Sunny the Sunbeam arrived with a questionable starter. When turning the key, the starter engaged two out of three times. My local parts stores did not stock Sunbeam starters, but from the internet, I learned that Sunbeams
Starter bolted to the engine
share starters with, inter alia, a 1975 MG. Advance Auto in Briggs Chaney MD had one in stock, so I stopped by on a Saturday in May after visiting Claire’s mother.
Installation is easy, once one learns to move the clutch slave cylinder out of the way. The clutch slave cylinder operates the clutch using hydraulic pressure from the clutch pedal and its master cylinder. It needs to be moved to make room for the starter to come out of the car. You can see the slave cylinder in the background to the right of the starter itself.
Two bolts and one wire and the starter is free. You may notice that there is no solenoid attached to the starter. Because starters use a copious electricity flow, they need a second switch to limit electric current through the key. For Sunbeams, this second switch or solenoid is located on the firewall.
All was good until September when the new starter failed. Daniel and I took Sunny to Paul’s for some welding and the starter did not work. We heard the solenoid click, but the starter didn’t spin. Paul and I pushed
High current connection
Daniel in the car, who then let out the clutch and started the engine. We drove to Woodley Park, where we conveniently were able to leave the car on a hill.
What went wrong? It turns out that the high current connection, the stud with two nuts on the right snapped off inside the starter housing. Advance replaced it at no charge.
Sunbeam 