Evaluation of operability of automotive starters by inrush current

Abstract

Failures of the automotive starters lead to the impossibility of reliable start of internal combustion engines, which in case of an unlucky train of events can create a risk of a road accident. The occurrence and development of automotive starters' failures causes a change in the starting current consumed when the combustion engine is started. It has been determined that the starter current depends on the ambient temperature and the battery voltage. The results of inrush current research on a group of the automobiles with a variation in operating time showed that the inrush current monotonically decreases with the growth of starter operating time, not reaching the limit value. The current consumption of starters with faults is significantly less than the allowable value, allowing you to use this parameter to determine the technical condition. The obtained results contribute to the development of the method of diagnosing automotive starters without removing them from the engine.