is an extensive history file but no record of the purchase of the starter or it's specification. I am aware of the question of whether there is a 90 or 91 tooth starter ring and the need for a correct spec. starter. I also note from an old Moss catalogue that there may be an issue about the length of the fixing bolts, depending on the thickness of the gearbox flange?

 

Clearly, with the car's history and hybrid specification I can make no assumptions about what flywheel and starter ring it has and will need to get the starter off and eyeball the starter ring - I am told it is easy to spot the 90 tooth bolted on starter ring.

 

I don't want to give the car back to the mechanic to play with for another 18 months, so will have a go myself. My rented garage is cold, draughty and poorly lit, so I have been waiting for some warmer weather and longer hours of daylight before getting down to it.

 

Do any members have words of wisdom, caution or tricks of the trade they can share before I end up with a box of bits? I was used to Lucas starter motors, but the high torque variety are outside my experience. I am happy to learn from the experience of others.

 

Alec Merchant.

[RogerH]

Hi Alec,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

The HT starters should in theory be very good as they are used in modern cars (which don't have major problems).

However they are prone to dampness getting into the contactor box.

I've had the opposite problem to you in that it tries to turn the engine then flies out of engagement.

 

This doesn't help your problem as such but your amongst friends and somebody may have an idea about it.

 

If you look at some of the recent postings about starters you will find an 'ad' for a company in the midlands that can overhaul your motor -

I think their name is cox.

 

 

Roger

[sidescreen]

Hi Alec,

 

I think Roger pointed in this direction: http://www.coxautomotive.co.uk/

 

Regards,

[roy53]

I had a problem with one of these,mine was that it would not turn the engine sometimes you know the sound when the battery is flat.it was infact not meshing with the flywheel,hitting the flywheel.Even after a free rebuild and check by the makers it still did it,this was rectified by fitting a small shim to one side of the starter so moving the back of the motor closer to the engine and the front discharging at a slight angle,worked perfectly all last year [i guess it wont from now on].I must admit that i am not really happy with this but it works.This is not a standard car though ,spider flywheel &TR6 ring gear

ROY

[Alec Merchant]

Hi Alec,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

The HT starters should in theory be very good as they are used in modern cars (which don't have major problems).

However they are prone to dampness getting into the contactor box.

I've had the opposite problem to you in that it tries to turn the engine then flies out of engagement.

 

This doesn't help your problem as such but your amongst friends and somebody may have an idea about it.

 

If you look at some of the recent postings about starters you will find an 'ad' for a company in the midlands that can overhaul your motor -

I think their name is cox.

 

 

Roger

 

[Alec Merchant]

Hi Roger,

 

Many thanks for the warm welcome and words of wisdom. Your advice was very helpful in that you pointed me towards Forum postings about starters in general and Hi Torque starters in particular. Seems I am treading a path others have been down. I suspect that the problem is that when the starter was fitted someone made a wrong guess about which specification it should be and that (I hope) the starter ring is chewing up the starter cog rather than the other way around. I have also read, somewhere, that there are different face profiles to the starter cog which make a difference in their ability to mesh with the starter ring? Now that some better, warmer weather is on the way I think I need stop procrastinating and operate on the patient.

 

Regards,

 

Alec.

[Alec Merchant]

I had a problem with one of these,mine was that it would not turn the engine sometimes you know the sound when the battery is flat.it was infact not meshing with the flywheel,hitting the flywheel.Even after a free rebuild and check by the makers it still did it,this was rectified by fitting a small shim to one side of the starter so moving the back of the motor closer to the engine and the front discharging at a slight angle,worked perfectly all last year [i guess it wont from now on].I must admit that i am not really happy with this but it works.This is not a standard car though ,spider flywheel &TR6 ring gear

ROY

 

[Alec Merchant]

Hi Roy,

 

Thanks for your information. Your experience seems, to me, to fit in with something I remember reading somewhere about different face profiles to the starter cog and this determining the ability of the cog to mesh with the starter ring? Did the manufacturer of the starter offer any choices or did the non standard spec. make matching an impossible process? I am reading through back numbers of TRaction at the moment to see if I can find the information about starter cog face profiles.

 

Alec.