Morris Minor Owners Club

Occasionally......... no laughing...... after i have stalled and i try to start Daphne she just "clonks" as tho the battery is totally dead. She doesnt even try to turn over and this happens maybe 4/6 times and then she happily starts and we carry on our merry way! Does anyone know why this would be? She always starts first time and usually if this happens its always after i have driven a few miles and either i have stalled or she has just died at a junction!

possibly an earth fault from the battery to staarter motor

that sounds like the sort of problem i have had when i am playing with the car, remove the neg terminal to do electrics, put it back on to test it and when i turn the ignition is goes thump and dies. until i screw the, well, screw in!sooo...does your battery have screws in it or a clamp to keep the terminals on the battery? i assume the power surge of starting is what causes it to do it...

i will have to have a look, i have a husband that thinks he knows it all and has fiddled with it but i have also been to a mechanic that has had moggies and he is going to teach me all about it!! At the minute i can just about cope with adding additives to the petrol!!

I know that my OH has taken the covering off the cellanoid ( is that how you spell it) and fiddled!!!

just a thought... she has just had a new battery so i will make sure its secure!!

I would guess that its the solenoid, I recently had to replace the one on my blue Minor. Turn the key click and doesnt start. this went on for a few weeks before it finally refused to start at all one morning. Easy job to change it though.
http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/pro ... e2c0be6499

Could be the solenoid. This is a device that uses a low current from the key switch to then switch the high current required for the starter motor. If it is wearing out then it might well take several attempts before the high power contacts close properly and operate the starter motor. It's located in the engine bay and can be identified by the thick cables going to it, plus a few smaller ones, including a red/white lead. Cheap and simple to replace, and quickest check is to swap it for another unit and see if the problem goes away. Good luck.

I thought my solenoid was gone as I had the same problem. Check that the solenoid is bolted tight enough to the bulkhead. In my case it was only a loose solenoid. At least I have a spare solenoid now! Should have checked it in the first place.
Declan

The solenoid does indeed need to be earthed through the body - so that's a good suggestion to check it is secure. Also check the connection is firm - and bright metal contact. But most likely is bad connections either at the battery or at the solenoid - or at the starter motor itself.
And - unless doing long hard miles - don't bother with the petrol additive !

thank you everyone, this is a really friendly helpful site!

Has the battery been replaced ith the terminals the same way round as the last one was?
Could replacing battery the wrong way without repolorising the system cause this. No idea really, just a thought

Not really - the starter motor doesn't care about polarity.