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 TD TF 1500 - Replacing starter in a TD

I'm new to a lot of mechanical work. I need to replace the starter on my 1951 TD. Any advice on things to watch out for or do? Any help appreciated. Thanks.
Andrew

Andrew,
There is nothing difficult about replacing the starter,,, for a first timer, take a photo of what it looks like now and where every thing is connected, and just replace everything in the same place,,, FIRST. disconnect the battery,,,,

Actually, why do you think your starter has to be replaced ??? What symptoms does it have ??
Steve
Steve

I went to start the car after making a minor fix (replaced the broken carburator linkage) to test it. The car cranked but didn't catch on the first try. Next try it didn't turn over at all. I turned the key off, waited a moment, then turned the key back on and pulled the starter. Nothing. First thought was, I must have knocked something out of place when I was working on the carb. Checked everything, and it all looked right. Next thought, maybe the battery is dead. Tried to jump start the car, but it wouldn't turn over at all. Talked to a local shop about my problems and they said it was most likely the starter.

Anything else I should check?
A Bartlett

Andrew, pull the battery and take it to the local Auto Zone or equivalent -- even Walmart -- and have it tested. May just be low charge. If battery ok, then check the connections, including the connection at the starter switch in the engine compartment. If they are all ok and still not turning over -- use a wrench on the end of the starter and turn it to be sure it rotates freely. Let us know how you progress.
Regards,
Dennis


D F Sexton

Andrew,

It could also be the starter switch. Over time the contacts will burn.

Good luck,
Evan
Evan Ford - TD 27621

I'll try turning the starter. The battery and starter switch are new within the last year. I tried to jump the car, so it should start even if the battery is low (the lights work fine as well). All the connections look good. I'll keep you all updated on progress. Thanks for the suggestions.
A Bartlett

Hi Andrew, the bit about the engine not turning over when you jump start the car has me worried.

First remove all the spark plugs and then try to crank the engine over with the ignition switched off. There is a possibility that the engine is so completely flooded that it won't turn over.

This happens when the car is parked on a hill with it's nose pointed down the hill. I know from personal experience. The petrol needs to be bled out of the cylinders.

Cheers,

Paul.
Paul van Gool

Put the car in 2nd gear, with key in the off position and rock the car so the motor turns over a bit. Doesn't take much. Then try to start it with the key. Sometimes starters will lock up and this should take care of it if it is.

Don
Don

It's quite possible that your starter needs a good clean and new brushes. A very important alert - a pair of the brushes connect to the fild coil windings and you have to solder in the new ones. Some starters have aluminium field coil windings and the copper tails on the original brushes are joined to the aluminium by a special process which you can't replicate at home. Its vital when you cut the tails on the original brushes you leave a small section of the copper to which you can solder the new brushes to. Cut to close to the aluminium and the starters scrap.


Jan T
Jan Targosz

You can also use a less expensive starter from an MG midget
Steve

Hey, Andrew -

I had a similar problem with my car a couple of years ago. Same problem, slow kind of chugging, like a dead or flat battery. Sometimes it would start, sometimes it wouldn't. Sometimes it wouldn't crank at all. I would then put a wrench on the end of the starter, turn it a bit (turned freely), then tried again. A bit of a chug then nothing. Replaced battery - seemd better for a while.

Long story short (too late!), turned out to be a bad starter. It had burned section of coils, so that under load, it would just bind up. A new re-built starter solved the problem. Took about 15-minutes to replace. The most difficult issue was extracting the starter around the exhaust header. WOuld have been a piece of cake without the header, but much more effort to remove the header.

Larry
'51 TD
Larry Thompson

A common problem is that the bendix gear gets jammed and locked to the flywheel. To provide for this hangup, the starter armature has a square shank sticking out of the other end from the flywheel. It may have a cap over it. Remove the cap and turn the starter backwards with a wrench ( it's about 7/16 square ). The bendix should spring back with a big "klunk".
This results from worn and dirty parts in the bendix gear system and or worn teeth on the stater ring gear.
Don Harmer

R&R'd TF starter motor recently too, and
had it professionally overhauled (worth it).

The guys at the shop tell me to let the
pinion gear assembly to run dry, it does not
need grease or anything. They say any gunk
will just collect more dirt and cause more
hassles in the long run.


"Modern" starter motors for later cars are
smaller and do not look the same as the old
Lucas boat-anchor. Although a new unit could
have been adapted to fit the XPAG/XPEG, it
would definitely not look original.

In my case, the cost to overhaul was less
than price of the new/impostor unit so
the choice was easy.
Will

Lubricate the bendix drive with a soft pencil or better still flake graphite which is sold by locksmiths.


Jan T
Jan Targosz

When you try to jump start, don't forget that most TDs have positive ground. Check carefully, because some cars have been converted to negative ground.

Steve Markman
50 TD
Steve Markman

Andrew,

You might also try starting with the hand crank. I used mine with good success when I had my starter problem. Be very careful, the kick-back can be dangerous. There was a thread a while ago regarding safety issues.

Larry Thompson
Larry Thompson

Update:

I almost had the starter out: loosened the bolts but the starter wouldn't budge. Realized about the nut at the end, took off the cap and turned the nut, and the starter loosened up. "Can't be that easy," I thought as I decided to rebolt everything to see if it would start. It started right up.

Thanks for all the advice. It really helped.

FYI, when I jump started it, I checked which terminal was grouned before I jumped it. Positive is grounded on my car.
A Bartlett

Way to go Andrew!
Jammed bendix/pinion has always been an issue with these cars. There's even a diagram of it under "jammed starter pinion" in the Electrical Equipment section of the TD and TF owner's manuals.
Terry McArthur

Terry is correct, the reference in the Owners Manual is
Section N; Electrical Equipment: The STARTER MOTOR, 3.,
on page N.20
See the warning there about serious damage that can result.
As I suggested earlier, this is a common problem. Fixes are as above in the later comments. (Up to replacing the ring gear and bendix if bad)
Don Harmer

This thread was discussed between 07/10/2003 and 12/10/2003

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG TD TF 1500 BBS is active now.