• Hey Guest!
    British Car Forum has been supporting enthusiasts for over 25 years by providing a great place to share our love for British cars. You can support our efforts by upgrading your membership for less than the dues of most car clubs. There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Upgraded members don't see this banner, nor will you see the Google ads that appear on the site.)
Tips
Tips

TR4/4A TR4A Starter

Share this page

S

SBooth

Member
Offline
Thought I'd post a question before ordering a new "gear reduction" starter from TSI.
My car sat for 18 yrs. before I rescued it. Wouldn't turn over at first; removed starter and freed it up; ran fine on the garage floor.
But, it has always turned the engine over very slowly after sitting a few days; required a short charge from the battery charger and after a few cycles, would then turn over faster and start the car.
Just put in a new Die Hard and still have same symptoms.
Early on I replaced the ground cable; put on a new engine to frame ground cable and cleaned the solenoid connections.
Do I need a new starter or have a wiring problem ?
Thanks
 
Try pulling the hot wire off the coil, then cranking for about 30 seconds. Then feel all along the battery cables and connections. If you burn yourself, you've got a wiring problem.
 
I like that test... better than doing it until it smokes then looking for the source.

One problem I had with similar slow cranking symptoms was a poor connection of the big wire from the solenoid to the terminal on the starter. Looked okay but got hot, cleaning it up well took care of that.

Another suspect area would be the brushes (easily replaced).
 
You can do a voltage drop test with a DVM. Scroll down to the starter circuit tests. If you follow the sequence, you will be able to isolate where the drop is if you have one. A little more precise then feeling for hot wires, and less demanding on the battery.
 
Thanks for the quick responses.
Confirms my thoughts; now back to checking and cleaning contacts; maybe something as simple as the replacement battery ground cable being undersized.
Steve
Go Hokies !
 
I had the same problem on my TR-4A. The car would start, but the starter always seemed sluggish, even after a new battery was put in. I had to pull the starter when I replaced the clutch and took a good look at it. Ended up that the rear bushing was shot. All the play in the bushing made for bad spring tension. After replacing the bushing the starter cranked like new.
 
Back
Top