Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi All, Went to start the moggie this morning and the starter motor got stuck. Tried rocking the car in gear, using the starter handle, and hitting with a hammer. No luck. Thought I'd try taking the starter off but it won't budge. Taken both bolts out and used a bit of wood and a hammer to try and knock it out but I'm having no luck whatsoever. The starter is only a couple of months old. Any ideas on how to free it?

Have you tried turning the square at the end of the shaft on the back of the starter motor? Put the 2x bolts back in and try to wiggle the square with a big adjustable spanner. Also try giving that square a sharp tap with a hammer.

When you have the starter motor out of the car it is time to work out what went wrong. If it was a new Far East copy then I would complain to the supplier. You may find the Bendix is sticking and staying in the thrown out position so remaining in contact with the teeth of the flywheel. Oil should not be used on the Bendix assembly. Initially oil seems to help but clutch dust sticks to the oil and jams it all up. Wash it out with a degreaser whilst moving the Bendix back and forth. Brake cleaner or carburettor cleaner would work well. Then use a dry lubricant like PTFE in an aerosol. This dries completely to leave a slippery film that dust will not stick to.



Stephen

Try again but with car in 1st gear and push backwards. Or if you can get spanner on crank or dynamo/alternator nut or use fan blades, try to turn engine backwards to see if it will dislodge the starter .

After removal, do check the flywheel gear-ring for damage/wear.

"Then use a dry lubricant like PTFE in an aerosol. This dries completely to leave a slippery film that dust will not stick to."
I have always used graphite powder, with good effect, on the Bendix.

Any luck with this?

Was it correctly fitted at the time, both bolts tight and correctly seated in the mounting hole?

If still a problem, try rocking it in gear, while the bolts are loose.

Absolute worse case scenario, you'll have to remove the Pinion Cover to see what's occurred, but I can't imagine a starter ever being that stuck....

geoberni wrote: ↑Mon Sep 01, 2025 12:17 pm Any luck with this?

Was it correctly fitted at the time, both bolts tight and correctly seated in the mounting hole?

If still a problem, try rocking it in gear, while the bolts are loose.

Absolute worse case scenario, you'll have to remove the Pinion Cover to see what's occurred, but I can't imagine a starter ever being that stuck....

Berni, he has hit it with bolts removed and no luck, so your pinion cover removal is imho a good idea as it sounds something is seriously amiss