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The car runs fine. Light tan color on plugs. Lots of power. I can understand having to use full choke on the first start of the day but after driving and the car sits for a while then when I go to start it up I get slow cranking of the starter. Pull out the choke and it fires right up. Is the starter getting old? Any thoughts on this? Karl
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TR2/3/3A Have to always use a full choke to start the car?
- Thread starter karls59tr
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CJD
Yoda
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Compression is higher on a warm engine, once all the parts are expanded. Then, electrical parts loose efficiency when hot. These 2 facts result in it being harder on the starter for it to crank a warm engine. That said...it is all designed to easily crank your engine...cold or hot. If it is slowing down when hot, then I would first check all the large cable connections from the battery to ground...the block to frame...and the starter through the solenoid back to the battery. Most times a cranking problem is corrosion or loose connections in the wiring. After that, then it is time to check the battery and starter.
If your engine starts better hot with the choke out, then the carbs may be set a bit lean. A sign of a lean idle is the engine will slowly roll faster and then slower, back and forth a few hundred RPM.
If your engine starts better hot with the choke out, then the carbs may be set a bit lean. A sign of a lean idle is the engine will slowly roll faster and then slower, back and forth a few hundred RPM.
Around here in Washington State when fall and winter start, my engine cools very quickly and will need some choke after an hour or ½ hour sitting in the cold- depending on temp. Perhaps you have 2 different situations going, a weak starting system connections, battery, or starter.
I think the carbs sound correct and I would leave them or maybe ½ turn richer. Sounds like you are very close to fine running engine. What RPM does the engine idle at after the engine has been run for say a ½ hour?
Steve
I think the carbs sound correct and I would leave them or maybe ½ turn richer. Sounds like you are very close to fine running engine. What RPM does the engine idle at after the engine has been run for say a ½ hour?
Steve
Well it's a bit of a mystery since it was doing it in the summer as well? All the starting system connections seem OK. I put in a new battery to rule that out. No change.After the engine has run I get an 1100 rpm idle which seems a bit high but I have a mild street cam so that might account for the high idle? The motor does not seem happy at 800 and wants to stall out. Other than that it pulls strong and runs great. It might be worth my while to pull the starter out and have it tested but I hear that it is difficult to find a shop that works on these old time starters and I'm not sure i want to go with one of the newer type starters.
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You my friend are a victim of the SU needles.Your needles are too lean down low, but very close
at higher RPM. There are literally dozens of different profiles for these needles. Contact an SU
specialist and tell him which needle you have and see if he can find you a new pair.
The other option is to sand the needles in the area of too lean( fat part in your case)
Done in a drill with very fine paper and a Micrometer.
Mad dog
at higher RPM. There are literally dozens of different profiles for these needles. Contact an SU
specialist and tell him which needle you have and see if he can find you a new pair.
The other option is to sand the needles in the area of too lean( fat part in your case)
Done in a drill with very fine paper and a Micrometer.
Mad dog
Well last time I pulled the plugs they were a "tan" color maybe I will try to richen up the mixture to get a "darker tan" color as some others have also suggested a lean mixture.
I believe the last time I changed the needles I used the Moss RH which is rich. I am going to try to make the mixture a bit richer to see what happens. I'll do a before and after plug check. Putting the car away for winter in 2 days.
This winter I may pull the carbs and replace the needles. Last time I pulled them when I was doing the head gasket I thought(not sure) the needle surface looked a little striated? Maybe rubbing against the jet bearings??? If so I will replace both needles(so many options there like you say) and bearings and make sure everything is centered properly. Keep in mind that the car pulls strong and has lots of power and still is a blast to drive. The starter may still be the issue though?
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With either a hot or cold engine, you should not have slow cranking. That has nothing to do with the mixture. Futzing with the needles won't do anything to make it crank faster.
I would start with this known problem. First, make sure the battery is completely charged; put it on an external charger. Then do a load test. (Load tester from Harbor Fright, about $20.) Clean all the battery and starter connections, even if they look good. Make sure they are tight. If the battery tests OK, and you still have the problem, it's either the starter or your charging system.
The mechanical voltage regulators don't do a good job of keeping the battery charged, and the new Lucas ones are not correctly adjusted at the factory. You might just have a poorly charged battery.
I would start with this known problem. First, make sure the battery is completely charged; put it on an external charger. Then do a load test. (Load tester from Harbor Fright, about $20.) Clean all the battery and starter connections, even if they look good. Make sure they are tight. If the battery tests OK, and you still have the problem, it's either the starter or your charging system.
The mechanical voltage regulators don't do a good job of keeping the battery charged, and the new Lucas ones are not correctly adjusted at the factory. You might just have a poorly charged battery.
I mentioned in my first post that I am using a new battery. Fully charged.The connections are tight. I am running an alternator that is charging correctly. I suspect the starter.
What brand did you buy for your car? Wasn't there something about counting the teeth on the ring gear when ordering. My Tr3 is a 1960 so i believe it to be a TR3A. Karl
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I'm looking at your first post and I don't see that.
In any case, it very well might be the starter. But how do you know that the new battery is good, and how do you know it's fully charged? I have had new batteries go bad almost immediately, more than once, and if you are depending on the car's charging system, I can almost guarantee it's not fully charged. The way to be sure it to do a load test on the battery and charge it with an external charger.
From my Land Rover, a Lucas starter motor, sister of TR-3.
My Series II starter motor was very slow and barely able to start my engine.
Mechanically it looked fine, good bearing and all but I had the commutator turned and trued and then started working on the Insulation between the commutator segments. It took a few hours using the back edge of a hacksaw blade ground into a hook. The mica insulation is very hard but after grooving it out and reinstalling the starter it worked like new. Hope this helps someone.
Here's commutator after cleaning out insulation.
Thanks for that info. That looks doable. Were you able to find replacement brushes and other small bits for your starter?
Graham H
Jedi Warrior
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I can't remember the brand, the car came with an upgraded starter, all the usual suspects will have them
Graham
