Before talking about it, let's take a look at how early cars started:
In the past, it was impossible to start a car without any strength. Fortunately, this heavy and powerful posture has long disappeared in family cars, because what replaces human power is today's protagonist - the starter motor. Without it, the car would not even start.
What's so "lazy" about this guy?
The reason why this is the "laziest" part on the car is because although it is a component that must be used every time the vehicle is running, the time it is used each time is very short, only a few seconds.
did you see? This is what the starter motor looks like when it's working. When the engine started smoothly, it "consciously" retracted and continued to sleep.
Let's do the math. If the vehicle takes 3 seconds to start each time and starts 5 times a day, the total working time of the starter motor in a year will only be about 90 minutes. Moreover, when the vehicle starts smoothly, it can go to sleep, no matter how lazy it is.
Although "lazy", it really can't be done without it
Although the starter motor works for a short time each time, the work intensity is extremely high. The instantaneous output current can even reach 300-400A. What is this concept? The total electricity consumption of our ordinary households is generally 20A, which means that you can start 5 air conditioners at the same time. If you use more than 5 air conditioners, they will trip. In those few seconds, the car's starter motor has to withstand the current pressure of nearly a hundred air conditioners that are turned on at the same time. It is a heavy burden!
The reason why such a high current is used is because the starter motor needs to drive the engine crankshaft to reciprocate so that the engine can start smoothly. In the days before starter motors, people would hand-crank a long handle to start a car. It would take at least a few minutes, or even dozens of minutes in the cold winter. Now, the starter motor can start the engine smoothly within a few seconds. This is the advancement of technology!
If there is a real experienced driver of the mini car, you can leave a message in the comment area and tell everyone about the scene when you started the car.
High load for short time,
How to better protect the starter?
After reading the above, everyone knows that it is not that the starter motor is really "lazy", but that it really cannot withstand overload current for a long time.
Therefore, we should pay attention to avoid letting the starter motor "dry-burn" as much as possible. Especially for those vehicles that use one-button start, after the engine starts smoothly, you must release your hand as soon as possible to prevent the starter motor from continuing to run.
In addition, when ignition occurs but the car is not started, be sure not to ignite continuously, as this may burn out the coil of the starter motor and cause it to be scrapped. When you find that the vehicle is out of oil or the ignition system is faulty, don't let the starter motor dry out. After all, replacing it is not cheap.
Although the starter motor works extremely hard, its lifespan is still guaranteed. Generally speaking, a high-quality starter motor can complete at least 50,000 starts. In other words, even if the car is ignited 8 times a day, the starting motor will only work 30,000 times after 10 years of driving. Therefore, the original starter motor of a family car is basically consistent with the normal use cycle of the vehicle.
Will the start-stop system shorten the life of the starter motor?
This question can basically be answered: No.
First of all, the starter motor of the start-stop system is an "enhanced type", and the minimum number of uses has been increased from the ordinary 50,000 times to 100,000 times. Some manufacturers even produce starter motors with a service life of 300,000 times. This fundamentally solves the problem of life loss caused by frequent startup.
Secondly, in order to meet the needs of the start-stop system, its battery has also been strengthened, so there will be no problems in normal use. It has been several years since the start-stop system was introduced in China, and I have never heard of a case of the motor being damaged due to too frequent starts.
There is only one situation that car owners need to pay special attention to, and that is the recall of the starter motor. There are tens of thousands of parts in the vehicle itself, and it is inevitable that some of them will go wrong. At this time, a recall is needed to replace those parts with hidden dangers. However, some car owners do not pay much attention to the recall information of the car manufacturers, and some car owners feel that it is not worthwhile to go to the 4S store for a spare part, so they continue to drive the car. This idea is not advisable. Once the starter motor is damaged, the car itself will be useless.
Therefore, as car owners, when we learn about the recall information, it is better to go to the store as soon as possible to solve the problem. If the period is suitable, you can also go to the store to complete the entire vehicle inspection and other items together, killing multiple birds with one stone.
