Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi All
Could I have some help please on what battery to buy.
I have a 1967 4 door that has an alternator fitted and I've bought a battery from halfords.When I tried to fit into Audrey the battery that is in there has the + on the left at the back as you look into the engine bay and the - on the right at the back.
The 038 battery I've bought they are at the front.She is sitting in a garage for about a week to a fortnight at a time so I'm needing something quite heavy duty I think.Just to make sure I tried the starting handle today and she started first time

Also can anyone give me any help with the starter .Sometimes when I start the car all that happens is a whizzing noise. After several goes at starting it then fires up no problem.

Fit the battery which way round as required - so long as you have the negative terminal to earth all will be well which ever way round it is fitted.

With a later alternators the negative terminal needs to go to earth.

When fitting the battery holding clamp make sure that there is plenty of clearance between battery posts/terminal clamps and the battery holding clamp.

Hi Thanks for the quick reply.
The problem is the clamp won't fit on .When I tried to put it on there was a spark ,which made me think that the terminals should be at the back.
Regards
Steve

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs ... -guarantee

Turn the battery round and use suitable battery leads.

Steve,

The 038 was the original 35Ah battery for +ve earth, and had the terminals at the back, away from the battery clamp - as you found out, this is a good idea!

For -ve earth, with rear terminals and a bit more capacity, I would suggest either an 063 (45Ah), 065 (54Ah) or 075 (60Ah) battery - any bigger and they get very heavy and difficult to get out from behind the engine if you need to. These capacities may vary a little depending on the supplier. We have an 065 with an 75A alternator, and from any start it recovers in a very short time to a trickle charge of 1-2 amps, no matter what load is switched on.

It is in a garage, which does not freeze, but in the winter it can be a month or more between usages. We do not use a charger, and it always starts exactly the same way.

Thanks for that I will try and get one of the ones you suggested .
Regards
Steve

New battery in .I bought a 063 and it seems to have gone in with no problems .
Thanks again for the help.
Regards
Steve

Steve,

Thanks for the update - just hope it performs when you need it to!

Stevearniepalmer wrote: ↑Sat Nov 10, 2018 3:31 pm

Also can anyone give me any help with the starter .Sometimes when I start the car all that happens is a whizzing noise. After several goes at starting it then fires up no problem.

I'm assuming it's a regular 'spin to engage' type starter, so sounds like the bendix is a bit dirty and not moving to engage until it's been spun a bit.
Take it off and give it a bit of a clean, with white spirit, petrol or paraffin (can you still get paraffin?).
There was a similar issue with mine when I first brought it.

Do not oil the Bendix as clutch dust can stick to the oil and stop the Bendix working properly.
You can still get paraffin but it is no longer cheap.

Thanks for the advice re the starter problem.Im not very good on the repair side of things so I will need a bit more help to tackle something like this.
How easy is it to remove the starter and then what do I do.What does the Bendix look like?
I started it with the handle the other day and it started first time
Also if I don't do anything about this will it fail as in just keep whizzing round and not engaging.
Sorry if this sounds like a silly question.
Regards
Steve

It is quite easy to remove:

1. Disconnect battery
2. Unscrew the nuts securing the starter cable to the terminal on the starter and remove the lead/cable
3. Remove the two bolts securing the starter motor to the flywheel housing. May be easiest to remove the bottom bolt first, then support/hold the starter when the upper bolt is removed. The starter can then be removed.

Once you have removed the starter motor you will see the bendix sticking out of the motor. You can twist it and will see it move in and out, like a screw. The 'thread' of this is the bit to be cleaned because if it is dirty, the starter sticks and will not engage with the flywheel - thats when
your handle comes in useful!

I rarely disconnect the power cable at the motor - often not so easily accessible. I usually disconnect the electrical power at the solenoid as that is so much easier to access, and is a connection that is less likely to cause damage than trying to unscrew at the motor connection.

Thanks for your help I will keep you posted on how I get on .

I will keep the handle nearby just in case!!

Regards

Steve

Do not try and dismantle the Bendix there is a lot of latent power in the compressed spring and therefore requires a special tool to remove.

Stevearniepalmer wrote: ↑Thu Nov 15, 2018 4:18 pm I will keep the handle nearby just in case!!

It is always worth keeping the handle in the car, even if you get the starter working again properly. It is so useful in cases of a flat battery - and, in addition, usually impresses onlookers!
Like 'philthehill' says, don't try to dismantle the bendix - but you will not need to do this anyway in order to clean it up. It will all be very clear once you have got the starter out.

It would appear that my comments above, about starting handles, were prophetic when, at the weekend, I went to visit a friend 50-odd miles away. Driving up in the dark, I was within three miles of my destination when, stopping at a junction and taking my foot off the accelerator, the engine died. On pulling the starter button - nothing! So, I hopped out of the car, opened the boot and as I pulled out the handle, a car stopped and asked if I needed any help. "No, thank you" I replied breezily, "I think I'll be OK" and they drove off. My confidence faltered slightly when nothing happened at the first crank of the handle, but she fired up the second time and I was able to complete my journey, although I noticed the lights seemed to be flickering a bit.
Fortunately, my pal had a charger so we put the battery on charge and went to the pub
Next day, tests revealed dynamo OK but regulator points knackered. Fortunately again, my mate had a few control boxes in his garage which he gave to me. One works, but the other two don't. However, they are proper Lucas ones and I think the regulator points just need cleaning as they look grey but not pitted, so will try and renovate these as they are lightly to be more reliable than the awful copy versions now available, which rarely last more than a couple of years, if you're lucky.
And, of course, the handle is also invaluable when turning the engine over to set the points and/or valve clearances

Glad to hear that you got the car started on the handle - a dying art now.
Fit an alternator and you can forget the regulator and problem contacts.

Good, sensible advice Phil. Unfortunately, I'm a stubborn b****r and want to get the old system working reliably!