Patent ID: 7165468

Claim:
A starter comprising: a motor that generates a turning force; an output shaft driven by the motor; a pinion that moves on the output shaft in a direction away from the motor to mate with an internal combustion engine ring gear when the starter is activated, thereby transmitting the turning force transmitted from the output shaft to the ring gear; a housing for rotatably supporting an end of the output shaft, the end being on a side opposite to the motor with respect to the pinion, the housing including a nose portion for covering an outer circumference of the pinion at least within an axial moving range of the pinion; and the nose portion defining an opening, wherein the opening allows the pinion to mate with the ring gear; and a sealing member defines a tooth profile-shaped hole having approximately the same shape as a tooth profile of the pinion, an outer diameter portion of the sealing member being rotatably supported by an inner surface of the nose portion, a gear portion of the pinion being inserted into the tooth profile-shaped hole so that the sealing member rotates cooperatively with the pinion, wherein the gear portion of the pinion slides inside the tooth profile-shaped hole of the sealing member when the pinion moves on the output shaft in the direction away from the motor, and the gear portion of the pinion is constantly fitted into the tooth profile-shaped hole between a stationary position when the starter is stopped and the pinion maximum moving position along its axial direction.