6 replies to this topic

[George1998]

Hi I have a 1979 mini just bought it for restoration and I'm having trouble getting it to start it has a 1275GT in it I fitted a new starter solenoid and had the starter motor refurbished but all it does is turn over really slow

[Rapidmini59]

Check your earth is good
I had the same issue but had no earth.
Added 1earth lead from engine to bulkhead of car now good as gold.

[Northernpower]

I would check all battery connectors and the engine earth strap connections. I'd also check the battery voltage. Are you starting it in neutral with your foot off the clutch?

[Daz1968]

Ignition timing to far advanced can also cause slow cranking

[russo]

Could even be the starter drawing too much current. Front bush has a habit of wearing out and allowing armature to rub on field coils causing too much drag. Check current draw with ammeter.

[neilw]

Hi George, I've just bought a 1981 Mini for restoration and my first task at the weekend was to get the engine running. The car didn't come with a battery so I used jump leads to connect a battery I had lying around. Like you the car turned over really slowly and then not at all so I assumed the battery wasn't up to the job. I changed it but the problem was the same.

 

I then decided to connect the battery directly to the starter solenoid so that I could be sure it wasn't the battery or starter motor. When I did the engine turned over perfectly and I was able to get it started.

 

I have attached a picture of the connections I made but I'm sure yours will be different, assuming your body is negative then you need to connect the negative to the engine and the positive to the solenoid, if you get the solenoid connection the wrong way around the starter will come on without turning the key so just connect it to the other post.

 

Good luck.

Attached Files

•  2017-05-09 12.08.50.jpg   90.27K   14 downloads

Edited by neilw, 09 May 2017 - 11:48 AM.

[tiger99]

All of the above points are good. Also, battery terminals have rightly been suggested. It is very common for the old style cup or pot type battery terminals to be the root cause of the problem on various classic cars. They spread and don't fit tight on the taper, resulting in the, probably corroded, self-rapper in the middle having to carry all the current. I routinely change these for the split clamp type, which need an insulating cover, at least on the positive terminal, to avoid mishaps with stuff in the boot, which may start a fire. The cardboard battery cover by itself is not sufficient.

Halfords or any of the kit car suppliers or car electrical suppliers will have all the bits that you need, and they are not all that expensive.

Check the earth strap in the boot too, and the floor where it is bolted. It would do no harm to take it apart, clean back to bare metal, bolt up tightly and apply Waxoyl.