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TR2/3/3A Having an Issue with a Part Supplier and I'd like some advice from the Forum.....

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karls59tr

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I ordered a High Torque.starter for my TR3 from a supplier.At the time I ordered it I was unaware that somewhere in 1959 there was a change in the ring gear on the flywheel as follows...the 3 has a 91 tooth flywheel and a 9 tooth starter pinion gear. the"3a" has a 90 tooth ring gear and needs a 10 tooth starter pinion gear. The supplier sent me the earlier starter and when I installed it you could hear metal to metal grinding. I emailed the supplier to see if we could work out an exchange for the correct starter for my application because I now see that they have listed TR3a/TR3b/TR4 High Torque starter in stock which is what I need. When I emailed the supplier to try to resolve the issue here was the reply...."You have the correct starter.The 10 tooth pinion is no longer available, so we offset the 9 tooth to work with your flywheel. We have been selling this design for 20 years." How can you offset a 9 tooth pinion gear to mesh with a ring gear that requires a 10 tooth pinion gear??????? I think I am getting the run around here. Any thoughts?
 
karls59tr said:
I ordered a High Torque.starter for my TR3 from a supplier.At the time I ordered it I was unaware that somewhere in 1959 there was a change in the ring gear on the flywheel as follows...the 3 has a 91 tooth flywheel and a 9 tooth starter pinion gear. the"3a" has a 90 tooth ring gear and needs a 10 tooth starter pinion gear. The supplier sent me the earlier starter and when I installed it you could hear metal to metal grinding. I emailed the supplier to see if we could work out an exchange for the correct starter for my application because I now see that they have listed TR3a/TR3b/TR4 High Torque starter in stock which is what I need. When I emailed the supplier to try to resolve the issue here was the reply...."You have the correct starter.The 10 tooth pinion is no longer available, so we offset the 9 tooth to work with your flywheel. We have been selling this design for 20 years." How can you offset a 9 tooth pinion gear to mesh with a ring gear that requires a 10 tooth pinion gear??????? I think I am getting the run around here. Any thoughts?
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Just going out on a limb here, but it sounds like the whole shaft is moved slightly closer to the ring gear to allow for the difference in gear diameter. It could be as simple as a shim or perhaps the case is cast slightly thicker at the mounts (since they’ve been doing this for 20 years). Meanwhile though, why not just go with a standard starter? I just checked, they’re readily available.
 
CJD said:
Ask them how to go about setting the clearance?
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The thing is that they do sell a TR3a/TR3b/TR4 hi torque starter which I only became aware of recently. They say the 10 tooth pinion gear is unavailable? According to AI the TR4 typically has a 90 tooth ring gear so if they are selling a TR3a starter and it is the same as as the TR4 starter then the 3a starter must also have a 10 tooth pinon gear on it to match the 90 tooth ring gear. I think the whole problem comes down to me ordering a TR2-TR3 starter because at the time I did not know there were two different types of ring gear fitted. So the small letter "a" could be causing the issue but you would think they would offer me an exchange starter to correct the error. I do not know the logistics of making a 9 tooth gear into a 10 tooth gear by offsetting it... It's either one or the other is it not? Glad I have this forum to vent . I haven't heard back from them since told them about the "3a" starter they have in stock.
 
karls59tr said:
No. Bought it from a different supplier and they have just agreed to exchange the starter for the correct one.
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Gear design of the small gear can be designed to mesh with "almost any" ring gear within reason. The "offset" they are speaking about is not front to back but the spacing of the gear teeth on the pinion.
 
Gear design of the small gear can be designed to mesh with "almost any" ring gear within reason. The "offset" they are speaking about is not front to back but the spacing of the gear teeth on the pinion.
 
Glad they came through! I have recent been tossing years of accumulated parts that were wrong, won't fit, but I could not return them, LOL. I've reached an age where I am no longer saving junk "just in case" I might need it one day.
 
60TR3-Red said:
Gear design of the small gear can be designed to mesh with "almost any" ring gear within reason. The "offset" they are speaking about is not front to back but the spacing of the gear teeth on the pinion.
Click to expand...

60TR3-Red said:
Gear design of the small gear can be designed to mesh with "almost any" ring gear within reason. The "offset" they are speaking about is not front to back but the spacing of the gear teeth on the pinion.
Click to expand...
The story is not over yet. I mailed the TR3 starter back to the supplier and UPS delivered it on Friday. I sent them an email inquiring as to when they would send the correct starter but I have not heard back from them as yet. I will give them a few days. Here is the basic issue. A company sells a TR3 high torque starter and also sells a TR3A high torque starter. If the TR3 starter they initially sent has a 9 tooth pinion then that starter is for the Early TR3 with 91 teeth on the ring gear of the flywheel. Is it reasonable to assume that the "TR3A,TR3B,TR4" starter they advertise(which is the Later starter) has 10 teeth on the starter pinion and is made for the 90 tooth flywheel ring gear that I have on my car?
 
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