> 1. Will the push type bendix work with a ring gear intended for a pull type
> starter?
> ( by work I mean turn the engine over, they have used this starter for
> several years.
Yes, but not well. Eventually chews up both the starter pinion & the ring gear.
The other way round (late starter with early flywheel) should bind, but some
people have gotten away with this combination too, for some length of time.
> 2. At what engine number did Triumph actually make the switch ?
TS50000 was supposedly the change point. However I've heard anecdotal evidence
that there was some overlap.
> 3. Outside of looking at the ring gear teeth, is there a way to determine
> which ring gear is installed in the car ?
The bellhousing and transmission tunnel were changed at the same time as the
starter & flywheel ... the later "pull" type starter requires a longer starter
bulge in both places. However, lots of parts have been interchanged over the
years, so this is no guarantee of anything. The later bellhousing works fine
with either starter & flywheel; but the later starter doesn't fit in the early
bellhousing unless you drill a big hole (which I've seen done).
Also, the later ring gear was bolted to the flywheel while the earlier one was
shrunk on. I'm not certain without checking, but I think you can see the bolt
holes in the flywheel through the starter hole on the later ones.
The earlier ring gear is slightly larger diameter than the later one (& the
early pinion gear is smaller) ... maybe someone knows how many teeth are on each
variety of flywheel ?
Oh yeah, note that the flywheels are different too, it's not as easy as just
swapping the ring gear.
> Thanks in advance for any help and making me look good :)
One thing that might be worth considering ... the "modern gear drive" starters
are available in both flavors and are more tolerant of chewed up ring gears
(since they pre-engage rather than engaging on the fly). Might be worth a try
if you hate the thought of pulling the transmission as much as I do. The
flywheel can be changed with the engine still in the car, IMO this is easier
than pulling the engine for a TR2/3. Might be easier to pull the engine on a
TR4/A, I don't know.
Randall
|