Abstract: A starter is composed of an output shaft, a pinion having an outer gear slidably disposed on the output shaft, a planetary gear-type speed reduction mechanism, a one-way clutch having clutch outer linked with the planetary gears, a clutch inner linked with the output shaft and a plurality of rollers disposed between the clutch outer and clutch inner, and an alignment member, disposed around the one-way clutch. The alignment member restricts deviation of axis of the clutch outer from the axis of the output shaft.

Abstract: A starter motor assembly is provided. A motor housing encloses an electric motor having a rotatable armature shaft. A planetary gear assembly is provided in a pinion housing, including planetary gears, a planet carrier, and a drive shaft. A pinion is engageable with the drive shaft for turning a flywheel of an engine. A non-load-bearing overrunning clutch assembly is provided, including an outer clutch piece removably fixed with respect to the pinion housing to be non-rotatable, and a rotatable inner clutch piece engaged with the planetary gears. Structure provided between the outer and inner clutch pieces allows rotation of the inner clutch piece in one direction and locks up the inner clutch piece in the other direction. When the starter motor assembly is energized, rotation of the armature shaft and planetary gears at a first rotational velocity rotates the inner clutch piece in the lockup direction.

Abstract: A starter assembly for starting an engine is provided incorporating a mechanical diode in the drive train between the starter motor and the engine, including two coaxial plates with facing surfaces that are linked by pivoting members. The pivoting members are recessed into a facing surface of the first plate. They pivot outward under spring force from the facing surface of the first plate to engage slots in the facing surface of the second plate. This allows the first plate to drive the second plate, but also allows the second plate to overrun the first plate.

Abstract: A starter for a motor vehicle comprises an electric motor having an output shaft which drives a coaxial starter head through a speed reducer. The speed reducer incorporates an epicyclic gear train, including a cylindrical casing within which the internally toothed crown wheel of the epicyclic gear train is mounted in rotation. The crown wheel is coupled in rotation to the casing through a friction type torque limiting device, which is interposed axially between the crown wheel and a transverse plate of the casing. The torque limiting device includes at least one annular transverse friction surface of the crown wheel, which is biased elastically into axial engagement against a reaction surface coupled in rotation to the casing.

Abstract: A motor vehicle starter has a starter head which is driven in rotation by a motor shaft and which is displaceable in sliding movement between a rest position and a working position, with the starter head projecting outside the starter casing. A sealing gasket is arranged on the starter head and comprises a seal body which is fitted on the latter in front of an external transverse face of the casing. The seal body carries a frusto conical lip which is joined at its leading end to the seal body. The lip extends axially towards the rear so that its free terminal edge is in contact with the external transverse face of the casing over the whole periphery of the aperture in the casing, but only when the starter head is in its rest position.

Abstract: An engine starter for starting an engine is provided with an overrunning clutch for transmitting the output torque of a starting motor to the crankshaft of the engine, having an outer ring formed integrally with a rotor holding rotary member having a boss fixedly put on an end portion of a crankshaft included in the engine, and holding a rotor included in a generator, an inner ring formed integrally with a driven member to be driven by the starting motor, and mounted on the end portion of the crankshaft for rotation relative to the crankshaft, and a clutch element interposed between the outer and the inner ring to transmit torque from the inner ring to the outer ring. A drive gear for driving an engine accessory is formed integrally with the rotor holding plate.

Abstract: A starting assembly for an automotive vehicle is connected to the clutch pedal thereof. The pivoting of the clutch pedal (in a clockwise direction in FIG. 1) pulls a clutch connector. The clutch connector pivots a clutch lever (in a counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1) which, in turn, actuates a translator. The translator transforms and translates the pivoting movement of the clutch lever into a linear movement of a starter pinion gear to engage the starter ring gear. The hyper-pivoting of the clutch pedal forces the closure of a contact switch which provides power for an electric motor (not shown) to rotate the starter pinion gear and, therefore, start the internal combustion engine of the automotive vehicle.

