Starting System Theory PDF
Starting System Theory PDF
Starting System Theory PDF
LEARNING
9
OBJECTIVES
Upon completion and review of this chapter, you
should be able to:
Define the two circuits of the automotive
starting system.
Identify the basic starting systems parts and
explain their function in the system.
Define the different designs of starting
systems used by the different automotive
manufacturers.
KEY TERMS
Armature
Brushes
Clutch Start Switch
Compound Motor
Detented
Ignition Switch
Lap Winding
Magnetic Repulsion
Magnetic Switch
Overrunning Clutch
Pinion Gear
Series Motor
Shunt Motor
Solenoid
Solenoid-Actuated Starter
Starter Drive
Starting Safety Switch
Torque
183
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Starter Circuit
INTRODUCTION The starter circuit, or motor circuit, (shown as the
The engine must be rotated before it will start and solid lines of Figure 9-1) consists of the following:
run under its own power. The starting system is a
combination of mechanical and electrical compo- Battery
nents that work together to start the engine. The Magnetic switch
starting system is designed to change electrical Starter motor
energy that is being stored in the battery into Heavy-gauge cables
mechanical energy. To accomplish this conver- The circuit between the battery and the starter
sion, a starter motor is used. This chapter will motor is controlled by a magnetic switch (a relay
explain how the starting system and it compo- or solenoid). Switch design and function vary
nents operate. from system to system. A gear on the starter motor
armature engages with gear teeth on the engine
flywheel. When current reaches the starter motor,
it begins to turn. This turns the cars engine, which
STARTING SYSTEM can quickly fire and run by itself. If the starter
motor remained engaged to the engine flywheel,
CIRCUITS the starter motor would be spun by the engine at a
The starting system draws a large amount of very high speed. This would damage the starter
current from the battery to power the starter motor. To avoid this, there must be a mechanism
motor. To handle this current safely and with a to disengage the starter motor from the engine.
minimum voltage loss from resistance, the There are several different designs that will do
cables must be the correct size, and all connec- this, as we will see in this chapter.
tions must be clean and tight. The driver
through the ignition switch controls the starting
system. If the heavy cables that carry current to Control Circuit
the starter were routed to the instrument panel
and the switch, they would be so long that the The control circuit is shown by the dashed lines in
starter would not get enough current to operate Figure 9-1. It allows the driver to use a small
properly. To avoid such a voltage drop, the start- amount of battery current, about three to five
ing system has the following two circuits, as amperes, to control the flow of a large amount of
shown in Figure 9-1: battery current to the starter motor. Control cir-
cuits usually consist of an ignition switch con-
Starter circuit nected through normal-gauge wiring to the battery
Control circuit and the magnetic switch. When the ignition switch
is in the start position, a small amount of current
flows through the coil of the magnetic switch.
This closes a set of large contact points within the
magnetic switch and allows battery current to
flow directly to the starter motor. For more infor-
mation about control circuits, see the Starter
Control Circuit Devices section in Chapter 9 of
the Shop Manual.
BASIC STARTING
SYSTEM PARTS
We have already studied the battery, which is an
important part of the starting system. The other
Figure 9-1. In this diagram of the starting system, the circuit parts are as follows:
starter circuit is shown as a solid line and the control
circuit is shown as a dashed line. (Delphi Automotive Ignition switch
Systems) Starting safety switch (on some systems)
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Ignition Switch
The ignition switch has jobs other than controlling
the starting system. The ignition switch normally
has at least four positions:
ACCESSORIES
OFF Figure 9-3. Column-mounted switches act directly
on the contact points.
