Morris Minor Owners Club

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE I CAN BUY A NEW STARTER MOTOR FOR A 1949 MM,OR GET THE ONE I HAVE RECONDITIONED ?
MANY THANKS
DAVID SEYMOUR

Starter motors throughout the range of Minors, Minis and all the other small BMC cars were all the same except that they were date stamped so if you still have the original '49 starter you may wish to keep it and have it repaired. Your local Lucas dealer should be able to oblige as long as he gives assurances that you will get the same starter motor back. If you can find anyone who still does electrical repairs he will probably be less expensive, however I am finding that there are fewer of these specialists around.
Meanwhile fit any old starter or use the handle!

on the subject of starters should there be a cover over the end of the bendix
that sticks out of the bellhousing as i think the bendix do not like any contamination eg dirt/oil

If I remember correctly, some starters have 9 teeth on the bendix and some have a different number. More clued-up types may be able to confirm this. Nightmare if the teeth don't mesh (BT,DT!)

Morris 8 starter (6 volt) will work and you get more rotational speed for as long as it lasts. The Armstrong starter lasts a very long time if the elbow is regularly greaded but replacements are rare. I have 2!

The MM engine has a 102T flywheel which is compatible with the A series engines. I have come across side valve engines with 80T flywheels. these were ex military engines and I assumed they were sourced from Morris 8 engines, so beware the standard starter will not be compatible on an 80T flywheel.

thankyou for your replies,the starter motor is indeed the original one and is totally different to the usual minor ones in that it is flat at the gearbox end,the usual minor ones have a cone shape where the shaft comes out at the rear,if you try and fit one it hits the flywheel,so perhaps as mike suggests the flywheel is different.
i think i have found local a starter motor expert who says he can repair it so here's hoping !
david seymour

If your starter had M35 stamped on it then you might get away with changing the mounting plate over to a recon A-series starter from a later car. I'll have a look if the weather improves.

They dont normally 'break' . Bushes can be changed, brushes can be replaced and the commutator may well do with a skim.
All I have done to mine is replace the bushes and clean it a few times, particularly the bendix - which is easy to do on this type because the spring retainer can be unsrcewed unlike later models and my original starter has done 137000!

I recently had the metal cone on the end of the bendix shatter which of course required a new starter motor. The broken one was a '68 starter with a coned end and the used one I replaced it with had a flat end so it seems that any 12V A Series type motor will fit.