Keep the wheels turning

Leaving cars standing unused is never a good idea. No matter what the weather has to offer throughout the winter months, I have always made a point of running the Gentry regularly. Until Covid. For once, I let things go and did not start it or take it out on a run for almost three months. Eventually, on a very cold day in February, I grasped the nettle.

The Gentry has always been very reliable and has never failed to start. This time however, although it fired and almost started several times, it simply would not catch and continue to run. I decided to have one more try, but this time when I twisted the key, the starter motor simply whined, the dog did not engage and it stuck. The same motor has probably been starting the Gentry’s trusty Triumph fourpot without issue since 1967 though, so I couldn’t really complain. I reckoned that it must be a bit dirty, the cold had exacerbated the situation and so it had stuck.

Of course, I tried all the old tricks. I put the car in gear and rocked it back and forth but no luck, so I removed the bonnet and gave the starter motor a bash with a hefty length of wood. That didn’t help, and neither did a carefully aimed clout with a heavy spanner. There was nobody around to ask for a tow, so I called it a day and considered the situation over a cuppa.

The odds were that if I removed the starter motor and cleaned it up, that would solve the problem. It occurred to me, however, that if there was something seriously wrong with the starter motor, the car would then be immobile. Initially, I called Dave at the Spitfire Graveyard and a couple of days later I received a good used starter motor – terrific service at a brilliant price. But then I started having second thoughts about fitting a used unit of unknown provenance, so I called Moss and ordered a new one instead.

Notwithstanding difficulties due to lockdown, the new and guaranteed starter motor was with me in a few days. Having compared the secondhand starter motor with the new one to make sure it was the correct unit, I removed the bonnet, jacked up the front end and popped a couple of stands underneath. After switching off the battery isolator and disconnecting the positive feed from the motor, removal is fairly straightforward. The motor is situated on the nearside and visible from above, but it is really tight getting your hand down there to remove the top retaining nut – you can feel it, but you can’t see it. Eventually it was removed, but the other nut is only accessed from under the car and is tricky to access due to the proximity of the chassis rail. Neither were seized though, so eventually they came away without drama.

Once the old motor was withdrawn and examined, I realised that it was not dirt or muck that had caused the problem, but that the return spring had failed. After 55 years it had simply become too weak. My purchase of a new replacement motor was certainly worthwhile.

Due to lack of space it is very tight lowering the new motor into position and care has to be taken to avoid disturbing the high tension leads, wiring for the electric fan and all the other electrical gubbins in the area. Taking care to replace the original packing washers to ensure the correct mesh clearance between the stationary starter pinion and the flywheel ring gear, the new motor was finally located on its studs and secured.

With the positive feed reconnected, I switched on the ignition, but that familiar ticking sound from the electric fuel pump was missing. Luckily, that is easily accessed under the tank and after a couple of gentle taps it started to work. After allowing a few moments for the fuel to reach the carburettor, I twisted the key. The new starter motor sounded energetic, and although the car was reluctant to start at first, eventually the 1296cc Spitfire unit caught and ran. Once up to temperature, it settled down and ran sweetly. I switched off the engine and restarted it several times to check all was now well, and then went for a quick blast around the block. The Gentry is back.

“Once the motor was withdrawn, I saw the return spring had failed”

ABOVE: Once the faulty motor was examined off the car, it became clear the return spring had become infective.

ABOVE: Lowering and locating the new motor onto its studs has to be done largely by feel...

ABOVE: ...while getting the retaining nuts on and tightened up is a pain as there is so little space for spanner or socket.

ABOVE: When lifting out the old motor, care is needed to avoid snagging a myriad of loose wiring.

ABOVE: Getting a spanner onto the top retaining nut is very tight.