ON (RUN)
START
Switches on late-model cars also have a LOCK the engine with the transmission in gear. This
position to lock the steering wheel. All positions makes the car lurch forward or backward, which
except START are detented. That is, the switch could be dangerous. Safety switches or interlock
will remain in that position until moved by the devices are now required by law with all auto-
driver. When the ignition key is turned to START matic and manual transmissions.
and released, it will return to the ON (RUN) posi- Starting safety switches can be connected in two
tion. The START position is the actual starter places within the starting system control circuit.
switch part of the ignition switch. It applies bat- The safety switch can be placed between the igni-
tery voltage to the magnetic switch. tion switch and the magnetic switch, as shown in
There are two types of ignition switches in use. Figure 9-4, so that the safety switch must be closed
On older cars, the switch is mounted on the instru- before current can flow to the magnetic switch. The
ment panel and contains the contact points (Figure safety switch also can be connected between the
9-2). The newer type, used on cars with locking magnetic switch and ground (Figure 9-5), so that
steering columns, is usually mounted on the steer- the switch must be closed before current can flow
ing column. Many column-mounted switches oper- from the magnetic switch to ground. Where the
ate remotely mounted contact points through a rod. starting safety switch is installed depends upon the
Other column-mounted switches operate directly type of transmission used and whether the gearshift
on contact points (Figure 9-3). Older domestic and lever is column-mounted or floor-mounted.
imported cars sometimes used separate push-button
switches or cable-operated switches that controlled
the starting system separately from the ignition Automatic Transmissions/
switch. Transaxles
The safety switch used with an automatic trans-
mission or transaxle can be either an electrical
Starting Safety Switch switch or a mechanical device. Electrical/elec-
The starting safety switch is also called a neutral tronic switches have contact points that are closed
start switch. It is a normally open switch that only when the gear lever is in PARK or NEUTRAL,
prevents the starting system from operating when as shown in Figure 9-4. The switch can be mounted
the automobiles transmission is in gear. If the car near the gearshift lever, as in Figures 9-6 and 9-7, or
has no starting safety switch, it is possible to spin on the transmission-housing, as in Figure 9-8. The
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Figure 9-4. This starting safety switch must be closed before battery current can reach the magnetic switch.
(GM Service and Parts Operations)
Figure 9-7. Column-mounted neutral safety switch near gearshift tube. (GM Service and Parts Operations)
the microprocessor of the position of the manual the necessary calculations to control clutch apply
lever shaft. This signal is used to determine the and release feel.
desired gear and electronic pressure control. The
switch is now called a manual lever position
switch (MLPS). Manual Transmissions/
General Motors has done essentially the same
as Ford, renaming the PARK/NEUTRAL switch
Transaxles
used on its 4T65E and 4T80E transaxles. It The starting safety switch used with a manual
now is called either a PRNDL switch or a transmission on older vehicles is usually an elec-
PARK/NEUTRAL position switch and provides trical switch similar to those shown in Figures 9-7
input to the PCM regarding torque converter and 9-8. A clutch start switch (also called an
clutch slip. This input allows the PCM to make interlock switch) is commonly used with manual
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Wiring
The starter motor circuit uses heavy-gauge wiring
to carry current to the starter motor. The control
circuit carries less current and thus uses lighter-
gauge wires.
Ford Motorcraft
Ford has used three types of starter motors, and
therefore has several different starting system
circuits. The Motorcraft positive engagement
starter has a movable-pole shoe that uses electro-
magnetism to engage the starter motor with the
Figure 9-13. GM Starter circuit. (Delphi Automotive engine. This motor does not use a solenoid to move
Systems) anything, but it uses a solenoid to open and close the
starter circuit as a magnetic switch (Figure 9-15).
solenoid is mounted on, or enclosed with, the Ford calls this solenoid a starter relay.
motor housing (Figure 9-13). The Motorcraft solenoid-actuated starter is very
The type and location of starting safety switches similar to the Delco-Remy unit and depends upon
vary within the GM vehicle platforms. Larger-size the movement of a solenoid to engage the starter
GM cars use a mechanical blocking device in the motor with the engine. The solenoid is mounted
steering column (Figure 9-9). The intermediate and within the motor housing and receives battery cur-
smaller cars with automatic transmissions have elec- rent through the same type of starter relay used in
trical switches mounted near the shift lever. These the positive engagement system. Although the
are either on the column, as shown in Figure 9-7, or motor-mounted solenoid could do the job of this
on the floor (Figure 9-6). On front-wheel-drive additional starter relay, the second relay is installed
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DaimlerChrysler
Chrysler uses a solenoid-actuated starter motor.
