STARTING SYSTEM

2010
 CONTENTS
• Requirement
• Working principle
• Types
yp
– Enertia drive starter motor
– Pre
Pre-engaged
engaged starter motor
– Gear reduction starter motor
• Troubleshooting
• Conclusions
 STARTING SYSTEM
• Automotive engines are cranked by a small but
powerful electric motor known as starting motor.
motor
• The starting motor rotates the flywheel ring gear
with the help of a pinion gear to start the engine.
engine
• The battery sends current to the starting motor
when the driver turns the ignition switch to start
position.
• Pinion is disengaged as soon as the engine starts.
starts
• The starting motor converts electrical energy (from
battery into) mechanical energy (crankshaft).
(crankshaft)
MAIN COMPONENTS OF STARTING SYSTEM
 REQUIREMENTS
• Internal combustion engine needs external source of
energy to start it. When starting, the mass moment of
inertial, frictional and compression resistance of the
engine have to be overcome. (Cold engine – high
frictional resistance).
resistance)
• A certain minimum of speed of rotation of engine must
be reached to start the engine
engine. This rotation of
crankshaft should be able to ignite the fuel-air mixture
in the SI engine
g or ggenerate heat of compressed
p air to
ignite sprayed fuel in CI engine.
• Usually the minimum rpm of crankshaft should be more
than 200 rpm.
 The starter motor must overcome:
• All of the internal friction caused by the piston rings;
• The compression pressure of any cylinder(s) that happens to be
in the compression stroke;
• Thee eenergy
e gy needed
eeded too open
ope anda d close
c ose valves
a es with thee camshaft;
ca s a ;
• All of the "other" things directly attached to the engine, like the
water pump, oil pump, alternator, etc.
• Because so much energy is needed and because a car uses a
12-volt electrical system, hundreds of amps of electricity must
fl into
flow i t th
the starter
t t motor. t Th The starter
t t solenoid
l id iis essentially
ti ll a
large electronic switch that can handle that much current. When
yyou turn the ignition
g key,
y, it activates the solenoid to ppower the
motor.
BATTERY AND STARTER MOTOR
• A starter is an electric motor needed to turn over
the engine to start it. A starter consists of the
very powerful DC electric motor and starter
solenoid that is attached to the motor (see the
picture).
• A starter motor requires very high current to
crank the engine, that's why it's connected to the
battery with large cables (see lower diagram).
• The negative (ground) cable connects "-" battery
terminal to the engine block close to the starter.
The positive cable connects "+" battery terminal
to the starter solenoid.
• The starter solenoid works as an electric switch -
when actuated, it closes the circuit and connects
the starter motor to the battery. At the same time,
it pushes the starter gear forward to mesh with
the engine's flywheel.
STARTING MOTOR CONSTRUCTION
• Loops of heavy wire are placed between magnetic
poles. When current from the battery flows through the
loops, a strong magnetic fields is produced around the
loops. This magnetic field opposes the magnetic field
of the stationary magnet. The opposition causes the
loops to rotate.
• There are many loops assembled in a rotor, called the
armature.
• The stationary magnetic field is produced by field
windings in the field frame assembly. When the motor
is connected to the battery, the opposing magnetic
fields of the armature and the field windings cause the
armature to spin. The starting motor drive unit then
spins the engine crankshaft so that the engine starts.
• With more field windings and brushes, more current
can flow. This creates a more powerful magnetic field
for greater cranking torque.
STARTER MOTOR CONSTRUCTION
• Commutator – A series of copper bars at one
end of a starter motor armature, electrically
insulated from the armature shaft and
insulated from one another by mica. The
b h rubb against
brushes i t th the bbars off th
the
commutator, which form a rotating connector
between the armature windings and brushes.
• Carbon brush – a block of conducting
substance which rests against a rotating
commutator to form a continuous electric
circuit.
• Armature – a part moved by magnetism, or a
part moved through a magnetic field to
produce current.
• Fi ld coilil - a coilil or winding,
Field i di iin a starting
t ti
motor which produces magnetic field as
current passes through it.
• Magnetic field – the space around a magnet
which is filled by invisible lines of force.
INERTIA DRIVE STARTER MOTOR
• Bendix drive. Shaft begins to
t rn pinion turns
turn, t rns more slowly
slo l
and is screwed forward to
engage with the flywheel.
• Pinion at end of screw-thread
engages with flywheel so that
starter motor shaft
shaft, pinion and
flywheel rotate together.
• When engine fires, flywheel
drives pinion faster than shaft,
screwing it back along thread
and out of engagement.
g g
PRE-ENGAGED STARTER DRIVE
• A mechanical lever is used to
engage the pinion with the
flywheel before the starter motor
begins to turn.
• A smallll overrun clutch
l t h bbetween
t
the motor shaft and the pinion
disconnects the pinion from the
starter motor when the engine
starts.
• This prevents the engine driving
the starter motor armature at a
very high speed and so
d
damagingi itit.
 PRE ENGAGED STARTER MOTOR