Abstract: An arrangement for compensating for alternating torques and reducing vibrations in the drive train of a motor vehicle includes three flywheel masses and two clutches in a common housing and integrates an electromechanical converter capable of being operated as an electric motor and as an generator. The first two flywheel masses are arranged in the manner of a dual-mass flywheel for the purpose of reducing the vibrations capable of being transmitted into the transmission by the crankshaft and the third flywheel mass is driven from the first flywheel mass through planet wheels so that it rotates in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the crankshaft. The third flywheel mass is formed, on its radially outer circumference as a rotor for an electromechanical converter and can be disconnected from the crankshaft by a clutch positioned between the planet wheels and the second flywheel mass while the other clutch serves as driving clutch.

Abstract: A contactor for a motor vehicle starter comprises a contactor coil, a movable contactor core actuated by a control rod, and a fixed contactor core. It also has an electromagnetic auxiliary control relay which includes a movable relay core carrying a movable contact ring which is arranged for cooperation with at least one pair of fixed relay contacts, carried by a fixed annular contact carrier plate. The relay coil, the contact carrier plate, and the movable contact ring are arranged in axial succession, in that order towards the front of the contactor, and are disposed between the movable contact of the contactor and the fixed core, so that the relay and the contactor are closed in the same, forward, direction.

Abstract: A rotation restricting member made of a resilient body such as a leaf spring is driven by a magnet switch upon energization of a motor and engages engaging grooves formed on an outer peripheral surface of an outer portion of a one-way clutch so that the rotation restricting member restricts rotation of the one-way clutch. The motor has first and second field coils connected in parallel. The first field coil is connected to an exciting coil in the magnet switch in series and the second field coil is connected to a motor contact in the magnet switch in series. When a starter switch is actuated, only the first field coil is actuated first with low voltage. Then, the motor contact is closed and the second field coil is actuated also so that the motor rotates at a high speed with full voltage.

Abstract: In a starter having a pinion gear on an output shaft driven by a starter motor, a magnet switch, and a shift lever pivotally connecting the pinion and the magnet switch, the shift lever is formed at one end thereof with an annular arm body for engagement with the pinion gear. The annular arm body is engaged with the pinion gear to receive the pinion returning force evenly thereby to prevent damage on the shift lever. Preferably the annular arm body is engaged with the pinion gear through a plate and a bearing.

Abstract: An engine starter includes an electric driving motor having a drive shaft; a transmission pinion coupled to the drive shaft; a starter pinion meshing with the transmission pinion; and a swiveling device mounted on the drive shaft for pivotal motion thereabout. The starter pinion is rotatably supported in the swiveling device. A friction clutch torque-transmittingly couples the drive shaft to the swiveling device for causing the swiveling device to pivot about the shaft for placing the starter pinion in a working position when the shaft is rotated in a driving direction. The engine starter further has an overrunning device for transmitting a driving torque between the drive shaft and the transmission pinion solely when the drive shaft rotates at least at the same speed as the transmission pinion.

Abstract: In a one-way clutch used in a starter for engines, a locking concave for locking a roller thereto is formed on a roller-moving surface of one clutch member having a peripheral surface facing a peripheral surface of the other clutch member having a wedge-shaped groove for accommodating the roller. A resilient member for disengaging the roller from the locking concave at the time of overrunning is accommodated in an annular groove, thus urging the roller radially outwardly. The roller is prevented from colliding with the locking concave at the time of overrunning so that vibrations and noise are not generated.

Abstract: A retreat restricting member for restricting the retreat of a pinion in an advanced state of the pinion on an output shaft and in a resulting meshed state of a pinion gear with a ring gear is engaged with a pair of pins rotatably, the pins being each attached to a thrust ring. In a rotation restricting member for restricting the rotation of the pinion, upon meshing of the pinion gear with the ring gear, the front end of a rotation restricting bar is disengaged from a recess of a rotation restricting plate and falls to the rear end side of the thrust ring, thereby releasing the rotation-restricted state of the pinion. Further, engaging portions of the rotation restricting member come into engagement with engaging recesses of the retreat restricting member to hold the posture of the member, thereby inhibiting the retreat of the pinion.

