Morris Minor Owners Club

I have been suffering from an intermittent problem over the last 6 months or so, whereby the starter motor turns but fails to engage with the flywheel.

Subsequent to advice, I removed the starter and cleaned it this summer just gone. This completely irradicated the problem for a while; but now it is back and you can hear the motor just spinning when you turn the key in the ignition switch.

Given that I have already cleaned up the armature shaft once before, and it has happened again, would it be worth me buying a new starter motor? Or, could there be an underlying problem? Has anyone else had this reoccur?

Cheers.

May be oil leakage from the rear main bearing - spraying onto the flywheel and starter. Is there any oil dripping from the little split-pin in the hole in the base of the bell-housing? Take the starter out - and if it's wet with oil........

Are all your cables and earth connections tight, including the earth strap under the car? A poor circuit may be preventing the starter from working properly.

also check the battery terminals including the earth next to the battery are ok including the starter solenoid..try shorting the starter solenoid and see if it makes a diffrence...worth trying all this as well..

Thanks all for advice.

I think I'll first inspect the solenoid - seeing as the motor is spinning fine, and it's just its engagement with the flywheel which is causing the problem.

Which indicates that the solenoid is fine - it's the bendix thread on the end of the starter motor that is not throwing the gear into mesh with the ring on the flywheel! Probably because it's caked with oily muck!!

I agree totally about the problem being with the bendix. Had it myself only a few weeks ago (hence wanting a bendix spring compressor - now sorted). Cleaning the drive is a good solution, but sometime the small internal spring breaks, and eventually the drive locks up. There is nothing wrong with the solenoid, just service or replace the entire starter. ESM, and I'm sure others, are selling them quite reaosnably at present.

LOL it just proves my ignorance! I was led to believe by someone that the solenoid was responsible for pushing out the bendix arm?

As suggested, I may just buy a new one - I can get hold of a new Lucas one for £30.

Some starters (most modern ones) are "pre-engaged" where the solenoid is built into the motor and does indeed act on the drive gear to push it into the flywheel ring-gear before the starter begins to turn the engine. The minor relies on the motor spinning the drive the pinion into the ring-gear; so your informant is correct for some vehicles, but not the Minor.

Just clean the one you have first - surely worth a try!