Starter Motor

[andycallen]

Has anyone fitted a pre-engaged starter motor to a 1960 Minor 1000? If so which one and how was it wired.

Thanks,

Andy

[bmcecosse]

Pre-engaged starters work by pushing the gear into the flywheel ring-gear from the front - the normal starter (inertia) pulls it in from behind. The ring gear teeth are therefore chamferred to accept the gear coming in from the rear. It can be done - there was a thread recently on fitting (expensive!) high power pre-engaged starter. Frankly - there is nothing wrong with the standard system - provided the starter and battery are in good order - they will start even the highest compression engine. There is a choice of starter gear teeth number - if wanting more torque - the smaller number of teeth gear can be fitted - but I have never known this to be necessary. Do you have a very high compression engine ?

[simmitc]

I thought it pre-engaged when you pushed the handle through the hole in the bumper...

[bmcecosse]

If you guide it home - yes!

[Jefftav]

These are available and I am led to believe they will fit a Minor. As previously stated they are lots of £££'s. If you do fit one it would be interesting to hear if it is indeed an easy conversion and makes for easier starting?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GEU405X-HIGH-TORQ ... 3a55f7f6b0

There was also a thread about using the starter motor from an Izuzu Trooper/Vauxhall Brava but it is difficult to find out if the flywheel will accept this motor.

[IslipMinor]

makes for easier starting?

The Minor engine has to be one of the easiest to start - providing everything is in good working order. We had the starter fail (the Bendix) on holiday in France nearly 8 years ago and had to resort to hand cranking for the last 2/3 days, including 2 'cold' starts - admittedly it was in mid-summer! The engine is 1380cc, 10.4:1 CR, high lift cam etc., etc., and I am very glad that I swapped the later plain crankshaft pulley bolt for the cranking dog from the original 948 engine - otherwise?? From cold it took quite a few pulls, but started OK, from warm first or second pull!

When I went to get the new Lucas starter it had 10 teeth against the old one's 9, but it now just cranks the engine over a bit faster than it used to. I did look at pre-engaged starters, but the one fitted to the later Mini has a different flange and bolt spacing, so then briefly investigated the Isuzu 'geared' starter that is reputed to fit 'without mods', but didn't like the idea of the pinion coming in from the 'wrong' side as Roy explained earlier in the thread, so in the end just replaced with the standard. Am still intrigued to understand how a 10T pinion can mesh properly with the flywheel starter ring that was designed to work with a 9T starter? But it seems to be OK a number of years later.

[bmcecosse]

I think there is also an 11 tooth pinion. The 9 will obviously be best for cranking a high comp engine - but as Richard says - they cope fine with 10 teeth.