Firstly, there can be a soft click or a loud clonk when the starter doesn't
actually spin the engine and that is your first diagnosis. The soft click
should come from the starter relay on the right-hand inner wing, the clonk
from the solenoid low down on the same side. You may need someone to turn
the key on an LHD while you listen if you can't turn the key while your head
is under the bonnet.
If there is only the soft click from the relay then it isn't operating the
solenoid, which could be faulty relay contacts, or bad connections where the
brown and white/brown wires connect to the relay, where the white/brown
connects to the solenoid, or the solenoid winding itself. Intelligent
application of meter or test-lamp to the above spades and wiring connectors
on the relay and solenoid will tell you which.
If it is the solenoid clonk you can hear either it's contacts are bad, the
motor brushes or commutator are bad, or the battery or its connections are
bad.
Look at the ignition warning light as you turn the key to crank. If this
dims right down then it's going to be the battery or it's connections to the
body or the solenoid, again meter or test-lamp to the various points will
tell you which. If the lamp dims not at all or only very slightly it's
going to be solenoid or motor, meter or test-lamp will tell you which.
There is one more possibility and that is the earth strap round the rear
mountings for the gearbox, although that usually causes the accelerator,
heater and choke cable to get hot, but will also show up on a meter or
possibly a test-lamp as the block/starter motor body voltage rising towards
12v relative to a body earth when the key is turned to crank.
PaulH.
----- Original Message -----
From: <frankk12@verizon.net>
To: "MG List" <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 6:35 PM
Subject: [Mgs] Starter Issues?
> My 1980 LE is giving me starting issues. The battery is fully charged but
> all
> I get is a click when I turn the ignition key to start. I am suspecting
> the
> starter solenoid. I did change the ignition relay only because I keep
> spares
> and it is so simple to do but it didn't make a difference. I do have one
> of
> those new Hi Torque replacement starters that has been sitting on my parts
> shelf for many years. Has anyone here ever made the swap to that starter?
> Is
> it a straighforward swap or are there converision issues to deal with? If
> I
> have to get to the solenoid I might as well replace the starter while I
> am at
> it. Is that solenoid rebuildable if I decide to keep it original? Sorry
> about
> all the questions and uncertainty.
> Frank Krajewski
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