starter motors

Pete G

New member
Has anyone fitted a pre-engaged starter to their car?
It has been commented on that 'it chews starters' and mine is problem now !
 
He was having a look at my car yesterday and I was having trouble getting the starter to engage to drive it out of my garage. He said he has fitted them to engines he has prepared and it is a popular mod,- that is what prompted my post. Like electronic ignition it is basically out of site and easily returned to original if preferred.
 
Hi All,

Doesn't the ring gear have to be changed to carryout this mod?

I had one originally on my Mk2 Convertible and am sure the ring gear was different!!

Andy M
 
My U.S. spec Mk1 LC has the pre-engaged starter. It runs a 9 tooth pinion, with 110 ring gear. The fitting a pre-engaged starter is a challenge as the solenoid needs to clear the cross member. I removed the solenoid, loosely fitted the starter and then angled in the solenoid. The solenoid needs to be the kind where the bolts fit to the rear as otherwise, if you have a solenoid with bolts connected to the solenoid body (pushing through the rear of the starter body) then there won't be an adequate angle to be able to slip the solenoid into the body of the starter.

Richard
 
Andy M said:
Hi All,

Doesn't the ring gear have to be changed to carryout this mod?

I had one originally on my Mk2 Convertible and am sure the ring gear was different!!

Andy M
I am advised that ring gear have a 'lead in edge' , must be bevelled or something, but a pre-engaged wouldn't need that ?
The inertia Bendix engages from the gearbox side of the flywheel coming back towards the starter with a bang, whereas the pre engaged ones go the other way, towards the gearbox before the power is applied. So if the ring gear has been worn down by the original starter, a pre-engaged one is coming from the other side, so should be ok without having to change the ring gear,- also less dramatic, quieter and longer lasting ??
 
Is this any help?
http://www.lotuscortina.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=7870&p=50641&hilit=pre+engaged+starter#p50641
 
So I thought I had better take the starter out for inspection.
The teeth look perfectly OK.....except there are 10 of them !!20200820_120851.jpg
 
More than one type of ring gear remove the pinion and see how it fits on the ring gear Lucas did in the end only supply 10 teeth for British Leyland when Ford went there own way with starters .I believe from memory.
A10 will replace a 9 in the eyes of a exchange rebuild repairer back in the day.
? should be posted in electrical as I tend to keep a eye on that section .
Neil
 
Curious, how would a 10 tooth pinion also fit a 110 ring gear? If a 9 tooth pinion mates the 110 ring gear wouldn't a 10 tooth not line up within the spacing of the 110 ring gear? Or is it that the mating is not precisely engineered, being crude, and thus both a 9 and 10 would work? If yes, is one (9 or 10) more optimally matched than the other? Thanks.

Richard
 
Starter motor as listed by Lucas is for a RHD M35G 25083 with a 54252212 9 tooth pinion for the 110 ring gear.
you can not go by the numbers on the body if it has had a exchange replacement at some time due to parts swopping by rebuilders who may have put a sticker on it that long gone.
Neil
 
Neilsjuke said:
? should be posted in electrical as I tend to keep a eye on that section .
Neil

Neil, I put it in here because my query was mechanical rather than electrical !

Looking in the parts list book at illustrations (LD) of starters, 105E is the standard inertia type, 106E and 119E are pre-engage units which I think were fitted to estates and/or automatics ? They should bolt straight on ?
 
Pre engaged starter normally found on left hand drive models, with cold climate option, hence the 106E, or 119E part numbers which denote a lhd 997 anglia and a lhd 1500 cortina. There isn't a lot of room for fitting a pre engaged starter on a rhd cortina, because of the steering box.
On the subject of 9 tooth, or 10 tooth bendix, I ran my car on a 9 tooth for over 20 years, but then the ring gear got damaged and had to be replaced. I fitted a n.o.s. ring gear the same as what was on it and a n.o.s. 9 tooth bendix, but the starter jammed in mesh at first attempt to start. After much head scratching and fruitless removal, refitting and checking of the of the starter, in desperation I fitted a n.o.s 10 tooth bendix, which I had laying around. The starter engaged perfectly and has continued to do so since. Can't explain why but it works.
Tommy
 
Have posted in Electrical some pictures on starter pinions
Link below
http://www.lotuscortina.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=51079#p51079
 
Tommy, can you be sure the replacement ring was the same ?
If they were like for like you would have expected to get another 20 years out of it.
Sounds like there was a mis-match somewhere ?
 
Yes ring gear was the same in every way, it was the last one I had from a n.o.s. batch I bought about 30 years ago, 110 tooth, right lead in on the teeth, that's why it puzzled me so much, but it's working fine now with a 10 tooth bendix, so I can live with that. I hadn't ever had any bother ring gear wise with this car until I went and fitted one of Terry's repro alloy bellhousings and either I didn't tighten them right, or the starter motor bolts worked themselves loose and the starter chewed the ring gear before I caught on.
Tommy
 
tommy said:
Yes ring gear was the same in every way, it was the last one I had from a n.o.s. batch I bought about 30 years ago, 110 tooth, right lead in on the teeth, that's why it puzzled me so much, but it's working fine now with a 10 tooth bendix, so I can live with that. I hadn't ever had any bother ring gear wise with this car until I went and fitted one of Terry's repro alloy bellhousings and either I didn't tighten them right, or the starter motor bolts worked themselves loose and the starter chewed the ring gear before I caught on.
Tommy
Would seem that the repro bellhousing starter fixing are a bit off.
 
Maybe some else to think about could the ring gear be on the wrong way.
This is for future readers who use the search box.
N
 
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