The solenoid is mounted inside the motor hous-
ing and receives battery current through a
starter relay, as shown in Figure 9-16. Chrysler
starter relays used prior to 1977 have four
terminals, as shown in Figure 9-17A. In 1977, a
second set of contacts and two terminals were
added (Figure 9-17B). The extra contacts and
terminals allow more current to flow through
Figure 9-14. GM PRNDL/Park-neutral switch on a GM
the relay to the ignition system and to the
Transaxle. (GM Service and Parts Operations) exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) timer. This has
no effect on the operation of the relay within the
starting system. These starter relays generally
were mounted on the firewall.
Current Chrysler starting systems use a standard
five-terminal Bosch relay (Figure 9-18) but only
four terminals are used in the circuit (Figure 9-19).
The relay is located at the front of the drivers-side
strut tower in a power distribution center or cluster.
Chrysler automobiles with manual transmis-
sions have a clutch interlock switch, as shown
in Figure 9-20. Current from the starter
relay can flow to ground only when the clutch
pedal is fully depressed. Cars with automatic
transmissions have an electrical neutral start
switch mounted on the transmission housing
Figure 9-15. The Ford starting system circuit with the (Figure 9-21). When the transmission is out of
positive engagement starter. gear, the switch provides a ground connection
for the starter control circuit.
on many Ford automobiles to make the cars easier
to build. Motorcraft solenoid-actuated starters
were used on Ford cars and trucks with large V8
engines. The Motorcraft permanent magnet gear-
Toyota and Nissan
reduction (PMGR) starter is a solenoid-actuated Toyota and Nissan use a variety of solenoid-
design that operates much like the Motorcraft actuated direct drive and reduction-gear starter
solenoid-actuated starter previously described. designs manufactured primarily by Hitachi and
However, the starter circuit may or may not use a Nippondenso, as shown in Figures 9-22 and 9-23.
starter relay, depending on the car model. The neutral start switch (called an inhibitor
Rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Ford automobiles switch by the Japanese automakers) incorporates
with manual transmissions have no starting safety a relay in its circuit.
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STARTER MOTORS
Starter Motor Purpose
Figure 9-20. DaimlerChrysler clutch switch. The starter motor converts the electrical energy
(DaimlerChrysler Corporation) from the battery into mechanical energy for
cranking the engine. The starter is an electric
motor designed to operate under great electrical
loads and to produce very high horsepower. The
starter consists of housing, field coils, an arma-
ture, a commutator and brushes, end frames, and
a solenoid-operated shift mechanism.
DC STARTER MOTOR
OPERATION
DC starter motors (Figure 9-30) work on the
principle of magnetic repulsion. This principle
states that magnetic repulsion occurs when a
straight rod conductor composed of the armature,
commutator, and brushes is located in a magnetic
Figure 9-28. Flux path in a four-pole motor. field (field windings) and current is flowing
through the rod. This situation creates two sepa-
rate magnetic fields: one produced by the magnet
(pole shoes of the magnetic field winding) and
another produced by the current flowing through
the conductor (armature/commutator/brushes).
Figure 9-30 shows the magnets magnetic field
moving from the N pole to the S pole and the con-
ductors magnetic field flowing around the con-
ductor. The magnetic lines of force have a
rubber-band characteristic. That is, they stretch
and also try to shorten to minimum length.
Figure 9-30 shows a stronger magnetic field
on one side of the rod conductor (armature/
commutator/brushes) and a weak magnetic field
on the other side. Under these conditions, the
Figure 9-29. Pole shoe and field winding removed
conductor (armature) will tend to be repulsed by
from housing. the strong magnetic field (pole shoes and field
winding) and move toward the weak magnetic
field. As current in the conductor (armature) and
the strength of the magnet (field windings)
copper ribbon (Figure 9-29) to increase their increases, the following happens:
current-carrying capacity and electromagnetic
field strength. Automotive starter motors usually More lines of magnetism are created on the
have four-pole shoes and two to four field wind- strong side.
ings to provide a strong magnetic field within More repulsive force is applied to the con-
the motor. Pole shoes that do not have field ductor (armature).
windings are magnetized by flux lines from the The conductor tries harder to move toward the
wound poles. weak side in an attempt to reach a balanced
Torque is the force of a starter motor, a force neutral state.
applied in a rotary, or circular direction. The A greater amount of electrical heat is
torque, speed, and current draw of a motor generated.