Abstract: A manual starter for model engines includes a winding wheel unit and a clutch unit. The clutch unit has a base, a starting device, a position device, an urging device and a return device combined together. The starting device is both rotated and moved backward by the winding wheel rotated by a pull rope wound around the winding wheel, moving an engage shaft into engagement with and to rotate a piston crank of a model engine so as to start the engine. Then after the engine is started, the engage shaft is automatically retracted by the position device and the urging device to be disengaged from the piston crank, permitting the engine to operate freely.

Abstract: A rotor 2 has a rotary shaft 20. A drive shaft 7 is provided around an outer periphery of rotary shaft 20 and is rotatably supported on a housing. Drive shaft 7 has the same axial center as rotary shaft 20, and has a pinion gear 7b meshing with a ring gear 8 of an engine. A speed-reduction mechanism 4 includes a sun gear 2b provided on rotary shaft 20, a planetary gear 4b meshing with sun gear 2b, and an internal gear 4a meshing with planetary gear 4b. A reduction shaft 5 receives a rotational torque transmitted from rotor 2 through speed-reduction mechanism 4. A first one-way clutch 6b is interposed between reduction shaft 5 and drive shaft 7 for connecting reduction shaft 5 to drive shaft 7 only when any rotational torque is transmitted from reduction shaft 5 to drive shaft 7. A second one-way clutch 6a is interposed between drive shaft 7 and rotary shaft 20 for connecting drive shaft 7 to rotary shaft 20 only when any rotational torque is transmitted, from drive shaft 7 to rotary shaft 20.

Abstract: An attracting coil is directly wound on a non-magnetic heat-conductive sleeve and a plunger contacts the sleeve in a starter. An influence of heat generated through current flow to a motor and heat generated at the attracting coil through current flow to the attracting coil itself are transmitted and released from the attracting coil directly to the plunger. Therefore, decline of the attracting force of the attracting coil is prevented. A magnet switch is provided in the vicinity of the opposite end of a pinion of the motor. Thus, when the starter is mounted on an engine, the starter does not interfere with the engine and the mounting work is facilitated.

Abstract: There is provided a recoil starter for starting an internal combustion engine which has a simple and compact structure with a reduced number of parts and which can be manufactured at a reduced cost.

Abstract: An overrunning clutch that can absorb the impact torque, and accurately and easily conveys the maximum torque. A clutch outer tubular portion and inner tubular portion are separately fixed on an internal gear and a center case of an epicycle gear reduction mechanism. A wedge-shaped groove is formed on one of an inner circumference of the outer tubular portion and an outer circumference of the inner tubular portion to accomodate a rolling element. A fitting concave portion to fit the rolling element is formed on the other one of the inner circumference of the outer tubular portion and the outer circumference of the inner tubular portion. With this, the torque value generated when the rolling element leaves the fitting concave portion can be accurately set just by setting the depth of the fitting concave portion. The radial force that acts on the opposite direction of the tubular portions holding the rolling element can be reduced.

Abstract: An engine starter drive clutch assembly which comprises a starter motor with an armature shaft, pinion gear for engaging and disengaging an engine drive gear, a spline for transmitting axial rotational movement to the pinion gear, and a clutch assembly for transmitting torque between the armature shaft and the pinion gear.

Abstract: A starter having a highly reliable overrunning clutch which has grooves on both a clutch member inner and a clutch outer member. Rollers are sandwiched from the front and rear torque conveyance direction by the roller contact surface of each groove, so a large stress such as with the roller-type overrunning clutch using the wedge-effect is not applied on each contact surface and roller contact surface. This reduces the inertia of the clutch, and suppresses the impact force generated when a pinion engages an engine ring gear.

Abstract: A combination field box and engine starter for model airplane engines is provided. The engine starter is mounted on the upper portion of one of the sidewalls of the portable field box. The field box includes a bracing assembly on the wall opposite to where the engine starter is mounted for preventing the box from sliding or tipping when pressure is applied to the starter during an engine starting operation. Additionally, the engine starter is provided with a torque enhancing gear train and an over-speed clutch which allows it to start relatively large model airplane engines with power generated by a compact battery pack formed from eight 1.2 volt nickel-cadmium cells.

