[TR] TR3A flywheel bolt on ring gear

[terryrs at comcast.net]

Hi, Bill.  Nope, didn't take the starter apart.  It worked fine before I changed the ring gear and flywheel assembly.  In fact, I'd had it rebuilt last year.  Am wondering if I have a mismatch on the old gear reduction starter and the replaced ring gear.  

I'll pull it this weekend.  Is it possible to install these upside down?  Not that I would of course.  That would be stoooopid.  I have never been that.  Well, once, maybe.  Maybe twice.  Maybe twice a year, or was it day, or what was it I did wrong twice in the past ten minutes??????


----- Original Message -----
From: "William Brewer" <billbrewer59 at yahoo.com>
To: "Triumphs List" <triumphs at autox.team.net>, terryrs at comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, February 18, 2016 2:56:31 PM
Subject: TR3A flywheel bolt on ring gear

Hi Terry,     Once I took my rusty TR3A starter apart and cleans everything up and lubed it. I put it in the car and the starter just whirred away without cranking the engine. ISTR that I pulled the starter and discovered that I had installed something in the wrong order on the starter shaft and the starter gear didn't pop out and engage. I put it back together right and it worked fine afterwards. Did you take apart your starter while it was out?

     -Bill Brewer     Tehachapi, CA


Question:  were there different gear ratios on the ring gear?  Reason I ask, while I had the OD tranny out, I replaced the flywheel with a freshly machined one.  It had a somewhat better condition ring gear already bolted on.  I don't know the year of production of the replacement flywheel.  Bolted the same starter back in, but when I try to start the engine, the starter clicks and whirrs, but doesn't engage. Jumped it with a good battery, seems to be a strong electrical current going in.  Engine turns freely by hand even with the spark plugs still in.

Thoughts?

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A  TS 58667
New Hampshire where in a two day period it went from minus 20 degrees to in the 50's.  Gotta love New England!