Do you want to know how pissed off I am ...... 4 years, 4 fecking years I've been building my car and at 7pm yesterday I discover my starter
motor won't engage with my fecking flywheel!
So, what starter motor do I need to turn a caterham lightened supersprint flywheel - and where the fecking hell can i get one (at a locost price)
feck 
even had a full jury rigged cooling system
even cleaned the 1/2 inch bits of metal and bolt out of the sump! (Don't ask I'm ignoring that bit)
even made two temporary gaskets out of an old frozen pizza box
feck
Can't help you with the starter- but good luck sorting it out!
Mine's been over 2 years now and I know how you feel! Thought I'd be ready to fire up the engine myself this weekend- now I've
discovered new carb won't fit the inlet manifold!
Aaaaaagh!
Atb,
James
and now my life is complete - i've even posted this in the wrong section!!!!!
and now my life is complete - i've even posted this in the wrong section!!!!!
Twice...
Lol! 
If it's the 32/36 Weber off the Cortina just oval the boltholes with a round file. We did one and it worked o.k.
Breath in and count to 10... that's what we had to do before removing our engine again to replace the frigging gearbox...
It's all in the grand scheme of things - and besides what would life be like without tinkering eh?
Oh and not much consolation but 2/3 of our team only did 180 collective miles from about 600!!!
But so what.... here we go again!
Arrgghhhhahhhthhhahhthththt
yeah but where the heck am I going to get a sodding starter from
i know could to ten, count to ten.....
leaving the garage alone for a couple of days before i face the devistation from the weekend (its a bit messy at the moment)
Is there the possiblilty of purchasing a rebuild kit for the apropriate starter that caterham uses and just use the gear from it (if it fits the
shaft).
That would likely require more luck than I have to get a shaft size match.
Dale
I've got a spare flywheel if it's any help.
Dave
don't need a flywheel, got a spare already ........ hmmm, actually, dave whats the ring gear on your flywheel ?
I'm sure the caterham starter is some sort of Ford Crossflow unit. Perhaps you should take a jumpover to blatchat or the westfield forum
http://www.blatchat.com/
http://boardroom.wscc.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi
both useful for information, however people can be slightly more serious than on this forum.
Aren't there two types of starter, pre-engaged and inertia type for x/flows try the other type to the one you have, if you could get to the ring
gear, you would be able to see if the teeth have a slight bevel at the front of them for the inertia type, and straight edged gears for the
pre-engaged
Jason
Interesting, I thought that their where two types of ring gear, straight and helical. I'm pretty sure I've got straight teeth on the ring
gear.
I've got two starters, one with a big solonoid on its back and one with a spring on the shaft. I know the one with the spring on the shaft has
slightly mashed teeth which are bevelled. The solonoid one - i haven't a clue it went from one car to another in about 30 seconds without looking
at it.
Tomorrow night I'll take them both into the garden, give them a damned good thrashing and then have a look at them
[Edited on 17/5/04 by MikeR]
Mike I had a problem with my starter motor, the engine came fitted with a FWD starter motor which would not fit the type 9 bell housing.I fitted a
Sierra motor but then found it would not turn the engine correctly as it jammed in mesh with the flywheel as the pinion throw was the wrong length.
I then tried an inertia starter which turned the engine but made a horrendous noise.
Further investigation found i had a ring gear for a pre engaged starter which does not match the inertia type.
I eventually made three spacers to space the sierra motor away from the block by about 8mm and it now works smoothly.
I would therefore check the reason for not meshing to ensure the length from the pinion to ring gear is correct.
Paul.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
Interesting, I thought that their where two types of ring gear, straight and helical.
I've got two starters, one with a big solonoid on its back and one with a spring on the shaft. I know the one with the spring on the shaft has slightly mashed teeth which are bevelled. The solonoid one - i haven't a clue it went from one car to another in about 30 seconds without looking at it.
Tomorrow night I'll take them both into the garden, give them a damned good thrashing and then have a look at them
quote:
dave whats the ring gear on your flywheel ?
You could always rig up a hand crank system....
Dave - I'll be in touch.
We did consider the hand crank system, but my partner in crime (who's fault the whole 7 hour "lets get your engine started" experience
was) didn't think he could crank the engine using my rachet more than 10 to 15 rpm. A fair way short of the few hundred rpm i need to get
ignition!
found this any good ?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=9903&item=2478443538&rd=1
found it last night and I'm watching it.
The interesting thing is - it looks identical to the second starter I've got that I tried to hurridly fit at 7pm. Going to have another look at
it tonight to make sure i did fit it properly. If that doesn't work I'll then bid on the ebay starter.
one day she may start ...... one day
quote:
Originally posted by MikeR
We did consider the hand crank system, but my partner in crime (who's fault the whole 7 hour "lets get your engine started" experience was) didn't think he could crank the engine using my rachet more than 10 to 15 rpm. A fair way short of the few hundred rpm i need to get ignition!
Can't you bump start it? or isn't that an option. A spot of petrol down the carb should give you a start. I wonder if a 12v impact driver on the crank pulley would turn it over or a big drill with a socket attached.
bump start .... hmm, that might require a prop 
hmmm, the idea of cranking it is interesting. Do you think I could get away with using a ratchet?
Only if you plan on not needing most of your fingers, and poss an arm for the rest of your life.....
atb
steve
damn !!!!
oh well, looks like its back to the starter motor then 
quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
If it's the 32/36 Weber off the Cortina just oval the boltholes with a round file. We did one and it worked o.k.
No probs james cause .......
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands <clap>
if you're happy and you know it clap your hands <clap>
if your happy and you know it, and you really want to show it, if you're happy and you know it clap your hands <clap clap clap>
Seems it was a slightly dodgey cut and shut bellhousing plate i made last year so one bolt hole didn't line up - which i didn't use cause i
was lazy..... but the main problem was the cut and shut wasn't quite totally flat. Remove a bit of steel via the dremil so the bold hole lined
up, and just tightened the starter till it squashed the plate flat!!!
15 minutes later trying to figure out the wiring and .......... it turns over.
now the bad news. I've got mayo in the bores I've put loads of oil in over the last couple of years and a load of wd40 over the last few
days so..... i'm hoping the hose pipe to clear out the cooling hasn't blown the head gasket.