[TR] TR3A electrical/starter trouble

[spook01@comcast.net]

I would chalk this up to the known triumph revenge of "leave me in the winter by myself, I'll get you in the spring, you b--t--d."

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----- Reply message -----
From: KingsCreekTrees at aol.com
To: <triumphs at autox.team.net>
Subject: [TR] TR3A electrical/starter trouble
Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2012 19:48


Hi Everyone;
 
I have an early TR3A that, as usual, I have stored for the winter. Today, I 
 gave it a full ignition tune-up and changed the negative cable (it's still 
 positive ground/earth) because it wasn't gripping the battery terminal 
tightly  enough (upon starting, this was causing a loud click and sudden 
absence of  ignition light, last year).
 
While I was at it, I also made sure all connections were fine, including  
cleaning up the ground cable, where the coil mounts (it was fine  anyway).
 
Then, I tried to start it: Ignition on, press the button and nothing. The  
ignition light dims a bit, no clicking, ammeter shows discharge of, say, 10  
amps. 
 
If I try it a few times, I can hear a faint clicking from the  
gear-reduction starter.
 
I re-cleaned the battery connections, gave the starter a couple of good  
hits, charged the battery (it was fine anyway). Still the same symptom, 
although  the clicking from the starter seems a bit louder and more consistent 
(though  it's still quiet).
 
I'm not very good at diagnosing electrical faults, so I wondered if anyone  
might have any hints. Much better with mechanical faults. Also, could it be 
 a faulty solenoid? I seem to remember that the gear reduction starters 
come  with an integral solenoid, obviating the one mounted on the 
firewall/scuttle.  Can I just by-pass it? At the moment, I have a cable going from the 
starter to  the soilenoid, then one from the solenoid to the battery. I would 
have thought  that, as they're both on the same terminal, that it wouldn't 
make any  difference.
 
Sorry this is so long...
 
Tim

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