TR2/3/3A Starter,Solenoid, Ignition Switch Issue?

[karls59tr]

When starting the car the starter would crank a couple of slow revolutions then kick in with a "Bang". Thinking that the starter was on the way out I took it in to a repair shop. Turns out it was in good shape they just replaced a worn out front bushing.I reinstalled the starter and tried it out. Seemed to crank quicker but the same violent bang before start up! The battery has a good charge and the connections are clean and solid. I suspect it's an issue with ignition switch or maybe the Solenoid but I'm not sure what I'm looking for there...bad connection,loose wiring, some kind of electrical surge? I'm going to pull the switch and see if I can see some kind of anomaly. When I tried the push button switch at the firewall I got the same affect but not as intense. Any ideas on what's going on there?

 

[Geo Hahn]

I cannot recall which starter you have (change point was in 1959) but my TR4 has the later version and it engages with a fairly distinct noise one might call a bang. Been do that for 20 years. I see no evidence of a problem on the starter or the flywheel.

 

[sp53]

Probably a scared up ring gear and the starter is banging and not meshing. 4 cylinders basically shut off in the same two spots each time you cut the power because the pistons stop on opposing compression strokes. This takes a toll on the ring gear after time. The best way to see it is to pull the starter and look in the hole. A test you could try to check this theory is put the car in 4 gear then push it a couple of feet moving the ring gear to a different spot on 360 degree circle and then see if it bangs when you try and start it.

 

[CJD]

+1 with Steve's thought.

Curious though, does it behave the same if you use the solenoid manual button?

 

[Sarastro]

I immediately thought "ring gear" also when I read the original post. It does happen; here's what greeted me when I removed my engine:

 

[karls59tr]

+1 with Steve's thought.

Curious though, does it behave the same if you use the solenoid manual button?

Turns out the problem was not really related to the starter. It seems that although the battery posts looked OK there was a thin layer of something(grease,oil who knows?) coating the battery posts. This is something that Randall warned about in one of the previous forum threads. Also the Neg cable connection at the firewall had some kind of shmutz on it that was making for a poor ground. I cleaned everything up with 80 grit till it was shiny and now have instant start ups. Glad I pulled the starter though seeing as how the front bushing was bad. Thanks to all who responded