Hi there mini owners. I have been doin lots of odds and sods to my daily running mini. I am having troubles though with the starter motor. every now and then it really slowly kicks over as if the battery is flat but just stop trying and try again and spins up as per usual. I have seen the bush replacement set but no idea if it would help it is the inertia starter motor with seperate solenoid, help please anyone who has had this happen.
have you tried hitting it with a hammer - it might be sticking
if it is sticking then why when i stop and retry is it fine?
umm…i don’t know. i made a suggestion based on the info you provided. you’ve obiouskly got it covered…
Your description suggests the motor isn’t turning fast enough to spin the starter cog in and turn the engine?
Two reasons for this - starter is sticky, or there isn’t enough power getting to it.
Starter is sticky;
Remove the starter motor and check the splines, are they nicely greased?
You can check here by clamping the starter to a bench/in a vice, and using jump leads to spin it - see if the cog pulls in?
Not enough power;
Could be power to the starter, (main power strap/starter solenoid and all connections).
Earth from the engine, check engine and battery earth straps.
Can’t think of much else at the moment, but that’s where I’d start before replacing bits in the starter.
Dave
Never really had to renew the bushes in a starter motor. It is possible - after a long hard life - that the brushes may need renewing. there are two types depending on model of starter. usually - a good cleaning is all that’s needed and a drop or two of oil on the bushes - but NOT on the brushes!
