Hello. I hope some of you can give me some ideas as to why motor is turning over slower than normal. It has always been a cow to start in the cold weather but this year won’t start at all. The battery is brand new and to help I have even connected a jump starter but it makes no difference. I tried again today and when I checked to see whether the terminals might have been lose, the positive one was so bloody hot that naturally I let a few adjectives out. The poor old dog will still not come near me. Anyway I am suspecting that it could be a starter problem. The starter is the standard type. If it makes any difference the car is a mk2 S. Thanks for any help you can provide.

First check the battery cable lugs are clean and tight.
If the cable lug onto the starter is hot it probably needs new brushes. These starters are not hard to repair, the brushes, bushes and pinion gear are still available.
The armature will probably need machining true before fitting new brushes.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

If the battery terminal was hot, it has a poor connection - high resistance.
You are generating heat, not power to the starter.
Could be the termianl onto the battery, or the cable as it goes into the terminal.

Adding to what has been said already, a hot terminal means it is drawing a large amount of current which may not necessarily be associated with poor connections.
it would be worth checking the engine turns over freely from the flywheel. The bearings in the starter motor and that the starter turns freely off the engine. Be aware that the starter will jump all over the place when bench testing so clamp it in a vice before testing.
The starter solenoid may have dirty or worn / pitted contacts internally.

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Cheers Dave.

or starter has a shorted turn(s)...for example: https://electrical-engineering-portal.c ... ed-turns...

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"Show me the Mini!"

Thank you for your replies. Turned out the starter was stuffed. Have a new one on the way and hopefully that will fix problem. Thanks again

Good to know tht you found a d fixed it. Result.

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Cheers Dave.