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MG TD TF 1500 - Starting Problems

I went to start my car today (1951 TD) and it wouldn't. It turned over 3 or 4 times, but very slowly, then wouldn't turn over at all. I'm getting power because the fuel pump ticks. It's almost as though the battery is dead (it's only a month old) and doesn't have enough juice to turn the engine over due to the compression(yes, the engine turns freely), though I don't hear any ratcheting sound typical of a domestic car when the battery is low. I drove the car yesterday, and it seemed to start okay, though did groan a little bit.

As I sit here typing I wonder - is it possible that the generator isn't charging the battery sufficiently? Is there a way to test this with an ampmeter (I don't trust the one on the car)? Is there any special trick to jump starting a positive ground car with a negative ground car? I did try to start the car with the crank, but no luck. Not even a burble (technical term). I am a bit baffled.

Any suggestions would be helpful. We still have some wonderful driving days left, and I would like to use them.

Larry
Larry Thompson

I've started my TD with the crank many times when the battery was too flat with no problems. To jump start, just connect positive to positive, negative to negative, and make sure the vehicles are not touching each other. If your ampmeter shows a charge while the engine is running, it is probably accurate enough, and something is probably draining the battery.

Good Luck, George B.
George B. Wildomar

See the archive. I had exactly similar problems and it turned out to be a high resistance path in the starter switch. The contacts must be very clean, ground to make perfect contact, then a hard pull on the starter cable to make good contact. The battery just cannot shove 300 amps down a resistance of more than 1/10 of an ohm. Check the resitance of the started switch with a meter.

regards
Paul Joachim

My first guess also is the starter switch. BUT any poor connection in the battery to starter back around
thru ground circuit, could cause the same problem.
Clean: (1) battery to ground connections
(2) battery to switch
(3) switch to starter ( and be sure the starter bolts to engine are tight)
(4) engine to frame strap

If any of these are corroded or loose, then you will get too big a voltage
drop across the connection when attempting to draw starting current.
With little current being drawn, other items ( fuel pump, etc) will run normally.
Don Harmer. Atlanta

Thanks for all your comments. I had also thought about the starter switch being bad. As far as the other connections (battery, ground, etc.) they all seem to be good and tight, no corrosion. I'll check the starter switch. What is a correct resistance value?

Larry
Larry Thompson

Larry; IMHO, the best solution to correct a suspected poor
connecion in the starter circuit is to slightly loosen all
the related connections, rotate the lugs or connectors +/- 15
degrees then tighten them in their original positions. As far
what the proper ohmic value should be, Zero is a nice figure
to have. Don't forget your ohmeter is measuring resistance at
a few microamps of current, your starter is drawing several
hundred amperes of current(probably in the 300-400 Amp range)
Good Luck
Arnie Molloy
Arnie Molloy

If the fuel pump's clicking then there must be some juice in the battery. If the starter circuit is not at fault you might consider problems with the starter itself. I had an a similar problem with my TC a few weeks ago, although I was able to use the crank to start the car. It turned out that the commutator was badly worn. Compared with a good starter it ran at about a tenth of the speed, with very little torque to speak of. It's since been overhauled and we're back to normal.
Dave Norris

Thanks to all who have contributed to solving my problem. The problem appears to lie with the starter - all connections good, starter switch good (new one), car starts right up with crank. If I turn the end of the commutator a few turns with a wrench and try to start, I get a very quick spin out of the starter, then it binds up again.

Any idea on what it would cost to rebuild the starter. A new rebuilt from Moss is $90. Hopefully rebuilding could save me some $$$.

Thanks.

Larry
Larry Thompson

Before you commit to buying a new (rebuilt) starter pop the
strap and look at the condition of your brushes and springs.
If the brushes are worn, They are not difficult at all to
replace and at $8.00 are a better bargain than the $90.00 tab
you mentioned.Good Luck!

Arnie Molloy
53 TD
Arnie Molloy

Larry, one other thing you might want to check is the condition of the bushings at either end of the armature shaft. I had a situation where these bushings were worn so badly, the armature dragged on the field coils as it rotated and would grind to a halt mighty quick. Just an additional thought.
Jim Merz Missouri STL-QB@msn.com

Moss Motors has a Lucas Electrical Handbook for about 6 bucks. I has all the info. you need to check electrics and how to do it. Most of the other advice you have received is worth checking
colin stafford

This thread was discussed between 06/10/1999 and 13/10/1999

MG TD TF 1500 index

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