🔍 Key Concepts

• Bendix drive / overrunning clutch operation in a diesel engine starting motor • Role of the solenoid and return spring (spring "D" in the illustration) in engaging and disengaging the pinion gear • What happens to the drive mechanism after the engine starts and the solenoid is de‑energized

💭 Think About

• When the key is released and the solenoid coil is de‑energized, what parts in the illustration are no longer being pulled, and what stored force or motion remains to move the drive back? • Look closely at spring "D" and the linkage to the pinion gear: what is that spring trying to do when it is compressed, and when is it allowed to act? • Consider which options depend on electrical power still being applied to the starter motor, and which ones would still work even after power is cut.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify in the figure where spring "D" is, what direction it would push, and what component it is connected to. • Decide whether the starter motor is still being driven electrically at the instant the drive is returning to the rest position, or if power has already been removed. • Check which option describes a force or motion that would naturally move the pinion away from the flywheel without requiring continued motor torque.