Patent ID: 6923152

Claim:
An engine starter comprising: a starter motor; a pinion driven by said starter motor and capable of advancing and retreating with respect to a ring gear of an engine for engagement therewith; and a starter switch having a main contact and an auxiliary contact for driving said starter motor at first and second speeds different from each other and a drive mechanism for causing said pinion to advance and retreat; said starter switch comprising a switch coil, a plunger assembly movable between a non-operating position and an operating position by said switch coil, a main movable contact and an auxiliary movable contact provided in said plunger assembly, a main stationary contact pair and an auxiliary stationary contact pair with which said main movable contact and said auxiliary movable contact can be brought into and out of contact, and a drive mechanism provided between said plunger assembly and said pinion and adapted to cause said pinion to advance and retreat; said plunger assembly comprising a movable element driven between the non-operating position and the operating position by said switch coil, and a shaft elastically supported by said movable element via a shaft urging spring so as to be movable in the direction of movement of said movable element and connected to said drive mechanism to form a variable gap with respect to said movable element; the arrangement being such that, when said plunger assembly is at said non-operating position, the size of a gap between said main stationary contact pair and said main movable contact is larger than the sum total of the size of a gap between said pinion and said ring gear and the size of the variable gap when opened the most, whereby, as said plunger assembly moves from said non-operating position to said operating position, said auxiliary contact is first closed to cause said starter motor to be driven at said first speed, and then said main contact is closed to cause said starter motor to be driven at said second speed.