Starter Motor
The electric
automobile self starter or best known as the starter is the device chiefly
responsible for carrying out the processes involved in starting vehicles
up. The car starter works by harnessing the power of the automotive
battery.
Once the key is
inserted into the ignition switch and then turned to the start position,
a tiny amount of current flow through the neutral safety switch and
into the starter relay or starter solenoid.
The starter motor
then cranks the engine to enable the piston to create a suction drawing
in the fuel and air mixture into the cylinder. The engine will then
start as the spark created by the ignition system will ignite this mixture.
Turning on the ignition switch allows a small amount of power from the
battery to flow to the solenoid above the starter.
When the low-current
power from the starting battery is applied to the solenoid, oftentimes
with a key-operated switch, it releases a small pinion gear on the starter
motor's shaft and meshes it with the ring gear on the flywheel of the
engine.
The solenoid is
also responsible for closing out high-current contacts for the starter
motor and it then starts to run. Once the engine starts, a key-operated
switch is activated and a spring in the solenoid assembly pulls the
pinion gear away from the ring gear which then causes the starter motor
to stop.
Modern auto starter
motors are equipped with a "bendix," a gear and integral freewheel,
or overrunning clutch, thereby allowing the flywheel to automatically
disengage the pinion gear from the flywheel when the engine starts.
|
