Engine starter gearing with laminated cushion washers

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. A plurality of centrifugal flyweight members are annularly arranged and supported within the circular recess. Each centrifugal flyweight member has an inclined surface abutting the conical surface of the thrust washer and is operative to displace the thrust washer toward the driving clutch member in response to a centrifugal force. A resilient member and a plurality of cushion washers are compressibly retained between the closed end of the housing and a radial shoulder on the sleeve. The cushion washers act to reduce the measurable torque over unit time within the engine starter gearing, and thus improve the ability of the resilient member to more fully absorb the peak torque loads imposed by the engine during start-up and misfire.