MG-Cars.net

Welcome to our resource for MG Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGB Technical - Starter Jingle

The stock inertia starter on my '67 GT has developed a jingle. I traced it to the drive gear assembly. It jingles when the engine is running normally above 2500 rpm. It sounds like the gear assembly is vibrating against the shaft. It is loud enough to hear while driving the car.

Is this normal, or is it a sign of impending doom? Thanks. -G.
Glenn G

By the drive gear assembly I assume you mean the Bendix! Sounds more like the motor itself is lose or the gear isn't disengageing from the ring gear.
Take the motor off, unless of course the bolts are lose, and clean the Bendix with some brake cleaner and have a look. Could be just sticking or possibly, from the "jingle"sound, a broken spring,
Allan Reeling

Glenn -
As soon as I read the subject heading I could hear it -"the MGB jingle". It was common when there were lots of these in regular use. I don't recall it is necessarily a problem. All you can do is take the drive apart and figure out what is loose. There are a couple of light springs in the drive, plus all the washers and other bits. It was always difficult to get bits for these and is probably impossible now. The drive is close to unique for MGB.

FRM
FR Millmore

I had the starter out of the car last winter when I swapped in a rebuilt gear reduction starter. That didn't work out, so I cleaned up the original and put it back in. The bolts are tight; the sound is definitely coming from the pinion and barrel and parts within. I had to look at the drawing in the factory manual to get the official names of those parts. Looking at the drawing reminded me that I was not able to completely disassemble the parts because I couldn't figure out how to remove the center sleeve retaining pin (#6 in the drawing on page N.10). If I could get that pin out, I'd have a good chance of repairing the assembly, as I have a spare starter for parts. -G.
Glenn G

Compress 4, remove 2, 3, 4. Can't remember how you get the pin out if it is not the through type, but I think it is loose once you get the spring and anchor plate off. The instructions are confusing and I recall that there seemed to be constant variations in parts.

FRM
FR Millmore

Glenn, I always thought it was normal. All parts have a natural frequency and the starter unfortunately vibrates with the engine. I think I put a whole new gear unit on when I rebuilt my starter 14 years ago.
Why didn't your reduction gear starter work out? I thought they were supposed to be the bee's knees!


FRM, I always imagined it was standard Lucas stuff, they made a little starter for the midget, Mini, Hillman Imp, Vauxhall Viva, Ford Escort etc., a medium sized one for the MGA, MGB, Morris Oxford, Austin 1800, Ford Cortina, Hillman Hunter, etc. with even bigger ones for bigger cars and lorries. Your right though, they're probably most common on MGBs nowadays.
Mike

Mike -
Almost right, but the MGB drive is not like anything else I've seen on any Lucas equipped car. Most of the under 2 litre cars you mention use the same unit, with a couple of different mounting plates. Bigger cars like Rover, 6 cyl Healey, Jag use a bigger starter.

FRM
FR Millmore

The gear reduction starter pinion gear was too close to the flywheel, and it made a terrible racket as the flywheel teeth hit it the first time I started the engine. I shimmed the starter to fix this. The manufacturer suggested that the poor clearance resulted from the mating of an early gearbox and later 18V engine in my car. Then the other problem was that the starter would not always start the car. The solenoid would move the pinion, but the starter would not turn. I theorized that the pinion was not getting fully engaged in the ring gear. If I moved the flywheel a little by pushing the car, the starter would work. I bought the gear reduction starter thinking it would resolve my starter problems, but it did not, so I returned it. -G.
Glenn G

The "jingle" noise is pretty much standard on MGAs as well.
When I got my present MGA 4 years ago, almost 30 after I last drove one, the first thing I heard was the jingle coming from somewhere in the drivers footwell.
To me it is a really welcoming sound as when I hear it I am always having a great time

It seems to be more obvious at the point that you need to change up a gear and I have always thought it was the natural vibration frequency of the starter bendix.

I wouldnt try to stop it, I would just use it as an indicator that.

1: You are having a good time

2: The starter bendix is still attached!

Colyn


Colyn Firth

Gentlemen, thanks for the insight. I will now begin to appreciate the jingle rather than fearing it. -G.
Glenn G

This thread was discussed between 25/05/2011 and 27/05/2011

MG MGB Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGB Technical BBS is active now.