End float on starter motor shaft

The actual starter has a gear. This works through an epicyclic gearbox, or sun/planet gears box, which has a sprocket on its out side to drive the chain to the sprag in the P Drive.
This gear box is detachable from the starter. I have a spare that is the reverse of this, ie it is seized up!!

Ian, 

The epicyclic gearbox should be checked in your re-commissioning. Petrol from leaks or tickling drops onto the starter assembly, and eventually, can get into the gearbox. Grease put in by Lucas eventually gets diluted and great wear takes place.

My own Electra purchase was so damaged in this way that every gear was worn beyond use. All bearings are plain, and they were knackered too. The armature shaft is integral with the pinion, so that was scrap too. 

Simple to split the epicyclic gearbox, inspect, refresh as required, and RE-GREASE. 

Peter

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There is a crusty looking starter on eBay at present - item no.  335415809466 - that might be a source of spares....or not!  Don't know if you would consider £85 too pricey for what I imagine is quite a rare motor?

That starter does look like the real thing. Easy enough to check it out-make it whirr!!
On the same seller there is a number of Zener diodes in heat sinks, if any one thinks of buying, I can test these for the cost of the return post.