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NOTE: The combination of the U-shaped conductor loop and the split copper ring are called
the commutator because they rotate together. Together they become the armature.
ARMATURE AND
COMMUTATOR
ASSEMBLY
The motor armature (Figure 9-32) has a lami-
nated core. Insulation between the laminations
helps to reduce eddy currents in the core. For
reduced resistance, the armature conductors are
made of a thick copper wire. Motor armatures are
connected to the commutator in one of two ways.
In a lap winding, the two ends of each conductor
are attached to two adjacent commutator bars
(Figure 9-35). In a wave winding, the two ends of
a conductor are attached to commutator bars that
are 180 degrees apart (on opposite sides of the
commutator), as shown in Figure 9-36. A lap-
wound armature is more commonly used because
Figure 9-35. Armature lap winding. (Delphi Automotive
it offers less resistance. Systems)
The commutator is made of copper bars insulated
from each other by mica or some other insulating
material. The armature core, windings, and commu-
tator are assembled on a long armature shaft. This PERMANENT-
shaft also carries the pinion gear that meshes with
the engine flywheel ring gear (Figure 9-37). The
MAGNET FIELDS
shaft is supported by bearings or bushings in the end The permanent magnet, planetary-drive starter
housings. To supply the proper current to the arma- motor is the first significant advance in starter
ture, a four-pole motor must have four brushes rid- design in decades. It was first introduced on some
ing on the commutator (Figure 9-38). Most 1986 Chrysler and GM models, and in 1989 by
automotive starters have two grounded and two Ford on Continental and some Thunderbird models.
insulated brushes. The brushes are held against the Permanent magnets are used in place of the electro-
commutator by spring force. magnetic field coils and pole shoes. This eliminates
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the motor field circuit, which in turn eliminates the STARTER MOTOR
potential for field wire-to-frame shorts, field coil
welding, and other electrical problems. The motor
AND DRIVE TYPES
has only an armature circuit. Because the smaller Starter motors, as shown in Figure 9-39 are
armature in permanent magnet starters uses rein- direct-current (DC) motors that use a great
forcement bands, it has a longer life than the arma- amount of current for a short time. The starter
ture in wound-field starter motors. motor circuit is a simple one containing just the
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RETURN SPRING
RUBBER PLUNGER SOLENOID
GASKET
GROMMET
SHIFT LEVER
BUSHING
PINION
STOP
ARMATURE ASSIST
SPRING
FIELD OVERRUNNING
COIL CLUTCH
Figure 9-46. Delco-Remy provides differently con-
nected starter motors for use with various engines.
Figure 9-45. The Delco-Remy solenoid-actuated drive (GM Service and Parts Operations)
motor. (Delphi Automotive Systems)
the starter is protected by an over-running clutch Once the engine starts, the ignition switch is to
(Figure 9-52). be released from the start position. The solenoid
The overrunning clutch consists of rollers hold-in winding is demagnetized, and a return
that ride between a collar on the pinion gear and spring moves the plunger out of the solenoid. This
an outer shell. The outer shell has tapered slots moves the shift lever back so that the overrunning
for the rollers so that the rollers either ride freely clutch and pinion gear slide away from the fly-
or wedge tightly between the collar and the shell. wheel. For more information about overrunning
Figure 9-53 shows the operation of an overrun- clutches, see the following sections of Chapter 9
ning clutch. In Figure 9-53A, the armature is in the Shop Manual, Bench Tests and Starter
turning, cranking the engine. The rollers are Motor Overhaul Procedure.
wedged against spring force into their slots. In
Figure 9-53B, the engine has started and is turn-
ing faster than the motor armature. Spring force
pushes the rollers so that they float freely. The
engines motion is not transferred to the motor
SUMMARY
armature. These devices are sometimes called Electrical starting systems consist of a high-
one-way clutches because they transmit motion current starter circuit controlled by a low-current
in one direction only. control circuit. The ignition switch includes con-
tacts that conduct battery current to the magnetic
switch. The magnetic switch may be a relay or a
solenoid and may have other jobs besides con-
trolling the starter circuit current flow. The
starter motor and connecting wires are also
included in the system. Variations are common
among the starting systems used by the various
manufacturers. Magnetic repulsion occurs when
a straight-rod conductor composed of the arma-
ture, commutator, and brushes is located in a
magnetic field (field windings) and current is
flowing through the rod.
