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MG MGB Technical - Bendix style starter problems

I have a 67 with the older Bendix style starters. Last January the starter would not engage the flywheel. I removed the starter and removed the pinion and the springs. Cleaned everything up and put it back together. I have no broken springs and the shaft is straight. The starter is about four years old and does not have many miles on it. Worked just fine for the past two months. I don’t drive the car every day, only when the weather permits. Yesterday, I had the car out several times and last night the starter would not engage the flywheel again. It just spins, but the gear will not spin onto the ring gear. Is there some trick on how to get these starters to work?
Jim Lema

Jim - The trick is probably to replace the ring gear (I know, you didn't want to hear that). I had the same problem last year while in California. I was able to get things working well enough to get home by replacing the starter, but the real problem was the ring gear being worn to the point that the gears wouldn't mesh properly. If you can roll the ca a bit in gear, it will rotate the flywheel and ring gear enough to get onto a unworn sectin and the gears will engage properly, but that is one hell of a way of getting the car started when out and about.
Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

Jim,

Just last night my starter did the same thing. What I discovered is that the rear circlip was laying on the garage floor along with the rear plate that holds the spring on the bendix. Just a matter of removing the starter and putting it back together. Hope you're as lucky.


Paul


















Paul Hanley

David
The pinion gear does not slide forward and engage the ring gear. It gets stuck on the starter shaft. When I had the starter out in January I did look at the ring gear and it looked good.

Paul
I haven't looked at the starter since pushing the car to start last night. Just wanted to get it in the garage, weather here in Seattle can change overnight.
Jim Lema

Jim
These things are hard to 'diagnose'. This winter, mine started to turn very slow despite the battery looking good on charge. I replaced the starter and it was OK for two weeks, then started spinning freely without engaging.A couple of days later it stuck on the ring gear. Due to work commitments I took it to my local garage who replaced the starter under warranty and it's been OK since (touch wood). In the past I've found that it's a very fine line. Too dry and it sticks and won't engage. To much lube and it sticks and won't engage. Always a bit of trial and error in my experience. In the 70's I ran a midget for ages with three teeth missing on the ring gear.It never failed to engage and start but made one hell of a noise. In the end it cracked the end plate on the starter at the flywheel end!!
Dave
Dave Wellings

Maaany years ago I had the same problem on a Mini and had it out to clean it several times. Then an old hand told me to put a drop of light oil on the spiral between shaft and pinion, in direct contravention of the usual instruction *not* to oil it, and had no more problems. Only one drop mind.
Paul Hunt

I use graphite lock lubricant on the spiral shaft. Of course, as I said above, mine decided to purge its parts but I think its unrelated! Should have renewed that circlip during rebuild.

So Jim, have you visually inspected while someone turns the key in nuetral? Or with starter soliniod if you have push button type. What's the bendix doing?

Cheers

Paul
Paul Hanley

Some things never change. I had one stick on an almost new Sunbeam Alpine in 1964. The Sunbeam did have a hand crank. As I recall, I did what Paul said, I lubricated it and no more problem. FWIW, Clifton
Clifton Gordon

Sprayed the shaft and the spring with rust release and hit the pinion with the big end of a long screw driver and got it to move. It was stuck about 1/2 inch from the spring and about 1/2 inch from the ring gear. Works now, but when I take the car today I always parked with the nose pointing downhill. Oil does not work, the shaft felt sticky. Guess I will have to find something that lubricates but does not get sticky or pick up dirt.
Jim Lema

Jim - You may have to disassemble the entire drive gear and clean everything, using something like Brake-clean that doesn't leave a residue. If there is any rust, that needs to be removed with a wire wheel. Once everything is dry and rust free, Spray everything with a dry lube such as the type used on circular saw blades. One place you can get something like this is at The Woodworker Shop at 3823 Stoneway N in Seattle. Good luck - Dave
David DuBois

This thread was discussed between 12/03/2004 and 14/03/2004

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