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Re: Starter whirrs

To: tblank@teleport.com
Subject: Re: Starter whirrs
From: Phil Willson <P.J.Willson@qmw.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 10:13:29 BST
Cc: triumphs@autox.team.net
Priority: Normal
Ted Blank writes:
> The starter won't crank the engine!.  I get a strong whirr from the starter
> moter but it doesn't seem to be engaging the engine.  Is this a bad starter
> or should I look elsewhere before considering rebuild or replace?
> 
Excuse my ignorance, but do late Spitfires have pre-engaged starter motors?  If 
they do, there is another 
possibility:  When the Good Lord Triumph converted from inertia to pre-engaged 
starters, he made no 
modifications to the flywheel.  This is fine except that the pre-engaged 
starter acts in the opposite direction to 
the inertia version i.e. it throws its gear backward (towards the rear of the 
car) and over a period of time it 
gradually moves the ring gear in the same direction until the magic day come 
when the two gears no longer 
engage.  The one on mine had moved about a quarter of an inch and was marginal 
in operation.  (The older style 
inertia gear is thrown forwards, but the ring gear can't go anywhere because of 
a flange on the flywheel.)

It is certainly quite a common problem on 6 cylinder engines of mid to late 
seventies vintage but I have no idea 
whether the same thing happens to Spitfires, Dolomites etc.   To cure it, it is 
probably best to remove the 
flywheel and then the ring gear completely.  Then either fit a new gear if the 
old one is badly worn or just to 
re-shrink the old one on in the usual way.  To prevent it happening again it is 
worth tack welding the ring to the 
flywheel - I put 4 tacks on mine, 90 degrees apart so as not to upset the 
balance of the flywheel.

As an alternative, it may be possible to tap the gear back on using a slide 
hammer and an appropriately shaped 
hook behind the ring gear through the starter motor hole, rotating the engine 
slowly so that the gear goes on 
evenly.  

Even if this is not the answer to Ted's problem, if you have a 4 or 6 cylinder 
Triumph with a pre-engaged starter it 
will probably pay you to check that thr ring gear is hard up against the flange 
on the flywheel and take steps to 
rectify the problem, say, if your about to renew the clutch or gearbox or.....

Phil
TSSC 13/60 Secretary

From:   Phil Willson
        Electronic Engineering
        Queen Mary and Westfield College
        Mile End Road
        London E1 4NS
        Tel +44 (0)171 975 5338
        Fax +44 (0)181 981 0259
        email p.j.willson@qmw.ac.uk



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