Table of Contents

Starting Systems

Subject Page

Purpose of Starting System.........................................................................3

System Components...................................................................................3

Starter Drives...............................................................................................7

Overrunning Clutch......................................................................................8

Principle of Operation...................................................................................9

Motor Windings..........................................................................................11

Solenoid.....................................................................................................12

Review Questions......................................................................................15

Initial Print Date: 5/01 Revision Date:

Starting Systems

Model: All

Production Date: All

Objectives

After completing this module you should be able to:

• Explain the purpose of the starting system.

• List and identify the components of the starting system.

• Recognize the different types of starters.

• Diagnosis starting system problems.

2
Starting System
Starting
Systems

Purpose of the Starting

System

The purpose of the starting system is to convert chemical energy stored in the battery
into electrical energy, then into mechanical energy in the starter motor. This mechanical
energy is then transferred through gears and drives from the starter motor to the
engine flywheel.

After the transfer and conversion of all this energy the engine flywheel begins to
rotate.

The rotation must be of sufficient speed to allow the engine to form the combustible air-
fuel mixture required for starting. It must be maintained during initial combustion long
enough until the the engine can sustain operation.

To accomplish this a starter or cranking motor is

used.

The starting system consists of the following compo-

nents:
4 3
• Battery
• Ignition Switch
• Starter Motor Assembly
• EWS (if equipped)
• Starter Safety Switch
1
• Cables and Wiring Harness
2 BMW

7510101.jpeg

System Components 1. Starter 2. Battery

3. Ignition 4. Relay
Battery
The Battery is the primary EMF source in the automobile. The automotive battery is an elec-
tro-mechanical device that provides the potential difference (voltage). The battery does not
store electrical energy. It stores chemical energy that is converted to electrical energy as it
discharges.

All energy for starting the car is drawn from the battery. State-of-charge, and capacity of
the battery are important factors in the ability of the engine to start, especially in cold and
harsh conditions.

3
Starting System
Ignition
Switch
The Ignition Switch provides a request to the starting system to engage the starter
motor. This request is handled differently depending on the year of the vehicle and
particular sys- tems the vehicle is fitted with.

In non EWS systems the ignition switch provided power directly to the starter solenoid
or a starter relay. Beginning with EWS I the start request (KL50) is passed to an
Immobilizer control module or an EWS module (EWS II/III).

On vehicles with one touch starting the KL50 signal is passed to the
DME.

Starter Motor
Assembly
The Starter Motor Assembly is a DC motor which uses the interaction of magnetic fields
to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy.

The starter motor assembly consists

of:

• Electric Starter Motor

• Solenoid 2
• Pinion Engaging Drive

3 1
Electric Starter Motor
The Starter Motor provides the mechanical
energy to rotate the engine through a direct
or a gear reduction drive.
7510102.jpeg
The major components of the starter motor are:
1. Electric Starter Motor
2. Solenoid Switch
• Armature Shaft (1) • Armature Winding (2) 3. Pinion Engaging Drive
• Armature Stack (3) • Commutator (4)
• Poles Shoes (5) • Field Coil (6)
• Carbon Brushes (7) • Brush Holder (8)
2 3 5 6 7 8
4
1

7510103.jpeg

4
Starting System
Armature
The Armature assembly is comprised of the armature shaft, armature winding, armature
stack and commutator. Thin iron stampings are laminated together to form the stack or
core. The slots on the outside of the laminations hold the armature windings. The windings
loop around the core and are connected to the commutator. Each commutator segment is
insulated from the adjacent segments. The commutator may have up to 30 segments. A
steel shaft is insert in the center hole of the laminations with the commutator insulated from
the shaft.

751012.jpeg

Field Coils

There are two types of field coils:

• Electromagnetic
• Permanent magnet

Electromagnetic
Wire ribbons or coils wrapped around a pole shoe, attached to the inside of the starter
housing. The iron pole shoes and the iron starter housing work together to increase and
concentrate the strength of the field coils. When current flows thought the field coils strong
electromagnetic fields with North and South poles are created.