Abstract: In an engine starter comprising a one-way clutch provided around a pinion support shaft carrying a pinion in a torque transmitting relationship but in an axially slidable manner, and an annular input gear to transmit torque to a clutch outer member of the one-way clutch, to prevent an eccentricity of the clutch outer member from seriously affecting the coupling structure between the motor and the input gear, the outer circumferential surface of the clutch outer member is provided with an external teeth serration while the input gear 12 is provided with an internal teeth serration so as to form a serration coupling. The serration coupling is provided with a sufficient radially play to accommodate a maximum eccentricity of the clutch outer member. Thus, the engine starter can be made reliable in use without requiring any undue precision during the fabrication process.

Abstract: Starting device for an internal combustion engine including a rope pulley (10), a freewheel coupling having a driving coupling part on the pulley, and a driven coupling part on a flywheel of the engine. The driving coupling part includes a ratchet wheel (14) and the driven coupling part includes a movable pawl (18) adapted to engage the ratchet wheel. The ratchet wheel is frusto-conical and has its relatively smaller diameter end facing the flywheel. An outer leg of the pawl is angled to correspond to the taper or cone angle of the ratchet wheel.

Abstract: An electric starter for an internal combustion engine has a coaxial pinion drive mechanism for urging the pinion gear into a positively fully meshed arrangement with the flywheel of the internal combustion engine prior to full power application to the cranking motor. The pinion drive mechanism is incompressible throughout its motion. The drive solenoid has a solid plunger which is limited in its stroke corresponding to the fully meshed position of the pinion gear by a pair of electrical contacts which are shorted at full stroke by the plunger functioning as a contact therebetween. The cranking motor is operated at a slow rotation at all times prior to full meshing of the pinion gear to aid in meshing thus reducing tooth wear and gear lash.

Abstract: The invention relates to a kick starting means for change gears, in particular for retrofitting motorcycles of the company Harley-Davidson, U.S.A., with the name "Big Twin", a cubic capacity of about 1340 cm.sup.3 and a five-speed change gear, which has been built since 1980. A kick starting axis 1 is located outside of a gear shaft level 2 formed by a gear drive axle 3 and a gear driven axle 4. This arrangement makes it possible that for retrofitting the aforementioned motorcycles with kick starting means, no modification of the original exhaust pipe assembly is necessary. (FIG.

Abstract: A starter assembly comprising a housing, a pulley rotatably mounted in the housing and having pivotally mounted therein pawls for engagement with a coupling that turns an engine. A brake assembly portion of the starter includes a molded plastics retainer including a base portion, legs extending from the base portion, and protrusions extending from the base portion and engageable by the pulley pawls to cause the retainer to rotate with the pulley. The legs of the retainer are disposed in a central opening of a pulley center shaft and are biased radially outwardly to engage the interior of the center shaft to restrain rotation of the retainer. The assembly further includes turning means by which an operator causes rotation of the pulley.

Abstract: The clutch is adapted forum& in starting-and restarting aircraft turbine engines with a pneumatically operated starter turbine. The clutch assembly has one clutch member which is driven by the starter turbine and another clutch member which is connected to and drives the turbine engine. The starter turbine clutch member is translationally moveable toward and away from the turbine engine clutch member. Centrifugally operated flyweights are used to induce the translational movement of the clutch member. Proengagement flyweights are operable when the starter turbine is rotating to urge the starter turbine clutch member toward the turbine engine clutch member; and disengagement flyweights are operable when the turbine engine is rotating to urge the starter turbine clutch member away from the turbine engine clutch member.

