New Starter motor

daytona

daytona

0
After a year of intermittent starting problems I bit the bullet and invested in a Hi-Torque starter motor from Jules at Ratsport and a new Bosch battery.
After having to remove the manifolds to get the 12 year old starter off and a bit of a clean up in that area, then disposing of the 40?odd year old soleniod then tidying the associated wiring, I now have a vehicle that starts like a modern (sweet as a nut).
I must say it's not cheap but i feel i now have confidence in the engines ability to start in an instant and can't recommend these starters highly enough, they certainly do what is says on the tin. :cool:
 
Yep I fitted a Wasp starter to the rebuilt Alpine engine I fitted to Pootle and starting is instant. Brilliant upgrade to replace old Lucas Bendix type....
 
Mine is always a little slow, seems to fire up but an immediate start would be lovely so Keep thinking about one of these as (a Christmas present) - anyone have a link to the correct ones? Thank you
 
Do these work well 'instead of' or 'as well as' fuel pump / inertia switch. Any in situ photos... Is this an easy swap... Panky you have an old post saying it's all a bit tight around the exhaust... But starting every time first time is still the dream!
 
My exhaust isn't standard so others should be OK. They are not the be all and end all so if you have underlying starting problems they won't fix them. One of the reasons they are an improvement is that the draw less current when cranking the engine so any voltage drop to the ignition is reduced when compared to a normal starter.
Bonnie still has her original starter motor and is the easiest to start of all my vehicles, I only fitted the Hi-torque one to Harvey because his original was knackered and a standard one would have been even closer to the exhaust.
 
Cracking ta Jon - I should have took the first post in properly which told me!
I’m guessing they crank quicker, that’s what I’m after
 
Hi
The ratsport ones on http://www.triumphshop.co.uk/ratspo...StarterMotorHiTorque/StarterMotorHiTorque.htm
seem to use the same Nipon-Densi motors and gearboxes as the unit I got from WOSP at
Basically these units use a modern geared DC motor with rare-earth magnets to spin the engine faster using much less current than the old wound field Lucas motors so help start the engine quickly. Of course, as Panky says, if you have an underlying ignition/fuel/compression issue this won't fix it....
They aren't cheap at about £250 as I recall but they do seem to be a good upgrade...
As regards fitting they are smaller than the old Lucas motor and can be rotated on their multi-hole mounting plate so fitting is easy.
Mounted here on Pootle's Alpine engine;engine and starter.jpg



Tony
 
Hi all,

I'm also looking at getting on of the Ratsport starter motors as mentioned above and wondering whether the cost over buying a new standard one is worth it. Martin has a standard replacement listed at around £95 and the Ratsport ones are in the region of £250.

Can anyone advise on how easy this is to fit in situ? Is it a straightforward swap while engine all in place, experience says that swapping out engine parts can be a very tight job in confined spaces! Any advice welcome.

Thanks,
Angus
 
Starter motor is pretty straightforward from underneath the van. Two bolts and the power connection (disconnect battery first) and it's off.
One of the bolt heads on the hi-torque starter is a little more awkward to get to but not that bad.
Is you current starter motor faulty or are you just upgrading?
 
Not an easy decision really.
I never liked the old Bendix type units as they are crude and inefficient but they have worked on millions of engines for decades and if the engine runs OK and electrics are OK then that's fine.
I'm sure there are old Lucas style pre-engaged starters on some Rootes engines too and they would be better than Bendix type and again fine if everything else is OK.
The modern high-torque starters are the 'best' option at the moment I think as they have modern efficient geared motors using pre-engaged mechanism but the downside is the cost. They won't fix an engine that has ignition/running/electric issues but they do spin up a cold engine quickly using minimal current so engine starting is given its best chance!
As ever, ye pays yer money and makes yer choice...
 
Thanks very much both, I've had starter problems for quite a while both on warm and cold starts so an upgrade could go along way, I think i'll bite the bullet and go for the more expensive one as I'm sure it will pay off in the long term, i'll let you know how I get on!

Thanks,
Angus
 
Hello Angus , how did the new starter motor work out ?? I have to take mine off to try and sort it as just doesn't want to start , engine turns so slow it wont catch !! Cheers , Ken
 
If it is turning slowly the starter could be the problem (brushes worn and commutator dirty possibly) but perhaps more likely is the supply to the starter motor. The old starter will probably try to draw over 100 amps so the electrical paths from the battery to the starter MUST be good otherwise you will get voltage drops which kill the power you need. I would measure voltage across the battery when cranking and also the voltage across the starter when cranking. Ideally you need 12V at the battery AND at the starter. Things to check are;
Battery earth cable and attachment points (clean, tight, rust free)
Battery feed to solenoid
Feed cable from solenoid to starter
You can also measure the voltage across the solenoid power contacts when cranking. When not cranking there will be 12V across the contacts and, if the contacts are OK, then they will close cleanly when cranking and there will be almost 0 volts across it...
Testing a starter off the vehicle doesn't tell you much really and connecting it for testing can be tricky - 35 years ago I connected a starter straight across a newly charged battery and there were lots of sparks. The starter spun fine so I learned nothing there but I did learn that allowing 10 mins after charging isn't long enough to let the hydrogen to safely disperse because the battery exploded in my face! Luckily the top of the battery was blown off and the acid went largely upwards rather than the main body bursting like a grenade! If testing a starter off the vehicle you must also be ready for the whole thing to twist violently when it starts to spin the rotor!
 
Back on this - finally my old inertia starter packed up, been running quite high compression at 190 due to a very skimmed head, think it had enough finally! Now swapped to a rebuilt less skimmed head and looking to replace the starter.
So the high torque stuff I guess are only pre engaged type so would require a mini re-wire.
Would I be right in thinking I’d only need to move the battery and starter to the same remote relay terminal and move the ignition trigger to the new starter?
Could I leave all the alternator wiring as is through the original relay?

Thanks
 
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