Permanent
Multiple permanent magnets manufactured from an alloy of boron, neodymium and iron are
positioned in the starter housing. Use of permanent magnets allow for the elimination of
the field circuit and windings and realize a 50% weight savings.

5
Starting System
Brushes
Brushes are electrically conductive sliding contacts, usually made of copper and
carbon. The brushes make contact with the commutator and as the starter begins to
rotate the brushes reverse the flow of current to the armature. Starter brushes carry
the full flow of current through the motor.

Solenoid
The Solenoid assembly is an integral part of
the starter and is actually a combined
relay and engagement solenoid.
The solenoid has two functions:

• Pushing the pinion forward so that it engages

in the ring gear of the engine.
• Closing the moving contact, providing the Solenoid switch and pinion engaging drive
main current path for the starter.

The solenoid has two windings. 7510104.jpeg

• Pull-in winding • Holding-in winding

Both windings are used to draw in the plunger and engage the pinon, only the hold-in wind-
ing is used to hold the plunger in position.

Pinion Engaging Drive

The starter’s end shield assembly contains the Pinion Engaging Drive with pinion, overrun-
ning clutch, engagement lever and spring. The drive mechanism is responsible for coordi-
nating the thrust motion of the solenoid switch and the rotary motion of the electric starter
motor and transferring them to the pinion.

The starter engages the ring gear on the flywheel by means of the pinion. A high conver-
sion ratio of pinion teeth to flywheel teeth (between 10:1 and 15:1) make it possible to over-
come the high cranking resistance of the engine using a relatively small but high speed
starter motor.

As soon as the engine starts and accelerates past cranking speed, the pinion must auto-
matically demesh in order to protect the starter. For this reason, the starter incorporates an
overrunning clutch.

6
Starting System
Starter Drives

Conventional
Drive
In a Conventional Drive starter the pinion gear is
locat- ed directly on the armature shaft.
1
The pinion and overrunning clutch form the driver
assembly. 2
3
The driver assembly rides on a helical spline on the 4
armature shaft so that when the driver is thrust by the 5 solenoid, a combined axial and rotar

1. Drive End Shield 7

2. Engaging Lever
3. Meshing Spring
4. Driver
5. Roller Type Overrunning Clutch
6. Pinion
7. Armature Shaft 7510113 b.jpeg

Gear Reduction Drive

In their design and function, Gear Reduction Drives are much the same as conventional
drive starters. The main difference in the gear reduction drive starter is a planetary gear set
added between the field frame and the drive end shield. This design allows for the use of
smaller and lighter starters.

1. Planetary-Gear Carrier Shaft with Helical

Spline.
2. Internal Gear (Ring Gear).
3. Planet Gears
4. Sun Gear on Armature Shaft
5. Armature
6. Commutator

7510114.jpeg

7
Starting Systems
Overrunning
Clutch
In all starter designs the rotary motion is transmitted via an Overrunning Clutch. The
over- running clutch allows the pinion to be driven by the armature shaft (or planetary
gear set), however it breaks the connection between the pinion and the armature
shaft as soon as the accelerating engine spins the pinion faster than the starter.

The overrunning clutch is located between the starter motor and the pinion and
prevents the starter motor armature from being accelerated to an excessive speed
when the engine starts.

1 4 5

1. Clutch Cover
2. Pinion
3. Driver with Clutch Shell
4. Roller R-ace
5. Roller a
6. Pinion Shaft
7. Coil Spring
a Direction of Rotation for Clutch
Locking Action

7510115.jpeg 2 3 6 7
1. Drive End Shield.
2. Pinion
3. Solenoid Switch
4. Terminal
5. Commutator End
Shield
6. Brush Plate W/
Carbon Brushes
7. Commutator
8. Armature
9. Permanent
Magnet
10. Field Frame
11. Planetary
Gear
12. Engaging Lever
13. Pinion Engaging
Drive

7510116.jpeg

Fully assembled permanent magnet gear reduction starter

8
Starting System
E
W
S
The EWS system(s) is designed to provide electronic anti-theft protection for the
vehicle through the use of coded keys and coded data communication between the
EWS and the engine control module. The starter and engine control module are locked
out until a prop- erly coded key is recognized and the proper code is established
between the EWS and the engine control modules.

