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MG MGA - S-L-O-W Starter

I have a MGA 1500 ....when I try and start her she is has a very slow starter motor...
The cable which connects on the end of the strater motor gets hot...any ideas...

I have changed the battery..but no use,she is exaclty the same..

I've downloaded and printed off some paper work fromthe MGAguru.com site about the problem but I don't really understand what is says...

http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/electric/ss_101.htm

have a look see if you can understand more than me...

thanks
:(
A Stout

There is a lot of good information on that page. You will need a voltmeter; they are not that expensive.
There is too much on the page to comment on here, but follow the sequence of steps that Barney has laid out.
He explains it very well, and once you get into it, it will start to make sense. Don't concern yourself with the entire article at once - it will seem overwhelming.
Just take it step by step and you should be able to work it out.

Good Luck
Ralph
Ralph

Could this be a bad earth? - disconnect the battery and remove the earth strap from the connection with the battery cradle, clean the connections with sandpaper, cover with Vaseline or similar & re-connect.

If this doesn't cure it try the same thing with the front earth strap. Hope this helps.

Maurice.
M. Standish

With electricity a hot (temperature) point usually indicated a poor connection (high resistance) or some additional resistance in conjunction with current higher than designed. I suspect that from what you describe the starter is in need of a rebuild. Cleaning the cable connection to the starter may help eliminate a high resistance connection, but if the condition persists then starter maintenance is called for.
Bill Young

Alan
Ralph is right, just work through that page step by step with your voltmeter. Replacing the starter is the last thing you do. Remember to ensure your battery remains charged up at or over 12 volts, while you are doing these voltage drop tests.
Pete
Pete Tipping

Hi. A simple way to test whether the starter is good or not is as follows: Put the vehicle in neutral, and set the parking brake. Take a known good, full charged battery, set it in front of the car, and connect a set of booster cables to it, observing correct polarity. If your MGA is positive ground, connect the red jumper cable to a clean ground connection, such as a motor mount, or cylinder head bolt.
Then take the black booster cable, and touch it to the terminal on the starter motor. If the engine cranks at normal speed, the starter is good, and you have a wiring problem. If the starter cranks slowly, the starter is defective, and needs to be overhauled or replaced. If the engine cranks at normal speed using the jumper cables, then check all battery cable connections in the vehicle. Make sure they are clean and tight. If the starter still cranks slowly, then remove and clean all cables and wires going to both terminals on the starter switch. Regarding car polarity: Reverse the jumper cable connections for a vehicle that has been converted to negative ground. Good luck, Glenn
Glenn

This thread was discussed on 21/04/2005

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