I have several 50s and 60s Jags with the modern hi-torque starters. They all make a terrible noise when engaged.
Today one of the wouldnt start the engine in a 420G.
They (2-3 different makes, bur extremely similar) have one thin cable running forward to a wiring joint near the distributor, plus the thick supply wire from the battery, recently the thin activation cable Came loose with obvious problems.
And on another car, the starter just died, about 3-4 years old. A mechanic has fixed it, and I will put it among the spares. He said it was a contact problem,
And on another car it was dead after a 3 min petrol stop, followimg a 3 hr drive. I push started the car and did the remaining 3 hrs without stopping the engine. 2 hrs after getting home, it was still dead, but the following morning it worked…!
I am not ver impressed with these new starters.
What do I need to do to get them reliable, less noisy etc?
Hi Pedar…Im sure you are aware that there are various different models of high torque starter…haveing different pinion drives and also different throw out lengths…some require spacers between starter and bell houseing and some dont…also they all operate by throwing out to the rear of the car…but many older jags need a throwout that goes in the opposite direction…look at the flywheels you should see a chamfer as a lead in for the starter pinion either on the front or rear edge of the flywheel…also bear in mind the bell houseing if you have mixed and matched belhouseings/flywheels then u need a starter to suit…Steve
after a discussion with my hugely experienced rebuilder, he advised me the Lucas M100 starter is much more robust than the reduction starters.
That is what I put in my 420G, after a rebuild, which was less than a reduction motor
they are out of S2/3 XJ and are much smaller than Lucas 45, the original.
Reduction starters are reliable, but I have replaced quite a few less than 20yrs old, so no more so than a Lucas
Your situation is fairly unusual Peder and more likely to cause the problem IMO. I’m guessing you have about 15-20 Jaguars between your houses and unlike many collectors you try to use them. Your mechanic was right - bad contacts.
I have dismantled several hi-torque starters but never found a worn-out example - the failures were all bad contacts. Actually, no contacts - just bare steel on steel. I think when they are not used for a while a light corrosion develops where the plating burns off from sparking. The corrosion stops the necessary high current from flowing, even though you hear a clicking noise.
Thankfully, I would be happy to make myself available in Switzerland and Scandinavia to exercise your many starters, if required 