With retirement and a move from Houston to N. Colorado, I have not given my Sunbeam IV much attention for a good while. Now that I have some time to drive it, I am having starter problems. The starter cranks well, but the instant the engine fires, the starter disengages the flywheel and whirs to a stop rather than continuing to crank the engine until it starts. I have tried 20 0r 30 times in a row with the same result. Sometimes I get lucky and it starts, but usually not. Any ideas? I have a 1725 with a standard choke.
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Enjoy.
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
THAT is the main reason to get an after market, late model gear reduction Starter!
Back in my early years of Alpine work, I spent 4 HOURS trying to get an Alpine started,
With that SAME problem...
Back then, the After market starters were not readily available.
These days, save yourself the grief, get a newer starter, and NEVER have that type of problem again!
I have a PILE of OEM type starters, I don't plan to use them....
Back in my early years of Alpine work, I spent 4 HOURS trying to get an Alpine started,
With that SAME problem...
Back then, the After market starters were not readily available.
These days, save yourself the grief, get a newer starter, and NEVER have that type of problem again!
I have a PILE of OEM type starters, I don't plan to use them....
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I might not be 100% correct, but it seems to me that this is what the starter should do when the engine fires. I think the real problem is that the the next cyl in the rotation does NOT fire. Note that when cranking an engine by hand, you count on the one cyl firing to get the engine running. Hand cranking would never crank more than one cyl to get a motor started. The problem is not the starter but the ignition or fuel.
Tom
spmdr
Diamond Level Sponsor
Tom, you are correct, for the most part!
However, this is similar to the chicken and egg deal.
Say What?
What comes first?
IF you know what is needed (usually amount of choke/enrichment), you can usually start the car.
BUT, if you can't start the car, how do you know what is needed?
Experience usually helps a lot.
Clearly, OEM starters have done a LOT of starting, and will continue the task.
BUT, they have their limits and Kicking out the starter-drive after just one fire is an inherent problem,
WITH the old starters, NOT with the newer ones.
HOWEVER, there MAY be a case to be made that the OEM starter (or something else in the starting circuit) is not quite up to par.
However, this is similar to the chicken and egg deal.
Say What?
What comes first?
IF you know what is needed (usually amount of choke/enrichment), you can usually start the car.
BUT, if you can't start the car, how do you know what is needed?
Experience usually helps a lot.
Clearly, OEM starters have done a LOT of starting, and will continue the task.
BUT, they have their limits and Kicking out the starter-drive after just one fire is an inherent problem,
WITH the old starters, NOT with the newer ones.
HOWEVER, there MAY be a case to be made that the OEM starter (or something else in the starting circuit) is not quite up to par.
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BEpine
Platinum Level Sponsor
This is where I bought mine:
www.classiccarperformance.com/collections/britishstarters-com/products/sunbeam-alpine
www.classiccarperformance.com/collections/britishstarters-com/products/sunbeam-alpine
Tim R
Silver Level Sponsor
We fit High Gear starters to our Alpines, the bendex runs on the other side of the ring gear so it is like having a new ring fitted too. No down sides and plenty of upside.
BUT
There is another possible cause to your problem as Tom H suggest above, it could well be ignition. We once had an Alpine where the wires to the ignition switch had been incorrectly replaced, the starter turned when you turned the key (Terminal 3 comes live) BUT the actual ignition supply to the coil was off so it could never fire and catch. When the key dropped back to the run position (Terminal 2) the ignition circuit came live and sometimes the engine would catch, most times it wouldn't. It took ages to trace the problem as when you check with a meter everything seems correct....... until you check while actually cranking. We wired the ignition switch correctly and everything worked as it should.
Tim R
BUT
There is another possible cause to your problem as Tom H suggest above, it could well be ignition. We once had an Alpine where the wires to the ignition switch had been incorrectly replaced, the starter turned when you turned the key (Terminal 3 comes live) BUT the actual ignition supply to the coil was off so it could never fire and catch. When the key dropped back to the run position (Terminal 2) the ignition circuit came live and sometimes the engine would catch, most times it wouldn't. It took ages to trace the problem as when you check with a meter everything seems correct....... until you check while actually cranking. We wired the ignition switch correctly and everything worked as it should.
Tim R
tony perrett
Gold Level Sponsor
If the Bendix is sticking there may be only partial meshing with the starter ring gear.
Shannon Boal
Platinum Level Sponsor
The Bendix drive may be worn. Cranking is transmitted by a one-way roller clutch, which due to wear loses it's grip upon the first flutter. I don't think that new Bendix drives are available, but a better choice would be to try a permanant-magnet-gear-reduction type starter, such as what SS sells.