🔍 Key Concepts

• Bendix drive operation in a starter motor • How the starter pinion gear engages and then disengages from the flywheel • What causes the gear to be thrown out of mesh once the engine starts

💭 Think About

• Think about what changes as soon as the engine starts and the flywheel speed becomes higher than the starter motor speed. • Which component (the starter motor, the flywheel, a spring, or an external system) actually causes the gear to move back out of engagement? • Ask yourself: does a Bendix drive rely on hydraulic/pressure systems, rotation of a cam, or mainly on inertia and torque reaction between gears?

✅ Before You Answer

• Eliminate any options that clearly relate to hydraulic/accumulator pressure, since that is not typical of a simple Bendix drive. • Consider how relative rotation and torque between the flywheel and starter pinion could cause the pinion to move on a helical spline. • Verify which choice best fits an automatic, speed/torque‑dependent disengagement, without needing an operator to move a lever or cam.