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MG TD TF 1500 - Running the T with no starter?

Don't recall this one ever comming up before on this board! Here goes:
Starter if off the car and going in for a re-build.
Cable from switch to starter removed ...just in case "somebody" forgets and pulls on it ...so it can't short out.
Car starts fine with hand crank.

SO ...would it be a good idea for me to make some kind of "blanking cover" to keep crap from getting in there while I wait for my starter to come back from re-build? Have a local shop I trust to do the re-build.

Not going to let a little thing like not having a starter keep me from driving the car.
Actually might be kind of fun. Car draws a crowd as it is ...I suspect starting it with a crank will draw even more of a crowd!
David Sheward

i wouldn't worry about the hole..unless you are going swamping... regards, tom
tom peterson

This ^^^
Or duct tape.

FRM
FR Millmore

Shortly after getting our TD and it was my wife's everyday car, the starter bit the dust. I pulled the starter and overhauled it, ordering parts from MM. With shipping time, the starter was out of the car for over a week. During that time my wife continued to drive the car, doing what a young wife and mother of two little children, with the additional task of starting the car with a starting handle. I never closed up the hole and the TD never suffered from that neglect. Cheers - Dave

PS. The above was 30 some years ago and to this day, the TD is my wife's car of choice whenever she needs to go someplace.
David DuBois

Dave,
I've got to ask,,,,,, why didn't you get a Starter from an MG midget????? It sould be avaiable from your local auto parts store.. You can still have you orig one rebuilt, and then have the Miget starter for a spare...
I'm sure it starts fine with the crank,,, but there always is the posibility of some one damageing their arm,,,,,

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

Thanks everyone...guess I was being "overly protective"!

Just pulled it out 7/17.
Might put it back in today.
Kind of strange. Went to start it and apeared "jambed". Rocking in gear did not help.
Gave it a slight "love tap" and started, but was making an awfull sound.
(Best discription:Like a bag of wild banchies in a washing machine screamming for their lives)

Removed to inspect, started car with crank, awfull sound gone. Suspected bearing in starter bad?
(front "plate" seemed to have a bit of wiggle in it)
Gears look fine, so I clamped it in a vise and applied 12volts. Spins freely, "kick-back" (or what ever you call it) functions, and no more "banchies".

(foot-note: Friend stopped by just as I was crank starting, something he had never seen. He was amazed.)

Thinking I will put it back in today and see what happens.
I have a local guy that does my re-builds very quickly (like 1 day turn around) so couldn't see buying a new starter as a spare ..."crank" is my spare!

Younger days drove a car for a year that I always parked on a hill....to bad that one didn't have a crank start! LOL
David Sheward

Dave,
One of the many things to be cautious about,,, besides the arm wrenching kick-back,,, and probably the most obvious would be,, don't try to start it with the crank whilst the car is in first gear!!!!!!!!!!

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

"I've got to ask,,,,,, why didn't you get a Starter from an MG Midget????? It sould be avaiable from your local auto parts store."

Didn't know about that at the time. Besides that, we probably couldn't have afforded it at the time. Cheers - Dave
David DuBois

I don't believe the bellhousing is completely sealed around the starter, principally the Bendix sticking out the back.
I just had my knee replaced, and one week later, we were heading to our MG Club meeting, but the Bendix wouldn't budge. The starter just spun but the engine wouldn't move. Unable to crawl under the car, I sprayed the starter shaft with WD40, stuck a crow bar down against the pinion, push the button on our starter solenoid, and it has been starting great ever since.
Lube your Bendix generously while it is out.
Jim Northrup

i was taught in A&P school and all i have read since says dirt is the usual cause of bendix failure, often a result of over lubrication. just my experience and training only. perhaps a dry silicon spray.

regards, tom
tom peterson

"Compression stroke" something this family has know about for quite a while!

I have been known to crank start sometimes just for fun. I love to put the handle in place at car shows and watch the youngsters looking at it.

"Hey mister, is that how you wind up the rubber band?"

Much of the younger genaration have heard of cars being started this way, but never actually seen it done. They seem to enjoy it.

The wife, on the other hand, runs for the hills.
Her first, (and last) experance with the old "C/S" came from trying to start my 58 Panhead with the advance "not quite" set right. I thought the sight of a 5'2" Greek Chick flying was pretty cool...uh, she did not. She did still like sitting on it playing "Bad-A##" though.


David Sheward

She reminded me of something else.
Her hair was down to her knees so she used to "braid" it through the peace symbol on the sissy bar so it wouldn't get caught in the sproket and chain!

Guess we should have applied for a "motor cycle restraint system patten".
Trusted me a lot more back then! LOL
David Sheward

Remember the safe way to hold the crank, thumb on the back side. Two years ago I had a Modle T kickback on me. My wrist is still very painful
-David
D. Sander

I have a feeling, the static ignition timing of 0 degrees advance was more for hand cranking than engine performance.
Jim Northrup

Took the starter down to my re-builder for a look.
Same conculsion as my "not so expert" opnion.
Nothing wrong with it.
Going to put it back in today and see if the "noise" comes back.

First going to run it around a little without the starter installed to make sure the noise is not there.
(My first thought was "throw-out bearing")

At first it was a High pitch chirping ...but would go away when I shifted to another gear. The other day was present in all gears and regardless of clutch being in or out. (even reverse). But it went away after I took the starter off.

Possibly a you-tube video comming soon if I can't figure this one out!
David Sheward

Sounds like the pinion gear spring rattling. As for the original issue, I would guess the pinion gear got stuck and the engine was spinning the starter motor at warp speed. Its unusual but I have seen it happen.
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 18/07/2012 and 21/07/2012

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