I have a starting fault developing. Sometimes when I turn the key all I get is a screech. Sometimes it sounds like the battery is flat. On the second turn of the key the car starts normal. Alternator is new, battery is good, so are the connections. Any ideas please.

sounds like starter motor or ring gear fault.

If it's a high pitched screech it is (as Alex says) a ring gear/starter fault.

An experienced technician upon hearing the noise should be able to tell you if it is the ring gear [expensive] or just a faulty/slipping one-way clutch in the starter motor [cheaper]

Otherwise live with it :bandit:

I have a starting fault developing. Sometimes when I turn the key all I get is a screech. Sometimes it sounds like the battery is flat. On the second turn of the key the car starts normal. Alternator is new, battery is good, so are the connections. Any ideas please.
Hi, did you get to the root of this problem at all? Did the high pitch screech sound like two cogs grating teeth at extremely high speed? I am seeing (what I think may be) a similar problem on a 420GSI

Cheers,
James

from whot you say that is the drive clutch is slipping common problem on that starter

from whot you say that is the drive clutch is slipping common problem on that starter
Yeah, it's just weird that I have changed the starter twice over the last month, and after a couple of days the same problem reappears.

But one starter was a used one?

I had a similar problem with my 1997 420 - problems starting, then no problems for a couple of weeks - finally died completely and refused to start. Took it to local MGR garage, and they say it is the engine management system - a new one is on order.

^ I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!


This is a "starting" problem here, the engine won't even turn.

Ended up having new ring gear fitted. I do a lot of stop/start driving, its been an ongoing problem. Bit of a nightmare tbh.