Hello friends, I’m done pulling the original 3-wire starter to replace it with a 2-wire starter from BritishStarters.com I’m afraid I’ve no longer got the instructions for understanding how to configure this change. Thanks in advance for any help you may offer me on this! (yes, I’ve left voicemail at the vendor but hope you’re advice may help me speed this up while I await a callback)
What year is your XKE? Was it the Bendix style starter, or the one that had a solenoid on it?
If the former, it’s really quite simple: you put the positive wire onto the large lug of the new gear reduction starter, and then run a small jumper wire from that to the solenoid push-on tang.
If the latter, you hook it up, same as the old one: +ve cable onto large lug of new solenoid, and put the small wire onto the push-on connector of the new starter.
Now that I look at it I see there are only two terminals, but three wires. Two wires going to one terminal. I was so traumatized by the removal process I was too stunned to study it properly lol!
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Hi Geo,
I can’t recall ever seeing a Ballast Resister Bypass wire coming from the Starter Motor for an E Type. If that were the case, it would be a 12V feed from the Starter Solenoid to the coil. On cars that have a Ballast Resister, the 12V feed to bypass the Ballast Resister normally comes from C1 on the Starter Relay.
@1derWm ,
Hi William,
If you haven’t mounted the new starter motor, I would, as a precaution, measure from the mounting face for the starter motor on the Bell Housing to the face of the Ring Gear, then from the face of the starter motor flange that interfaces with the Bell Housing, to the outer end of the pinion gear, to ensure that there is clearance between the faces of the two gears when the starter motor is at rest. I fitted a new high torque starter motor to an S3 recently, and found that there was circa 4mm engagement of the Pinion with the Ring Gear.
I contacted the supplier and was told that there is a spacer they also supply, that goes between the mounting flange and the starter motor body. That was supplied and after fitting the spacer, accurate measurement (with a depth micrometer for the Bell Housing to Ring Gear and a Coordinate Measuring Machine for the Mounting Face to End of Pinion measurement), as described above, revealed that there was still 0.1mm of interference between the Pinion and Ring Gear. This small interference would have been more detrimental that the 4mm engagement, as in the first attempt to start the engine, I believe 0.1mm of the Pinion Gear face would have been shaved off by the Ring Gear. The worst that would have happened with the circa 4mm engagement would have been the Starter Motor being driven by the engine for a short period, with the noise being telltale.
When I reported the result of fitting the spacer, I got the typical, “that’s never happened in the twenty years we’ve been supplying these starter motors for that model car”. They subsequently supplied another mounting flange (same bolt pattern and spigot for the E Type) that was thicker and voilà, appropriate clearance between end of Pinion and face of Ring Gear. Probably just a coincidence that they just happened to have an alternate mounting flange that was just right. 
.
Regards,
Brent
Could use some help with the wiring of the new gear reduction starter on a 70’ Ser II. . Replaced the original starter, same as the one in photo from !derWm. I re-attached the cable from battery to the large lug on new starter along with one of the existing wires (the one with the metal round connector). The other existing wire with the female connector (had to replace the end to a smaller connector, since it wouldn’t fit)) was installed into the black covered male terminal on the starter.
I proceeded to re-install the positive terminal on the battery, but then as I was screwing on the negative post I got sparks from the negative post which has never occurred before, leading me to believe that something not right with the wiring. I’ve attached a photo showing the wiring made, If someone can
let me know if it
looks proper and why the sparks at the battery terminal?
.
Seb, did you resolve your wiring issue? I just installed a similar starter and am scratching my head as to the wiring! The old monster Lucas starter had two large wires with female spades connecting to a “flag” male spade connector. The new one only has the large terminal for the battery cable and a small, recessed single spade connector.
Hi Bob,
I also have a 70’ coupe.
I purchased a WOSP starter from Moss and wired the battery and brown cable (from the C2 starter relay) to the large stud terminal. Make sure you cover the terminal with the rubber booth since this end is always hot. The white and red cable (trigger wire) coming from the C4 starter relay to the “male” connector. I believe I had to modify the end of the white and red cable with a female terminal so as to connect to the trigger terminal.
Here is the wiring diagram for the US 70’ E:
IMG.pdf (761.9 KB)