11/59 Floor starter switch

[Chapmag]

During the restoration of my August 60 Austin Seven Mini the floor starter gave a puff of smoke and died! As it's a 11/59 I'd like to get it repaired if it's possible. Can anyone point me in the right direction? TIA, G. P.S. I've replaced it with a new one so I am mobile but just looking to re introduce an original part if at all possible!

[Peter Laidler]

I don'tactually know but I seem to think that these starters are a sealed unit....., either rivetted or what we used to call 'roll-sealed'. If it's rivetted you can usually take them apart and clean the points/terminals. Always worth a try but sometimes you need to close-up using BA size nuts and bolts or just turn up a couple of new rivets!

[sugarhiccup]

My type of floor starter unit is roll sealed, as Peter mentioned. This type can be taken apart, and the unit itself is quite simple inside.

Recently, after replacing the wiring loom in my car, I had some trouble with sparking as soon as the earth was connected back to the battery. After some troubleshooting and double and triple checking this was found to be an issue with the original type floor starter button. It seemed that the threads themselves were able to spin somewhat as I was tightening the nuts securing the battery leads underneath, causing the terminals internally to turn as a result.

Upon undoing the roll seal and disassembling, it was immediately obvious what was wrong. I noted that some Bakelite inside had become brittle and broken away which holds the threads and inner contacts in a position that prevents them from shorting to earth. As I was able to now observe the internals, I could then tighten the first set of external nuts (closest to the bottom of the floor starter housing) and ensure that everything was staying positioned correctly to avoid any further shorting. I took the chance to clean everything thoroughly, then closed the unit rather crudely by rolling the edge back over with a hammer over an anvil, reinstalled, and voila!

Perhaps what you’re experiencing is the same issue. Hang onto it, and if you manage to crack it open, let us know what you find. Hope this helps somewhat with getting it fixed

[Peter Laidler]

Agree with SugarHiccup (above). Open it and take a few phootos of the cause and the fix. That way we can all see how to fix the prob in the future. Better still, put it all in the tech forum '...how I fixed it....' part

[Chapmag]

Thanks for the replies. I'll dig it out and put a photo up on here before I attempt and disassembling!!!! Thanks again G.