Wierd Land Rover Starting Issue
JAG - 9/2/26 at 02:58 PM
Afternoon All 
Part of the current fleet is a 1960 Series 2a Land Rover, 2-1/4 Petrol engine, that my Wife inherited when her father passed away 5 years ago.
It's road worthy now, with free Road Tax and is MOT-exempt. Which is all rather nice 
However just recently it's been doing a weird thing during attempts to start the engine. First I have to say it always starts and runs and this
'thing' never happens when the engine is running.
Any how: during cranking, on the starter motor, I occasionally get a metallic bang which appears to be coming from the engine/gearbox/clutch area of
the vehicle. At which point it sounds like the starter motor jams and the gearstick rattles and the 'start-up-process' halts. If I release
the switch (starter is operated by a momentary switch on the dashboard) and try again the starter motor will fire back up and the engine will crank.
Until the next time.
There is no pattern, other than it only happens during start up, and it doesn't affect the running or any other aspect of driving the vehicle.
Anyone have any clue what's happening?
[Edited on 9/2/26 by JAG]
gremlin1234 - 9/2/26 at 04:10 PM
I guess the engine fires, but the starter does not disengage.
remove starter
check its the correct one, and any spacer plates/rings are correct.
clean and replace.
jacko - 9/2/26 at 08:05 PM
Could it be a bolt that’s come out the clutch that’s jamming the fly wheel?
russbost - 10/2/26 at 10:34 AM
I would suspect something loose within the clutch/starter area which is sometimes jamming the motor, take the pressure off & go again, &
whatever it is, this time, misses the "jam up". I'd ctake the starter off, look for signs of damage/impact & rotate engine using
mirror if necessary to inspect inside the flywheel area
gremlin1234 - 10/2/26 at 11:38 AM
quote:
Originally posted by russbost
I would suspect something loose within the clutch/starter area which is sometimes jamming the motor, take the pressure off & go again, &
whatever it is, this time, misses the "jam up". I'd ctake the starter off, look for signs of damage/impact & rotate engine using
mirror if necessary to inspect inside the flywheel area
yea thinking about it, a bent tooth on the starter ring could cause exactly the problem described.
gremlin1234 - 10/2/26 at 11:56 AM
quote:
Originally posted by gremlin1234
yea thinking about it, a bent tooth on the starter ring could cause exactly the problem described.
a short cut for testing is to disconnect the coil (so it does not start) and see if it all spins freely for ~2 full revolutions.
if it doesn't jam, then its probably not that.
if it jams, you then remove the starter to see what damage there is to the starter ring,
[and if really lucky, can be fixed using a file/chisel to remodel the damaged tooth in situ, (and use a strong magnet to catch filings)]
and if all else fails, start it with the starting handle, :-)
JAG - 11/2/26 at 08:11 AM
Thanks for the input fellas
I think I'm going to get the Starter Motor off (when the rain stops!) and check the Bendix device and the Flywheel gear teeth. While the Starter
Motor is off I'll have a look into the Bellhousing for any loose bolts too.
It's got a Starting Handle so, if I remove the spark plugs, I can use that to slowly turn the engine and check everything over.
Thanks agian 