Starter Safety
Switch
The Starter Safety Switch is part of the transmission range switch on automatic
transmis- sion vehicles and a clutch switch on manual transmission vehicles (beginning
MY 1997). The purpose of the switch is to prevent engine start-up with the vehicle in
gear or the clutch not depressed. On vehicles with EWS, this signal is sent directly to
the EWS module for processing.

Cable and Wiring

Harness
Cables to the starter from the battery must carry large amounts of current. The wiring
har- ness from the ignition switch and/or EWS carry little current as they are control
signals to a relay or starter solenoid. Minimum voltage drop in starter cables is
necessary to ensure suf- ficient starter speed and torque.

Starting System Principle of

Operation

Electric Starter
Motor

The Electric Starter Motor converts electrical current into rotary motion. In doing so it
con- verts electrical energy into mechanical energy. The interaction of two magnetic
fields pro- duce this rotational force.

The field coils (either electromagnetic or permanent) located in the housing produce
mag- netic flux lines. Within the stationary field coils is the armature, a loop of wire (a
conductor) with one end connected to B+, the other to B-. When current is applied
to the armature flux lines circle the loop in one direction on one side and in the
opposite direction on the other side. The interaction of the flux lines on the armature
and the flux lines from the field coil cause the armature to rotate.

The armature will only rotate to the point where the magnetic force is equal on both
sides. (Armature 90o to magnetic flux lines of field)
For the armature to continue to rotate,
the polarity or direction of current flow
must be reversed.

Through the brushes and the commutator, the

current flow is reversed as the magnetic forces
become equal, causing the armature to contin-
ue to rotate.
7510111a

This constant reversal of current flow in the

armature provides continual rotation.

Direction of rotation is determined using

Flemings Left Hand Rule.

• Point your First finger in the direction of the

magnetic Field (from N to S).

• Rotate your hand about that finger until

your second finger points in the direction
of the Current (conventional current, from 7510110b
+ to -).
Loopisbeingforceoutofmagneticfield

• Then your thumb points in the direction of

the Movement of the wire. Motion
Field

To increase the force on the wire (armature) do

one of the following:

• Use a larger current.

• Use a stronger magnetic field.
• Use a greater length of wire in the field.
Current
To increase torque and speed in the starter
motor, more windings in the armature are
added, and the field has more pairs of magnets 7510106
(either permanent or electromagnetic). Flemings left hand rule
The basic law of motors, the direction of force
Torque and speed of the starter motor is on a wire that is carrying current when it is in a
dependent on the wiring of the field coils. magnetic field.
(electromagnetic coils)
• Shunt Wound • Series Wound • Compound
10
Starting System
Shunt Wound Motors
In Shunt Wound Motors, the field coil is connected in
parallel with the armature. The shunt motor does not
decrease its torque as speed increases. Shunt motors do
not produce high torque.

7510117

Series Wound Motors

In Series Wound Motors, the field coil is in series with the
armature.
The current flows to the field windings, then to the brushes,
commutator, and armature back again to the ground side
brush. A series wound motor will develop maximum torque
output at the time of initial start, then as motor speed increas-
es, torque falls off rapidly due to the CEMF.
7510119

Compound Wound Motors CEMF

Compound Wound Motors have some of the Counter Electromotive Force
field coils wired in series to the armature and The voltage produced in the starter motor itself
through electromagnetic induction.
some in parallel. This configuration allows the This voltage acts against the supply voltage
compound motor to develop good starting from the battery.
torque and constant operating speed. Motors must be designed to control the CEMF
for optimum operation.

Permanent Magnet Motors

Permanent Magnet Motors eliminate all wiring to the field
coils. The magnetic field is generated by the permanent mag-
net without the need for winding and pole shoes. The mag-
nets use flux-concentrating pieces to direct the magnetic
field.

