Starter motor on a special

[Peter Sweeney]

My special has become difficult to start. It spins over fast for about 5 seconds then winds down as if the battery was flat. If it starts it runs no problem. It has a Lucas M55A starter on the engine side of the 33 engine. Reading an earlier thread pointed to worn starter brushes and contacts. I have taken the starter off to check. The contacts were in need of a clean up and the brushes are worn. When you spin it over by hand you can see they don't make good contact. When I removed one its marked DELCO REM and has a high copper content. I have looked at the new ones on offer they don't look much longer than my worn ones which have 1/4- 5/16 below the screw hole. (It might just be the photo) I have always run the car on 12V for 40 years. So don't think that can be the problem now. I will get new brushes and fit them to replace the originals. The Battery worked perfectly when I fitted it to my 2CV without recharging it. Any other thoughts? Pete

[Reckless Rat]

Run a big cable from the battery earth direct to one of the starter motor mounting bolts to make sure you're getting all the current it needs. Check the switch on the top of the motor too - the contacts can get contaminated with oil from the filler tube.

[Graham Barker]

Brushes and armature on the starter of my 1937 Ruby were in reasonable condition but starter really struggled when engine was hot or after prolonged operation of the starter. The interior of the starter motor was coated in copper dust. I washed this out with leadfree petrol as recommended by the Woodrow manual. Fixed my problem. 
Regards 
Graham Barker.

[Peter Sweeney]

Thanks will try both. Pete