x-flow starter motor woes

[Jam Mad]

after a pleasant dinner in a pub in brighton, having eavesdropped on some fascinating local chatter about double crossing ex wives and the csa, we hopped back into the little beauty for a b-road blat back to london.

 

" huh ! " went the starter. " huh !, huh ! ".

 

" hmmmm, " thought i... sounds like there are no electrics. it sounded like the starter was trying, but just not turning.

 

the lights worked though, so nothing had drained the battery. off came the bonnet. ( for all you quiz masters out there... who do you put a bonnet down on a pavement when the wind is moving it of it's own accord, and threatening to whip it away completely ? )

 

checked the connections on the starter, and it was all fine. it was making the initial click noise, and then a fraction of a seconds-worth of what sounded like normal operation. i gave it a thwack with my naff toolkit ratchet thing, thinking that it might have seized somehow, but nothing.

 

anyway... being light ( the car ), the girl and i bump started it. easy. ten minutes away, when i had to stop for petrol, all was fine again.

 

any ideas ? am i right in thinking, with my limited mechanical knowledge, that this heralds the start of the end, and i ought to get a new one ? like a fireblade ? or a superlight ? wink.gif

 

j

 

ps actually, starter motor ? teeth.gif

[Graham Sewell]

That's what I'd do. A new starter from Caterham isn't that expensive and should solve your problems - unless, the battery is giving up the ghost and it started at the petrol station because the engine was warm and the battery charge was opnly minutes (not hours) old.

 

[domster]

My x-flow starter motor sometimes used to play up.

 

I'd put it in fourth gear, and rock it backwards and forwards, to make it engage properly. Then it would start ok.

 

Dunno if this is your problem, but mine only did this intermittently.

 

Rgds

Domster

PS MY brother's k-series had a starter problem, too, so you won't escape woes by swapping cars necessarily. I think starter motors get cooked more in sevens than normal cars.

 

[Graham Perry]

Mine has had the habit of the bolts that hold it together coming loose and then the starter would jam. It does it every couple of years or so. fitted new bolts,locktite and even then it still did it. Last time I turned the bolts into rivits via a large punch and hammer. It might be worth a look to see if the casing is loose

[Jam Mad]

i guess if i whipped it off it should be fairly obvious if this is the case ?

 

cheers,

 

j

[Phil]

1 charge battery anyway so as to make sure it is ok and will survive longer, sand down the lead terminals so as to make a better connection to make sure it recieves as much of the charge as possible from the alternator.

2 check the power lead to the starter, even if it is tight, undo it and clean it and sand it and reconect,

use copper grease to cover it over as this will take the heat and protect it. The reason for doing this is the fact that a bad connection will lead you to believe that the battery is on its way out or the starter is becoming LAZY, both cost lots to replace and could be solved easily.

Have discovered this over years of testing batteries for people at work.

[def843t]

I have just fitted a new starter motor to my x/flow, the third one in 9 months!!! Fortunately reconditioned they are only £22 each. I now regard these as disposable items and can replace it blind folded. Is there a bad batch of Lucus motors out there?

 

DEF843T 1800x/flow

[Jam Mad]

bought my first tool box on saturday, to house my growing collection !!! i will ensure i get some copper grease to go in there and do the terminals.

 

as an update, the problem hasn't returned. fortunately, as part of changing my sump gaskets, i had to take the starter off, so i can concurr that it is dead easy, even for a tech novice like me.

 

i had checked the terminals, and the battery has always been really strong, so it remains a mystery. it was a very damp evening though, so perhaps that had something to do with it.

 

cheers folks,

 

j

[Old Septimus]

I think a lot of Lucas replacement stuff is pretty ropey now (was it ever any better?). I have been through three LRD 102 dynamos in 9 months and the last but one did under 50 miles before the armature hit the field coils. I suspect that they are re-manufactured under licence somewhere and it's the luck of the draw. Maybe it's a better idea to have your own re-wound, overhauled or whatever by some reputable company - if there is one out there somewhere.