7510118

Arrangement of permanent magnets

7510120 (M) with flux concentrating pieces (F).
11
Starting System
Solenoid

The Solenoid performs the following functions:

• Pull the pinion to engage the flywheel

• Hold the pinion engaged with the flywheel
during starting rotation.
• Complete the electrical circuit from the bat-
tery to the brushes of the starter.
• Cause the pinion to retract from the flywheel.

Two windings are used to pull and hold the pin-

ion engaged to the flywheel. 1. Armature (relay) 2. Pull-in winding
3. Hold-in winding 4. Solenoid armature
5. Contact spring 6. Contacts
Pull-In Winding- The stronger of the two wind- 7. Terminal 8. Moving contact
ings, used to pull the pinion into engagement. 9. Switching pin 10.Return spring
This winding is released when the starter circuit
is completed.

Hold-In Winding- Used to help the pull-in winding move the pinion initially, then holds the
pinion engaged to the flywheel.

Signal 50 is received at the solenoid, energizing both windings. The windings cause the
armature to be drawn into the coils, pressing on a spring, causing the moving contacts to
close. The pull-in winding is released, the starter begins to turn. When signal 50 is released,
the power is lost to the hold-in winding, spring pressure forces the armature out of the coil,
the moving contacts are opened and the pinion returns to the rest position.

Workshop Hint

The starter motor does not begin to spin until after

the pinion is engaged in the flywheel.
This aids in the meshing of the pinion and flywheel

Workshop Hint

Battery voltage is critical.

The combination of the pull-in winding and the hold-
in winding may have sufficient power to engage the
pinion. When the moving contacts are completed
and the increased load of the starter motor is added
to the system, low voltage will cause the hold-in
winding to release the pinion. If signal 50 is still pre-
sent the pull-in winding will again assist in pulling
the pinion into engagement and the cycle starts
over again. This gives the “clicking” noise from the
starter.
12
Starting System
Pinion Drive

The Pinion Drive gear is attached to the roller-type overrunning clutch which is splined via
a helical shaft to the starter armature. At rest the spring pressure in the overrunning clutch
wedge rollers between the pinion shaft and the clutch hub race. This locks the pinion to the
clutch. During start-up the clutch and pinion rotate as one.

As the engine speed exceeds starter speed, the pinion pushes the rollers, against the
spring pressure, into a wider area. This movement of the rollers allow the pinion to turn
independently of the starter armature, not causing the armature to overspeed.
When the solenoid windings are released the clutch assembly is pulled away from the fly-
wheel through spring pressure.

Phases of Starter Operation

1. Start Request Signal (KL50)

2. Solenoid Switch
3. Return Spring
4. Field Windings
5. Engaging Lever
6. Overrunning Clutch
7. Pinion
8. Battery
9. Armature

Starter At Rest
No Current Supplied

Starter Position Just Before Main Current Is Engine Is Cranked

Switched On
Engaging lever in end position.
Pull-in and hold-in winding energized. Pull-in winding released.
Pinion tooth meets gap in ring gear and mesh- Pinion meshed.
es. Main current flows.
Engine is rotated.
 13
Starting System

Inertia drive starter motor ( Bendix

Drive )

Inertia drive starter motors use the rapidly accelerated energy in

the armature. This goes on before the engagement of the pinion takes
place. The starter motors pinion is carried by a steeply pitched screw
thread on the armature shaft. This kind of starter motor works
without a solenoid and therefore the starter switch has strong contact
points (operated by hand or by foot) to connect the current flow from
the battery to the starter.
When the starter motor operates and runs rapidly up to full
speed; the inertia drive (bendix drive) is forced by action of the
thread on the armature shaft. So the drive get propelled in the
direction of the ring gear into engagement with the flywheel. A
damping spring is arranged between shaft and pinion hub to
ensure that the power flow to the flywheel starts not too violently.

After engine has started and runs faster then the engaged pinion get
ejected from the flywheel by moving backwards on the spiral thread.
Because of the violent engagement of the pinion into the
flywheel damages can easy appear. That is the reason to use in
modern cars instead of these types the pre−engaged starter motors.