Uprated Starter Motor Benefits.

[Padi]

Hi Guys, 

Thought this was a suitable location for my question.

Ive seen uprated starter motors advertised for the 6's, what is the benefit of these? Ive been looking and debating whether to take the plunge, but now im on here, why not ask for other peoples experiences? 

The car does struggle a little from cold start even with some choke, it may well be a weak battery, but on the chance it isnt would a improved starter help the crank from cold? 

 

[ed_h]

If you have a tired starter, then of course a new geared starter will be a big improvement, but so would new conventional starter. 

My opinion is that there isn't really much real advantage to geared starters compared to stock type.  They may be a little lighter, but on the other hand, they have more moving parts, and are more complex.

Either type will start your car reliably. 

My more cynical side thinks that it's sort of a fad, and in many cases, it's change for change's sake.

Ed

[Mike C]

My original starter still works OK with a modified, high compression engine.  A modern geared started would be lighter and give me more space around the extractors- but I wouldn't change the starter unless I had to- it's not a fun job.

For your cold start problem- have you checked the engine earths are clean and tight and that the ballast resistor system is working on the ignition ( assuming your model has one).

Edited April 9, 2020 by Mike C

[Waldi]

Are there any 40 year old “high torque-low amp-low weight” starters out there?

You guessed it: I stayed with the original. It works ok.

Cheers,
Waldi

[michaeldavis39]

You've got to admit Waldi the original starter is a very heavy lump! I too have my reservations around these new starters as the quality remains hit and miss and the prices charged are ridiculous--if the suppliers gave a 5 year warranty fair enough but 1 year only for an item costing 3 to 4 times the cost of a standard replacement is harsh. I'm going to get my heavyweight original refurbed just need a recommendation where to send it. 

 

Michael

[Waldi]

Hi Michael,
yes I admit: low torque - heigh amp - high weight.

But it works satisfactory.
Cheers,
Waldi

[Z320]

Friend of mine "showed" me his uprated one.

I did not tell him, but it sounds horrible!

Do they all sound like wi-wi-wi-wi?

[Tim D.]

Have the original type on my 2500 saloon and uprated ones on my supercharged TR6 and K series midget. Both start the car fine. Quite like the sound of the modern one.. but well only know how long the modern ones last  compared to the old one in 40 years.

certainly enjoy the smaller size and lower weight when I am doing maintainance..

Tim

[astontr6]

25 minutes ago, Tim D. said:

Have the original type on my 2500 saloon and uprated ones on my supercharged TR6 and K series midget. Both start the car fine. Quite like the sound of the modern one.. but well only know how long the modern ones last  compared to the old one in 40 years.

certainly enjoy the smaller size and lower weight when I am doing maintainance..

Tim

This is my experience!

My original starter motor started to die after 44 years of very good service but then I had the question where do I go for a good company to refurb it? As a friend of mine had all sorts of trouble with his original when it was re-coned. I took the plunge and went for a Wasp knowing that they are used by the racing boys! It worked OK for 18 months and then went futt. I removed it and took it back to the manufacture and they tested it there and then. They decided to give me a new one , bearing in mind that it was out of warranty? All their products are dated for year and month of manufacture! So I could not complain about the service as this saved me £250 for a new one. But I did have a complaint because when I read their data sheet it showed that on engagement that 41 amps went across the ignition s/w. This I queried and they said that 'you are using  a relay???' I said' no! as it does not state that in your fitting instructions! 'You have to use a relay for proper engagement!' I do not know if this contributed to the failure?So when I refitted the new starter motor I used a 70 amp relay switched through the ignition s/w. I have to say that it does turn the engine over faster than with the old Lucas motor but of course it does use a Denso motor which are meant to be the dogs b------s of starter motors!

Bruce.

[Xmas6]

Slightly “off topic” - I seem to remember details of an adaptor plate to use standard Denso starters on “our” cars, there was a company supplying them and also dimensions for making them.

Has anyone got any details of this or is it just my old age kicking in?

Cheers and keep safe Neil

[roy53]

The other reason for fitting them is size. When a competition type manifold is used the small starter gives a better clearance between pipes and starter.

Roy

[Andy Moltu]

3 hours ago, Waldi said:

Hi Michael,
yes I admit: low torque - heigh amp - high weight.

But it works satisfactory.
Cheers,
Waldi

Probably not too many because the time needs to pass for longevity to be proven. However the starters that are sold as high torque ones seem to be essentailly modern starters adapted to fit the TR mountings. Reliability of modern starters on modern cars seems to be pretty good.

The one possible concern in the TR application seems to be water ingress corroding the contacts (simple fix) because, unlike their modern counterparts, the TRs don't have underbody trays and shielding that keeps water out, nor do they get used as frequently so moving parts are more likely to get sticky.

[astontr6]

1 hour ago, Xmas6 said:

Slightly “off topic” - I seem to remember details of an adaptor plate to use standard Denso starters on “our” cars, there was a company supplying them and also dimensions for making them.

Has anyone got any details of this or is it just my old age kicking in?

Cheers and keep safe Neil

Hi Roy!

The adaptor plate that you mention is now part of the Wasp starter motor body. Wasp have some high tec. machine tools as it is CNC machined. We are not talking about a hole in the wall company here also they have ATE test equipment for the electrics as they manufacture alternators as well for racing and classics including the Bentley boys.

Bruce.