Abstract: A starter head for an internal combustion engine that has a motor shaft and a starter pinion which is arranged for sliding movement along the motor shaft. A fastening shroud secures a free wheel and a drive sleeve to the starter pinion. The drive sleeve carries a return device, which has a ring member having at its inner periphery a plurality of resiliently deformable teeth. These teeth cooperate, in snap-fitting engagement, with a groove which is formed on the outer periphery of an end portion of the drive sleeve.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft and a cranking motor for turning the crankshaft to start the engine, a coupler is attached to the crankshaft and serves as a carrier for a ring gear that is engaged by the cranking motor. The coupler, in effect, disconnects the ring gear from the crankshaft when the crankshaft is operating under its own power, so that the crankshaft is not encumbered by the inertia of the ring gear and thus will accelerate quite rapidly. The coupler includes a hub, which is attached to the crankshaft and is provided with outwardly opening notches, and also includes a drive ring which surrounds the hub, such that it is capable of rotating with respect to the hub. A flexplate is attached to the drive ring, and the ring gear is in turn attached to the flexplate.

Abstract: A starter motor for an internal combustion engine having an overrunning clutch (40) which transfers rotation of a d.c. motor to a pinion gear for driving an internal combustion engine. An outer member (41) of the overrunning clutch (40) is slidable along an output shaft (7). When the clutch is slid toward the engine (forward) the d.c. motor is electrically energized and its rotation is imparted to the output shaft (7) via a planetary reduction gear (13). When the overrunning clutch (40) is in this position, the clutch outer member (41) is coupled to the output shaft (7) by helical spline (8). Clutch inner member (22), which is caused to rotate by the rollers (23), transmits rotary motion to the pinion, thus rotating the engine. The overrunning clutch is caused to slide along the output shaft by a shift lever (34) which is moved forward and rearward by an electromagnetic switch (31). The shift lever has a two-pronged lower end engaged with an annular engagement groove (41c).

Abstract: A starter drive for use in machine-building and more specially in transport machine-building for starting internal combustion engines. The starter drive is with a simplified construction, increased reliability and loading capacity. The starter drive consists of plurality of wedging sprags (1), placed in rectangular unilaterally opened holes in an outer (2) and an inner (3) cages. Between the two rigid cages is disposed a smooth band cage (4). The cage (2, 3 and 4) together with the sprags (1) are disposed between the inner contact surface (5) with circular cross-section of the shaft (6) of the driving gear (7) and the outer contact surface (8) with circular cross-section, which is worked out in casing (9) of the starter drive.

Abstract: In a starter for internal combustion engines, a tubular pinion gear support shaft 8 is rotatably supported by a casing, and coupled to a drive shaft of a motor so as to be rotatively driven by the motor, and an annular pinion gear 3 is fitted on the pinion gear support shaft in axially slidable but rotatively drivable relationship. A push rod 9 is axially slidably received in the tubular pinion gear support shaft and provided with a free end engaged with a free end of the pinion gear for transmitting a shifting force for driving the pinion gear into meshing with a ring gear of an engine from a shift lever to the push rod. A shift spring 15 consisting of a compression coil spring is coaxially received in the pinion gear support shaft and interposed between an associated end of the shift lever and a base end of the push rod. Thus, the assembling of the starter is simplified while the action of the shift spring is stabilized, and the design of the starter is made compact.

Abstract: In an engine used for a portable working apparatus such as a brush cutter, there are arranged a drive gear rotated by a starter motor, and a driven gear engaging with the drive gear and connected to a crankshaft through a nonreturn clutch. The driven gear is fixed to the crankshaft until the starter motor starts the engine and released from the crankshaft after the start of the engine and after a rotational speed of the crankshaft exceeds that of the starter motor.

Abstract: A starter head for an internal combustion engine features a starter pinion, a driving head, two half rings and a securing cap. In a method of making this starter head: a set of chamfers is formed on the outer periphery of the securing cap so as to form, by local flow of the material of the cap, a set of internal projecting nibs in alignment with the chamfers; the starter pinion is positioned with respect to the driving sleeve; the two half rings are positioned against a camming cage associated with the driving sleeve, thereby completing a sub-assembly; the securing cap is positioned on the said sub-assembly; and the securing cap is reformed in such a way that the half rings become embedded in the nibs.

