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TR2/3/3A TR3 Starter/flywheel/tranny case

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Moseso

Moseso

Jedi Knight
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OK, hot shots -- the question of the day is:
How do the older (short nose) starter and the ring gear relate to each other?
The scenario:
I have a bolt-on ring gear flywheel (ex TR4, I think) on my motor and an early style gear box, which precludes the use of the late model starter. Does the bull-nose starter work with the later style ring gear?
 
I don't believe that set up will work, for a bolt on ring gear, you will need the later model starter. Is that right anyone else?
 
The later style starter that mates up to the bolt-on flywheel has the inertia drive sticking far out the back of the starter. The early bell housing does not have the room to accomodate this. One alternative is to poke a hole in the bell housing so the back of the starter will stick through. The other alternative is to fit one of those gear reduction starters. They are made from late style Japanese starters, and don't not have the problem of an inertia drive sticking out the back. They will mate with the flywheel, yet fit into an early type bell housing. I believe the whole problem is the size of and number of teeth on the pinion gear. That's why you can't swap them.

Edit: BTW, I notice that your VIN is TS51,006L. Supposedly, they changed over to the later style starter at TS50,000, which would mean that the bull nose starter is wrong for your car. Are you sure you have the early style gearbox?? Maybe it's the later style, and can fit the later style starter.
 
FWIW -- I have had my TR3A for 25+ years using the bullnose/bomb starter with the mismatched bolt-on flywheel and have not had a problem. Just my personal experience, YMMV.

Of course if you went with the Hi-Torque starter that matches yout flywheel I believe you'll find that the larger bellhousing bulge is not required.
 
Martx --
Yes the car is TS51006L and the engine is TS51115E -- probably the original unit. The flywheel still has junkyard marks on it - that yellow paint pen that they all seem to love so much - indicating a TR4 origin. Either way, the car would have had, and still does have, a bolt-on ring.
The gearbox that came with the car is TS26xxx. I don't have it here for an exact reference, but it's clearly an earlier unit -- and I do know what the difference is and how to identify it. I have a rebuilt box, w/ OD that I intend to install. It also has a 20K-something serial number -- and no clearance for the "long-nose" starter.

What I didn't know is if what Geo says is true or not. If it is, the starter I have is a functional unit, which will work, saving me the need to spend more money -- always an issue.

The car did start with the starter, before I took it apart. I just don't know what the long-term consequences of the mis-match might be. According to Geo, maybe none. Thanks for the answers!
 
OTOH, just a couple of years ago, I helped out a local club member who had inadvertantly mis-matched an early starter with a late ring gear. It worked at first, but then started making funny noises and eventually the engine would no longer turn even though the starter motor was clearly running.

Turns out the gear teeth were only engaging at the very tip when he put it together, and they eventually wore until they slipped.

Ask around at the local club, I'll bet someone has an early flywheel they would swap with you. I've probably got a spare myself, somewhere, but shipping from CA to MN is likely more than it's worth.
 
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