Cross flow Starter

[anonymous-user]

I have a Locost 7 with a tuned 1300 cross flow from a Escort GT, (twin webbers, flowwed, Fany exhaust etc)but I am building a new Caterham 1700 Super Sprint, so while the bits are being collected and delivered for the Caterham I've put the 1700 Caterham engine in the Locost, as a slave chassie just to run it. One of the 'bits' I'm waitng on delivery is a new High Torques starter, so I've bolted in the old Escort starter,onto the 1700, assuming all 'cross flow' would basically have the same starter. But the starter does not engage the ring gear, just 'smacks' into the fly wheel and spins around. (I know I should have measured everything before I bolted it up but I didn't)
I'm assuming the ring gear is different so I'm planning to swap the old 1300 flywheel onto the 1700 and see if that works (It's alightned balanaced fly wheel so no big issues in the short term). Does any one know if the ring gear is the same on all cross flows ?
The new starter is on the way with a load of other parts and will take another 6 weeks to get to me. Thanks

[marshalla]

I've just had a look at an old build manual (Westfield). It has a note about different ring gears for pre-engaged vs. Inertia starters.

[one eyed mick]

Unsure about ring gears but starter pinions can differ i.e. 9 or10 teeth and they don.t interchange HTH

[anonymous-user]

Thanks that makes sense, I never thought of the engine living throught the tec change, the 1700 is aearly 90's engine the 1300 is of a early MK11 escort.
Engine out tommmorrow.

[Twink1598]

Maybe too late, but the ring gear is round the opposite way for a pre engaged starter, with the tapered edge of the teeth towards the starter. To change starter type from pre engaged to inertia you need to reverse the ring gear.

[anonymous-user]

Yes the starter is a preengaged, I was wrong, but the starter is from a 1972 escort and would not work with a latter caterham super sprint, now put the escort flywheel on and works, I'm assuming its the 9 10pinion thing, I have not seen both flywheels together, its my daughters car but my race mechanic is doing the work. All now working.