Morris Minor Owners Club

Is it possible to fit a pre engaged starter? I have gone through my stock of starters and they all now have issues with the bendix intermittently jamming. They have been cleaned etc and work for a while but eventually randomly jam again. This is probably caused by contamination in the bell housing but would a pre engaged starter get round this problem? Does the solenoid operation prove more reliable or less troublesome?
Just want to know before I spend out on a new bendix/starter.
Thanks

You would need to change the ring gear on the flywheel. Inertia starters enter from behind.....the pre-engaged enter from the front.....so the taper on the ring gear teeth is wrong for a pre-engaged. Just clean up/stop the contamination!

Ah, that makes sense. Having had the starter out again I don't think it's contamination after all as it all looks clean. Bendix is not working freely as flicking it by hand it is either 'stuck' and not throwing or throwing when coaxed and not returning. It all feels a bit notchy. I'll go with a new bendix as I have a lot of stop start motoring over the next few weeks. I'm getting some funny looks when I venture under the bonnet with a hammer.

And if you spray it with carb cleaner and work it back and forth - perhaps scrubbing it clean with an (old) toothbrush.....how does it perform then?

Yes, that's what I've tried. Seems to 'lock' in the normal rest position and when pushed down by hand you can then feel it moving freely but the light spring inside the housing seems to catch as it compresses/rotates.

I've seen the Bendix cracked before..... if you can fit a new one - worth a try!

I have just have this, same symptoms, re-occur on mine. I thought I had fixed it, but what I had fixed turned out not to be the problem.
There is a toothed plate, under the light spring inside the housing, that allows the spring to compress when the bendix is engaged. The plate was intermittently binding onto the shaft preventing the bendix engaging. I don't know how or why this happened. I fitted a new bendix unit and all seems well so far. It was a lot freer on the shaft.

bmcecosse wrote:I've seen the Bendix cracked before..... if you can fit a new one - worth a try!

Had one like that before. I've got a bendix spring compressor, it makes fitting a doddle so I will go that route.

Roni wrote:I have just have this, same symptoms, re-occur on mine. I thought I had fixed it, but what I had fixed turned out not to be the problem.
There is a toothed plate, under the light spring inside the housing, that allows the spring to compress when the bendix is engaged. The plate was intermittently binding onto the shaft preventing the bendix engaging. I don't know how or why this happened. I fitted a new bendix unit and all seems well so far. It was a lot freer on the shaft.

That's it, the light spring can be felt jumping round as you wind done the bendix.
New bendix it is...Thanks guys.

Yes - you do need that little compressor.....

Quick update, same as Roni above. Fitted new pinion/bendix and all ok now. Noted though that when I took the new one out of the box (upside down) the worm drive fell straight out. Tried that with the old one and it needed a couple of taps to fall out, even after cleaning.
Anyways, job sorted and I can put the hammer back in the toolbox. Thanks guys....

Great success!