Abstract: A lubricator for lubricating the drive shaft of engine starting apparatus. The lubricator has a housing that is comprised of two plastic parts that are secured together by means of locking arms that are integral with one of the parts and which engage the outer part. The housing contains a wick that is saturated with a lubricating oil. The lubricator is assembled to the driving member of an engine starter overrunning clutch by press-fitting it to an internal surface of a tubular portion of the driving member. The inner surface of the wick engages a starter drive shaft and as the overrunning clutch is shifted relative to the drive shaft, the wick deposits a thin film of oil to a length of the drive shaft.

Abstract: A coaxial type starter motor comprises a d.c.

Abstract: A system for starting model engines. The model engine starting system, in the preferred form, utilizes a motor to drive a torque converting unit. The output of the torque converting unit is mechanically coupled to the crankshaft of an engine through an overrunning clutch so that rotation and torque from the torque converting unit is transmitted to the crankshaft. There is, however, no transmission of rotation or torque in the reverse direction when the engine is running. For glow ignition model engines, a system is described which assists the starting system by controlling the temperature of the glow plug, thus maintaining proper ignition of fuel during starting and running the engine. In order to control the temperature of the glow plug, a control system is utilized to vary the electrical power delivered to the glow plug according to the glow plug's temperature.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a starting device for manually starting an internal combustion engine and especially a two-stroke engine. The starting device comprises essentially a clutch drum which is actuated by a pull rope for imparting rotation to a catch which coacts with a clutch element of the engine shaft. The starting device maintains within limits the effects of stronger fluctuations of the reaction torque of the engine shaft on the hand of the operator. This is achieved in that the clutch drum and the carrier of the catch are configured as separate parts and are connected by an elastically-deformable entraining element which takes up the force peaks of the reaction torque.

Abstract: A starter motor with an intermediate gear wheel. The starter motor includes an interposition member interposed between the front end of a clutch cover fitted onto an overrunning clutch and the rear end of an intermediate gear wheel, a movable connecting member including a boss portion which is loosely fitted onto the outer circumference of an extended boss portion projecting backwardly from the rear end portion of the intermediate gear wheel, and a circular-arc-shaped fitting portion which is formed integrally with the rear end portion of the boss portion to extend upwardly and which is fitted to a lower half portion of a fitting groove formed at the rear end portion of the overrunning clutch so as to be movable in the axial direction of the clutch.

Abstract: A pneumatic starter (10) incorporates a pawl and ratchet clutch assembly (50) having a ratchet member (46) mounted to a drive member (40) powered by an air expansion turbine (20), and a plurality of pawls (48) disposed circumferentially about the ratchet member (46) and operable in engagement therewith to transmit rotational drive torque from the drive member (40) to a driven member (60). Each of the pawls (48) is supported on a pivot pin (54) for pivotal movement into and out of engagement with the ratchet member (46) and translation between a engaged and drive position and a disengaged and retracted position to effectuate a change in the location of the center of gravity (93) of the pawl relative to its pivot axis (55). Preload springs (54) are provided for biasing the pawls (48) to pivot radially inwardly into engagement with the ratchet member (46).

Abstract: An electric starter having an electric motor with a rotatable shaft, a pinion gear for driving a flywheel, and a friction clutch for transmitting torque which includes a drive plate connected to the shaft and a friction coupling for frictionally transmitting torque between the drive plate and pinion gear wherein the coupling is compressible and a stop limits compression to a predetermined maximum compression so as to set a predetermined slip torque or limit torque transfer to a predetermined maximum torque.

Abstract: Centrifugally disengageable engine starter gearing for selectively starting an engine having a starting gear. The engine starter gearing includes a power shaft, a sleeve slidably secured to the power shaft, a pinion gear slidably mounted to the power shaft and movable into engagement with the starting gear, a driven clutch member secured to the pinion gear and having a circular recess therein, a driving clutch member mounted to the sleeve, and mutually engageable clutch teeth on the driving and driven clutch members. A housing having an open end and a closed end is fitted over the driving and driven clutch members. An abutment confines the driving and driven clutch members within the housing. A radially inwardly extending shoulder is located on the driving clutch member adjacent the circular recess. An annular thrust washer having an inner conical surface abuts a loose washer which abuts the radially inwardly extending shoulder.

