Lucas starter motors

[junkuser]

There are many posts suggesting Lucas starters are not too good and suggesting upgrading.

Last Saturday I noticed a chap I know working on his Cortina, Mk.1 hill climber, so stopped to see if I could help.
Problems getting the starter to turn the engine over.
Putting power directly from battery to starter localised the problem to this unit.
He then produced 3 more starter motors, which he said his Dad had overhauled and so I helped him fit them in turn.  None worked well enough to turn the engine over.
Went home and took a correctly refurbished one of similar age off the shelf, fitted it and the engine fired before the completion of 2 revolutions.

This actually surprised me as the engine is over-bored with raised compression and running on two Webbers.  Thought the Webbers, tuned for competition, would not have given such a quick and easy start.
Was a bit fiddly keeping it running but that standard, Lucas starter sure spun the engine rapidly.

Good example of making sure that the unit giving problems is in GOOD condition before moving to an "upgrade".

[piman]

Hello Junkuser,

"Good example of making sure that the unit giving problems is in GOOD condition before moving to an "upgrade"."

Yes indeed, my car on 10:1 compression and boot mounted battery starts very easily on the standard Lucas starter, and has done so for years.

Alec

[yorkshire_spam]

My motor wouldn't start last year.
I rebuilt the lucas motor and changed the battery - it now turns over like you would not believe.
I wouldn't even begin to consider replacing it with a hi-torque or anything like that now I've seen how a lucas starter in good condition with a good battery performs.
(Although if I made compression modifications etc. that might change!)

[bxbodger]

Mine starts first time every time even throuigh the depths of winter on the standard M35 starter, and the current one is a thirty quid exchange from the local factor- these sterters were specified for many cars for many years, my personal thought is that 'hi torque' starters are a solution in search of a problem as far as petrol engined cars are concerned, an earner for the people who sell them but totally unnessecary...they belong on diesels really. M35 starters were used on bigger engines than Triumph sixes back in the day. As said, the key is to get a good recon unit, from a reliable local supplier, not a unit with nothing more than a blow over of paint.

[yorkshire_spam]

bxbodger wrote:

not a unit with nothing more than a blow over of paint.

Ahhh the magic properties of reconditioning paint.
It's amazing how a coat of yellow paint turns a knackered old JCB into a reconditioned JCB.
:-(

[Rich_s]

had probs with mine having a slow cranking speed until i realised the brushes were far too worn to be any use, quick swap with new brushes and turns over far quicker, cheaper to do than a new one or bigger battery :)

[junkuser]

Lucas equipment was built to a price, rather than an ideal, but adequate to reliably do the job for the expected life of the vehicle. Probably no more than 20 years in those days.

Even so, the usual problems, now encountered, are simply due to brush and commutator wear.
Chewed up Bendix gears and ring gears don't help but these usually last longer than the life expectancy of the vehicle.  Lucas even put a square on the end of the shaft to release the Bendix if it jammed.

Spinning up a starter no load is not a good indicator that it will turn the engine over.

[Lord Sorbington]

The original Lucas starter on my 2000 mk2 was 37 years old when I had to replace it as the solenoid was getting a bit unreliable.

The recon replacement from Fitchetts worked well and spun the engine notably faster than the worn original.