MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGA - Starter switch

Is there any BASIC maintenance I can do to my starter switch. The reason I ask is that although the batteries are fully charged, and the starter motor spins and engages on most occasions, when I pull the switch, there is almost a groan, and a flat battery sound before it fires. Any suggestions please.
Nigel Munford

Hi Nigel, I had to replace the starter "relay" last year - mine exhibited similar symptoms to yours and then often refused to do anything when pulling the switch. The repro one has worked OK since (and is nice and shiny under the bonnet!).The starter relay is sealed and not designed to be opened but a colleague in our club has prised his open to find burned/pitted terminal that can be cleaned up. cheers Cam
Cam Cunningham

I neeed to pull very hard on the starter knob, sometimes with 2 hands before it will connect.
H L Davy

Those starter switches are a pain! I have two MGA 1600's and have had several episodes with them in the 30-odd years that I have owned them. I even bought new ones once or twice. The problems seem worse for "gentle-annies" like me and the bowden cable system doesn't help, I am sure that the switches would last longer if we were more aggressive (like the solenoid ones which make far better contact). I prise the MGA ones open and clean the contacts, if you have a heater the switch is fairly well hidden by the air trunking, otherwise the "butchering" will probably be seen.
Barry Bahnisch

Nigel,
It may not be the relay switch, I would check your battery cable connections. Especially the cable to battery terminal connectors. This is especially true if you have two 6v batteries.

The symptoms are as you describe, I had this problem last year on my car and have fixed an MGA and an MGB with the same problem recently. I think some of the guys here have the same experience.
Neil McGurk

I had one switch go bad on me and I replaced the switch and the cable to the switch. The problem went away. As for the pull problem, a new cable or lubrication would help alot. The contacts on these switchs do pit becuase the amperage going though the contacts is quite high. Any relay/switch with high amperage going through the contacts will eventually pit. The cure is to replace the switch.
JP Jim

Some new starter switches are not as durable as original parts. See here:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/restore/restore1.htm

Original starter switches are very reliable when used regularly. My car still has the original 50 year old starter switch, and 372,000 miles on the car. I think high current arcing actually burns the contacts clean on these things. The problem comes when it is left in storage for a long time, in which case the previously clean copper plates can corrode.
Barney Gaylord

Ditto! Barney, only a higher mileage from mine, 37 years ownership, still works perfectly. Could it be that a HARD tug is required? If a soft touch, the contacts would arc and pitting would occur.

I have several, collected over the years, just in case mine packed up!
Barry
BM Gannon

As it happens, last Saturday my starter switch also gave up the ghost after exactly 50 years of service. Really a pity, as I think it was the only part I had not yet replaced during 38 years of ownership :-0

This afternoon I fitted a new one, a job that took only 30 minutes, including to the time to search for new spanners as the thread on the new switch proved to be metric, and not BSF as the old part.

Rutger

Rutger Booy

This thread was discussed between 24/04/2009 and 29/04/2009

MG MGA index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGA BBS now