When the starter operates, the current passing
through the armature produces a magnetic field in
each of its conductors. The reaction between the
magnetic field of the armature and the magnetic
fields produced by the field coils causes the arma-
ture to rotate.
Traditional starter motors have pole pieces
wound with heavy copper field windings attached
to the housing. A new design, the permanent-
Figure 9-52. Cutaway view of an overrunning clutch. magnet planetary drive, uses small permanent
magnets to create a magnetic field instead of pole
pieces and field windings.
One end housing holds the brushes; the other
end housing shields the pinion gear. The motor
armature windings are installed on a laminated
core and mounted on a shaft. The commutator
bars are mounted on, but insulated from, the shaft.
The solenoid-actuated drive uses the move-
ment of a solenoid to engage the pinion gear with
the ring gear. Delco-Remy, Chrysler, Motorcraft,
and many foreign manufacturers use this type of
starter drive. The movable-pole-shoe drive, used
by Ford, has a pivoting pole piece that is moved
Figure 9-53. The operation of an overrunning clutch. by electromagnetism to engage the pinion gear
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with the ring gear. In the planetary-gear drive driveshaft is mounted on the carrier and driven at
used by Chrysler, Ford, and GM, an armature- reduced speed and increased torque. An overrun-
shaft sun gear meshes with the planetary pinions, ning clutch is used with all starter designs to pre-
which drive the pinion carrier in reduction as vent the engine from spinning the motor and
they rotate around the ring gear. The starter damaging it.
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Review Questions
1. All of these are part of the control circuit c. The starter relay
except: d. The starter motor
a. A starting switch
b. An OCP thermostat 8. The ignition switch will not remain in which
c. A starting safety switch of the following positions?
d. A magnetic switch a. ACCESSORIES
b. OFF
2. Which of the following is a component of a c. ON (RUN)
starting circuit? d. START
a. Magnetic switch
b. Ballast resistor 9. The starting safety switch is also called a:
c. Voltage regulator a. Remote-operated switch
d. Powertrain control module (PCM) b. Manual-override switch
c. Neutral-start switch
3. Two technicians are discussing the d. Single-pole, double-throw switch
operation of a DC automotive starter.
Technician A says the principle of magnetic 10. Safety switches are most commonly used
repulsion causes the motor to turn. with:
Technician B says the starter uses a a. Automatic transmissions
mechanical connection to the engine that b. Imported automobiles
turns the armature. Who is right? c. Domestic automobiles
a. A only d. Manual transmissions
b. B only 11. Starting safety switches used with manual
c. Both A and B transmissions are usually:
d. Neither A nor B a. Electrical
4. All of these are part of a starter motor b. Mechanical
except: c. Floor-mounted
a. An armature d. Column-mounted
b. A commutator
12. Which of the following is not true of
c. Field coils
solenoids?
d. A regulator
a. They use the electromagnetic
5. The starting system has _________ circuits field of a coil to pull a plunger into
to avoid excessive voltage drop. the coil.
a. Two b. They are generally used to engage
b. Three the starter motor with the engine
c. Four flywheel.
d. Six c. They operate with a movable
plunger and usually do a
6. The starter circuit consists of which of the
mechanical job.
following?
d. They send electronic signals to the
a. Battery, ignition switch, starter motor,
control module and have no
large cables
moving parts.
b. Battery, ignition switch, relays or
solenoids, large cables 13. Starter motors usually have how many pole
c. Battery, magnetic switch, starter motor, shoes?
primary wiring a. Two
d. Battery, magnetic switch, starter motor, b. Four
large cables c. Six
d. Eight
7. Which of the following is not part of the
starter control circuit? 14. The rotational force of a starter motor is:
a. The ignition switch a. Polarized
b. The starting safety switch b. Rectified
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26. The planetary drive starter uses: 27. Which of the following is not required of a
a. Permanent magnets permanent magnet starter?
b. Field coils a. Brush testing
c. Both A and B b. Commutator testing
d. Neither A nor B c. Field circuit testing
d. Armature testing