Patent ID: 7526973

Claim:
An engine starter with an intermediate gear, comprising: a pinion shaft rotatable in receipt of a rotational force from a motor; a pinion gear slidably supported on the pinion shaft and axially movable thereon; an intermediate shaft disposed in parallel to the pinion shaft; an intermediate gear rotatably supported on the intermediate shaft and axially movable thereon, the intermediate gear being adapted to remain in meshing engagement with the pinion gear at all times; a housing which supports both end portions of the intermediate shaft; and an engagement member which retains the intermediate shaft in position against removal from the housing; the intermediate gear being axially movable together with the pinion gear into meshing engagement with a ring gear of an engine to transfer the rotational force from the pinion gear to the ring gear via the intermediate gear for starting up the engine; the housing having a first bearing portion which supports one end portion of the intermediate shaft and a second bearing portion which supports the other end portion of the intermediate shaft; one of the first bearing portion and the second bearing portion having a mounting hole formed therein for insertion of the intermediate shaft, and a retaining hole formed in the one bearing portion at a position offset from a center of the mounting hole in a radial direction so as to intersect the mounting hole; the engagement member being a screw member threaded into the retaining hole of the one bearing portion, the screw member being in engagement with the intermediate shaft to retain the intermediate shaft to the housing against removal therefrom.