Starting Motor

[geoberni]

Plan today is borrow jump leads or charger and eliminate the battery issue as suggested. Just one update which may help .. last night I tried one last time to turn her over, well it was my 11 year old who insisted he would try! He switch the headlights on first and I was stood in their beam, anyway when he turned the key the headlights went out completely and came back on when he stopped. So on top of me changing dash light bulbs (for LED) and tightening ignition barrel what’s wrong with my Stan? Does this sound like an earthing problem? I’m pulling hair as I’ve not touched anything other than the bulbs and speedo?

Any advice on this new update would be appreciated.

Headlight going out when trying to start is as near as certain an indication that you have a flat battery.
Think of it as water in a hose pipe.
The main nozzle is turned off and with full mains pressure, there's a small pinhole leak in the hose with a little squirt of water coming out.
That's the headlights being on.
You turn the main nozzle on, all the pressure is now taking the path of least resistance, water rushing out the end nozzle and the little squirt stops.
That's you turning the key for the starter.

Battery needs charging, so it has more 'pressure'....

[Stanmo]

Cheers Geoberni
I’ve got my jump starter on charge ready to try and bring her to life. I assumed that even though the battery was only a little under power it would at least turn over but as said I have nothing just the spinning from the starter motor. Would it not at least turn the engine? Battery was at 11 volts when checked with a multi meter?

[geoberni]

The starter needs to reach sufficient speed to spin the bendix enough to throw it out to engage.
Sticking with the hosepipe analogy, your hosepipe nozzle is fully open but it's only getting the path wet in front of your feet, you need to be reaching the far side of the lawn...

If you had 11v 'off load' that's definitely it.

Typical data for conventional lead/acid battery state of charge
Level --Volts
100% - 12.73V
90% - 12.62V
80% - 12.50V
70% - 12.37V
60% - 12.24V
50% - 12.10V
40% - 11.96V
30% - 11.81V
20% - 11.66V
10% - 11.51V
0% - 10.50V
As a bit of a rule of thumb, a battery below 10.6v is irreparably dead.

[Shropshiremoggie]

Geoberni’s post gives you an accurate guide to your battery condition . From your readings my money is on a flat or defunct battery !

[Stanmo]

I never realised how the relatively small drop in voltage could have such a detrimental effect on actual output!!! I’m still waiting for my jump to charge and I’ll report back with outcomes. Thank you all for your advice, still trying to find my way round the workings of the Morris but am really enjoying the challenge and the new knowledge... which is mostly gifted on this forum. Be lost without it?

[Stanmo]

She’s alive!!! Can’t believe something so simple! I spent yesterday rechecking all the Speedo wiring I had touched and looking into how to remove starter motor. Thank you all again .

[Shropshiremoggie]

Well done !!! Great news !

[geoberni]

Good stuff.
A lot of people don't realise the intricacies of how batteries respond when under load.
You're in the majority when it comes to underestimating how a flat battery shows itself.

I had to get a new battery for my modern diesel because if doing a few stop start short trips, if would struggle at the 3rd or 4th start.
It let me down after I had made a handful of 'engine off stops' in my village before going on somewhere else.