Abstract: The specification discloses a starter drive for starting engines. In one embodiment, a drive gear having a recess on a side thereof transfers motion from a starting motor to a sprag and a rim located in the recess. The rim is integrally formed with an idler gear which in turn transfers its motion to the crankshaft of the engine. After startup, the sprag permits the idler gear and rim to turn independently of the drive gear.

Abstract: In a starter unit, the internal gear frame of an epicycle reduction gear is set rotatable with respect to the front bracket, and a first over-running clutch is made up of a clutch outer fixed to the front bracket, and a clutch inner which is the front end portion of the internal gear frame, and a second over-running clutch which is a conventional over-running clutch is mounted on the output shaft. The provision of the two over-running clutches eliminates the difficulty that, when the start switch is turned on during the inertial rotation of the engine or starter unit, the pinion is reengaged with the ring gear, so that abnormal shock is applied to the side of the starter unit to damage the rotation transmitting members.

Abstract: A section of the normal internal bore of a starter pinion gear drive mechanism which allows the drive mechanism to slide over the starter drive shaft is enlarged in diameter. When the pinion gear is shifted to engage the flywheel of an engine, the enlarged bore section slides over a snap ring stop on the drive shaft. The snap ring limits travel of the pinion gear drive mechanism over the drive shaft by engaging the inner end of the enlarged bore. The arrangement allows the use of a short starter drive shaft which reduces interference between the drive shaft and a flywheel or the like. In addition, when the pinion drive mechanism is at rest, the snap ring stop effectively seals the outer end of the enlarged bore thus helping to prevent dirt from reaching the starter drive shaft.

Abstract: A planetary speed reduction gear type starter comprising a planetary speed reduction gear unit and a DC motor is designed as follows: In the case where the motor is smaller in outside diameter than the planetary speed reduction gear unit, the inside diameter of the yoke is accordingly reduced; that is, the front end portion of the yoke is increased in inside diameter into a large diameter portion. The planetary speed reduction gear unit is fitted in the large diameter portion, with the front end of which a front bracket is engaged. Thus, only one kind of front bracket can be used for a plurality of planetary speed reduction gear type starters different in reduction gear ratio.

Abstract: A contaminant proof structure for a starter for an engine, with the starter including a sliding portion between a sliding member and a support member supporting the sliding member disposed in a housing so that the sliding member can project into the outside of the housing through an opening formed in a wall of the housing. An atmospheric gas reservoir disposed in the housing between the support member and the wall of the housing around the opening, and a communication passage bypasses the sliding portion and communicates the atmospheric gas reservoir with an external atmospheric gas through a space at an opposite side of the support member to the atmospheric gas reservoir side. The sliding member is dimensioned such that a gap between the opening and the sliding member inserted in the opening is small.

Abstract: In a starter system for an internal combustion engine, an input member of an overrunning clutch is provided with an annular shoulder surface abutting an annular end surface of a cylindrical boss portion of a reduction gear unit casing when the overrunning clutch is at a rest position, and a cylindrical sleeve portion extends from the annular shoulder surface towards the reduction gear unit so as to be closely fitted on the cylindrical boss portion of the reduction gear unit casing. Thus, water and other foreign matters are not only shut off by these mutually abutting annular surfaces, but also prevented from reaching this region by the cylindrical sleeve portion closely fitted on the cylindrical boss portion of the reduction gear unit. Also, the centrifugal force prevents water and other foreign matters from reaching this area when the starter is actuated and the two annular surfaces are not in contact.

Abstract: An intermediate gear type starter comprises a movable coupling body which is mounted on the intermediate shaft in such a manner as to slide together with the intermediate gear. The movable coupling body comprises: a locking portion which is engaged with the over-running clutch: and a cover portion for closing the opening formed on the internal combustion engine side. The over-running clutch is axially coupled to the intermediate gear through the movable coupling body.