TR4/4A Some good news and some bad news on the TR4

[tdskip]

So the good news is that I'm not a complete idiot and the reason I couldn't get her to turn over is that the ring gear and parts of the starter basically broke to bits and were jammed.

Um, that is also the bad news....

Ouch!

 

[TR4nut]

Ouch is right. And you just about had me sold on a new high torque starter since my current one is fading badly.

I wonder if it is a problem with the ring gear orientation? Pretty sure the bevel on the gear is towards the transmission with the stock starter, but with the newer starters, maybe the bevel goes towards the engine? Just thinking out loud, not sure if you are ready for such thoughts yet though so you have my sympathies!

Randy

 

[TR3driver]

Wow, that does sound grim ! Any chance you managed to get a TR2-3A version starter ? They look exactly the same but have smaller pinion gears. Happened to a friend of mine, who didn't realize his 'Frankenstein' TR2 had a later ring gear in it. Starter worked at first, but rapidly degraded until it only turned the engine 1/4 turn or so and made bad noises. His didn't break anything, but it could have.

The 'gear drive' starters don't really need the beveled teeth, as they engage before they start turning (unlike the original Bendix starters). Even Triumph installed the pre-engaged starters that way.

I ran a gear-drive for about 5 years on my daily driver 3A. Worked great, right up until it got wrecked. My only complaint was that it no longer sounded like a tractor motor while starting ... more like a jet engine spooling up !

 

[tdskip]

Ouch is right. And you just about had me sold on a new high torque starter since my current one is fading badly.

I think the ring gear was failing BEFORE I replaced the starter. I don't blame the starter - i should have caught it when I first bought her. In fact - she had a "quarter loose in the washing machine" sound which I think were broken teeth....

The TR6 starter is dead and I'm still going to use a high-torque one.

 

[Brosky]

Ouch, ouch, ouch.....

Sorry to hear the news.

 

[tdskip]

Ouch, ouch, ouch.....

Sorry to hear the news.

Hey - what are you going to do. It broke - that happens once very 40 years or so - LOL.

Could have been worse - could have been the engine - but this is still going to be an expensive Triumph week (which is my own doing on having a couple so I'm not going to complain too much).