I posted previously about my starter getting slower and slower, so I replaced it with a gear-reduction starter. It turned out to be cheaper than having my old starter rebuilt.
I read the archives, so I knew what to expect, mechanically. However, I’d like to add a little to the body of knowledge.
On my early-64 E-type, no shims were needed. As far as I could measure, the pinion would be placed properly, and in practice it cranks superbly.
Polarity is not an issue. Regardless of + or - ground, the starter will turn the correct direction.
The starter solenoid will interfere with the throttle return spring bracket on the rear carb. You’ll have to find some other place in which to hook that spring.
As for access and ease of removal/installation, I was pleasantly surprised. With the new starter on the bench, I fabricated a nut cage, for lack of a better term. I just bent up a piece of mild steel, and welded the nuts on either end. Then I carefully aligned the nuts to the holes so the bolts would thread easily. After putting the starter in place, I poked the top mounting bolt in place, and threaded through the captive nut. Simple. That meant the other end was just hanging in place, ready to accept the bottom bolt. I inserted the bottom bolt, and it meshed perfectly first time, and threaded on the nut. I used my recently-acquired 9/16" U-joint socket to tighten the bolts, and Bob’s yer uncle.
The kicker is I still have the hard-starting problem. For some reason, I’m only getting an intermittent spark, It’s got to be either my HT coil wire, or my Pertronix unit is failing. I will try to isolate the problem this weekend, but that’s a whole other topic.
Thanks Andrew. That photo inspired me to build the nut-aligning apparatus. With your solution, don’t you still have to swivel your hand and arm in an ungainly fashion to thread the nut on the back-side of the lower bolt?
Lloyd, good input. I’m suspecting either the coil or HT lead. I’ll order parts today, and should be able to test that theory in short order.
Not my solution, that is an original Jaguar part from my S-Type. The only thing I did was have it plated in Black Zinc.
As to ungainliness, it’s pretty much 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. Having the bolts attached to the strap means that the starter aligns, then hangs on the protruding bolt ends, but you still have a bit of fiddling to get the nuts on. Regardless of if it is a nut or a bolt which you are trying to tighten, the bottom isn’t a straight shot anyway. Personally I find it marginally easier to start a nut when you’re only able to touch it with with your fingertips. The only really simple solution would be to glue the starter in.
As to your starting issue, how many volts are you seeing at the coil when you are cranking? One quick way to get around a no spark on cranking (if the battery is duff, but the starter will still turn the engine over) is to connect another 12v source straight to the coil. The small battery packs which have come out recently are quite useful for this. I’ve managed to get a couple of cars to the shop by this “temporary hotwiring” method - As long as the alternator is good you only need to use the battery pack at the coil to get the car started, then you can disconnect it.