• A starter is an electric motor needed to turn over the engine to

start it.
• A starter consists of the very powerful DC electric motor and
starter solenoid that is attached to the motor (see the picture).
OVER RUNNING CLUTCH
• Over running clutch prevents
damage to the starter motor
once the engine has been
started. It does so byy
disengaging its housing
(which rotates with the motor
armature)) from
f an inner race
which is combined with the
pinion gear.
gear
• Spring loaded wedged
rollers are used.
used
SOLENOID SWITCH
SOLENOID SWITCH AND BENDIX
• To engage the starter with the ring-gear on
the engine before the starter is turned on.
That is; to "pre
pre-engage
engage" it.
it
• To turn the starter on once it is engaged.
• This prevents/reduces damage to the geargear-
teeth on both the starter and the ring gear.

• Once the starter motor has been engaged

the starter bendix senses the armature
momentum and is forced to extend into the
flywheel. Once the engine has started and
the ignition key released the bendix loses
momentum and the bendix is forced to
return to idle position.
 GEAR REDUCTION STARTER MOTOR

• The gear reduction increases cranking torque.

• When the shift lever is actuated by the solenoid, it shifts the
overrunning clutch pinion into mesh with the flywheel.
• The gear ratio between the armature and the flywheel, due to extra
gears iin the
th starting
t ti motor,t iis 45
45:1.
1 Th
The armature
t tturns 45 titimes tto tturn
the flywheel (crankshaft) providing a high cranking torque for starting.
ADVANTAGES OF GEAR REDUCTION STARTER MOTOR

• It has a compact, high speed motor and a set of

reduction
d ti gears.
• Being a smaller and weighing less than
conventional starting motors it operates at higher
speed. The reduction gears transfer this torque to
the pinion gear at ¼ to ⅓ the motor speed.
• The ppinion ggear still rotates faster than the ggear on
a conventional starter and with much greater torque
((crankingg ppower))
EXAMPLE: BOSCH STARTER MOTOR
 BOSCH
STARTER MOTOR
STARTING SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
 STARTING SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
SYMPTOMS POSSIBLE CAUSES ACTION NEEDED
Engine will • Dead battery • Check battery state of charge
not crank • Melted fusible link • Replace fusible link
• Loose connections • Clean and tighten connections
• Faulty ignition switch • Check switch operation;
replace as needed
• Faulty magnetic switch, • Check and replace as needed
relay neutral start switch or
relay,
clutch switch
• Mechanical problem in • Check engine
engine
• Problem in theft deterrent • Check repair manual for
system system tests
 STARTING SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
SYMPTOMS POSSIBLE CAUSES ACTION NEEDED
Engine • Weak battery • Check battery and charge as
cranks too needed
slowly to • Loose or corroded • Clean and tighten connections
start connections
• Faulty starter motor • Test starter
• Mechanical problems with • Check engine and starter;
engine or starter replace worn out parts
Starter keeps • Damaged pinion or ring • Check gears for wear or
running gear damage
• Faulty
F lt plunger
l iin magnetic
ti • Test
T t starter
t t pull-in
ll i andd hhold-in
ld i
switch coils
• Faulty ignition switch or • Check switch and circuit
control circuit components
• Binding ignition key • Check key for damage
 STARTING SYSTEM TROUBLESHOOTING CHART
SYMPTOMS POSSIBLE CAUSES ACTION NEEDED
Starter spins, • Faulty over
over-running
running clutch • Check over
over-running
running clutch for
but engine will proper operation
not crank • Damaged or worn pinion • Check gears for damage and
gear or ring gear wear; replace as needed

Starter does • Faulty magnetic switch • Check and replace as

not engage/ • Damaged or worn pinion needed
disengage gear or ring gear • Check gears for damage and
properly wear; replace as needed
 CONCLUSIONS
• The commutator must be clean, with a smooth surface. If the commutator
is not round, it must be skimmed. Never try to dress the surface of the
commutator with a file or with emery cloth.
cloth
• The insulation between the commutator segments must be cur or milled
away to about half the width of the gap.
• The carbon brushes must be freely in the brush holders. Severely worn
brushes must be renewed and the commutator surface skimmed.
• The bearings are normally of the self-lubricating
self lubricating type
type, and must therefore
not come into contact with cleaning agents which dissolve grease.
• Oxidized batteryy ppost clips,
p loose terminals, burned switch contacts and
defective wiring all increase circuit resistance and often lead to starter
failure.
• It is good practice to switch off all other electrical consumers when
starting the engine.