Starter wiring? Distributor?
Turbo Mini Forums

I pulled the motor out of my 91 Cooper and put it into my clubman, I am trying to get the starter and dizzy hooked up. My clubman and cooper have different wiring for the starter and distributor. It is confusing me and I am wondering if anyone can help. The clubman was using a inertia drive starter and the cooper has a pre-engaged starter. Clubman thinking was using a 59 DM4 dizzy and the Cooper has 65 DM4 dizzy. Will I be able to use a inertia drive starter in place of the pre-engaged starter? Will I also be able to use the 65 DM4 dizzy too? I know how it all connects on the 91 mini but have no idea how to connect the clubman as I didn't take it apart. I think I found the alternator cables on the inner fender solenoid on the Clubman.

Clubman wiring


Clubman starter solenoid


Clubman Distributor connection is the connection below the alternator in the pic. Instead of being on the dizzy it is on the body on the car. Thinking it is a 59 DM4 Dizzy.


Cooper wiring harness

1991 mini cooper
1971 mini clubman

theres a guide if you use the search on how to use pre engaged starter with the solenoid you have its quite an easy fix.

Done now needs redoing lol

Before considering the starter wiring, the pinion size is different on the two types of starter motor and the flywheel ring gears have different numbers of teeth because of it.

A lot of aftermarket flywheels are available with both options of ring gear but as a general rule on the standard flywheels, pre-verto is inertia and verto is pre-engaged.

You might get the mismatched motor/flywheel to work but it might jam during engagement or (worse) it may jam permenantly engaged.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Minisport sell the ring gears to convert over from one to the other but Ive been told they are a bitch to fix (not minisports ring gears) just ring gears in general