Starter motor blues

[HeswallTR3]

Hi all,

 

Is this where I expose myself as a proper bungling numpty or do I need to address some complex technical issue, I fear it may be the former.

 

Heres the thing, I ve had the project for 5 years now and I guess I am nearing some sort of end stage, so I thought I may not be ready to fire it up but at least I could turn it over on the starter. There are a few things that you may need to know, I have converted to neg earth, put a new hi torque starter in and when starting decided to bypass the solenoid, also the nut connecting the strater was really stiff, so much so that I wasnt sure if it was imp metric unc or unf anyway I got it to make a connection if not a great one, I ws a bit concerned that I may have done some damage with all brute force I used. I decided to go ahead with the test and got juice to the starter which whirred away merrily but did not make any connection with the fly wheel.....over to the experts

 

 

Keith

[67_gt6]

From memory this can happen if you have connected your power input to the wrong terminal. They can be confusingly coloured ie red and black can have no bearing on which one you should be connecting to.

 

Andy

[Don Elliott]

TR2s to mid-TR3As had a "bullet-nose" starter like my early 1958 TR3A (TS 27489 LO) in the photo. That starter throws the small pinion gear out towards the rear of the TR to engage with the ring gear on my flywheel. Later TR3As etc. had a shorter starter motor and, on these starters, there is no bullet-nose shape. These starters work by pulling the small pinion gear on the long extending end of the starter towards the front of the TR to engage the ring gear on the flywheel.

 

What is you Comm. No. and do you have the correct starter for your TR ?

[HeswallTR3]

TR2s to mid-TR3As had a "bullet-nose" starter like my early 1958 TR3A (TS 27489 LO) in the photo. That starter throws the small pinion gear out towards the rear of the TR to engage with the ring gear on my flywheel. Later TR3As etc. had a shorter starter motor and, on these starters, there is no bullet-nose shape. These starters work by pulling the small pinion gear on the long extending end of the starter towards the front of the TR to engage the ring gear on the flywheel.

 

What is you Comm. No. and do you have the correct starter for your TR ?

 

 

hi itis in the ts 50000 range, but have replace the old starter with a new hi torque job

 

Keith

[RogerH]

Keith,

on the Hi Torque motors the big power lead from the solenoid (which you must use otherwise you will melt the starter switch) goes to the big contact on the motor. From this big contact a smaller (20amp rating) wire goes to a spade fitting to power the pre-engage solenoid.

 

When you turn the key the solenoid supplies 12V to the motor. The pre-engage should insert the driving dog into the starter ring. At the same time an internal contact supplipes 12v to the motor armature.

 

However they are prone to odd happenings.

 

Roger

[Don Elliott]

Keith - I understood that you have bought a new high torque starter, but did you buy the right type for your late TR3A ? They are available for early sidescrren TRs with one design and another designed to fit your late TR3A. The one you bought should have a long extension out the rear end, exactly as shown in the photo below.

Edited March 6, 2010 by Don Elliott

[HeswallTR3]

Keith - I understood that you have bought a new high torque starter, but did you buy the right type for your late TR3A ? They are available for early sidescrren TRs with one design and another designed to fit your late TR3A. The one you bought should have a long extension out the rear end, exactly as shown in the photo below.

 

 

Hi Don

 

Think I got the wrong one from my supplier as it looks nothing like yours, I was beginning to think I mounted it the wrong way round

 

Thanks

 

Keith

[vivdownunder]

Just one point with hi-torque starters.

 

On later cars where the original starter pulls into the ring gear from the back, hi torque replacements actually kick in from the front of the ring gear.

 

This means they don't engage via the taper on the ring gear teeth, and so the wear rate on the starter dog can be very high.

 

Thus consider keeping the original starter on later cars. They just need a direct earth lead from the battery to spin like a top.

 

Not a problem with early pre TS50000 cars where the ring gear taper is to the front.

 

It's essential to have the correct mount plate and dog on a hi-torque for either an early or late car, or the new starter will fail quickly.

 

Some suppliers do not know of the subtle difference, and only sell one hi-torque for all TR2-3B's.

 

Regards,

 

Viv.