[TR] Tr3a starters

KingsCreekTrees at aol.com KingsCreekTrees at aol.com
Thu Aug 19 14:32:03 MDT 2010


Hi David;
 
>From the year of your TR3A, I'm guessing it might have the later starter,  
i.e., not the 'bomb' starter. In my experience (only), the later starter is 
much  more reliable than the 'bomb' starter. So, with a gear reduction unit 
I would  say you get some more reliability, though not necessarily like 
going from a  major headache, to total reliability. More like going from the 
propensity for  the occasional problem, to total reliability.
 
The biggest advantage might be that the gear reduction motor draws a lot  
less power and might also crank over the engine faster, aiding starting and 
less  hard on the battery, etc.
 
One big advantage for me (my TR3A is early enough to have the 'bomb'  
starter originally, and it was a nightmare) was that I felt the gear reduction  
unit was so reliable that I no longer needed the crank hole in the radiator.  
This allowed me to get the radiator re-cored without the hole, giving me (I 
 think) 20-25% more cooling capacity. Obviously, there are other advantages 
to  having the crank hole, such as turning the engine over when adjusting 
points,  valves, etc., but there easy are ways around that.
 
I've owned TR3A's with the later starter and did have the occasional  
starter reliability issue, but nothing too bad. If it were me, I'd still stump  
up the money for a gear-reduction unit. Mine's been on my car for several 
years  now with no problems, and I love the low power draw and how it cranks 
over the  engine. I ordered mine directly from Moss, I think. 
 
Sorry that's such a lengthy reply.
 
Tim
TS22930LO


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