An internal combustion engine including a starter is shown. A method for monitoring the starter includes determining electrical energy consumed by pinion and motor solenoids operative to activate and rotate a pinion gear of an electrically-powered motor meshingly engageable to a starter ring gear portion of a flywheel of the engine during an engine starting event. Current ringing in the pinion and motor solenoids is monitored during the engine starting even, and a fault is identified in the pinion and motor solenoids based upon the current ringing and the electrical energy consumption of the starter during the engine starting event.

An electric starter system is used with an engine. The starter system may include a solenoid device coupled to a pinion gear, a brushless starter motor connectable to the engine via the pinion gear during a requested engine start event, and a controller. In response to the start event, when the engine speed is less than a threshold speed, the controller delivers a control current to the solenoid device at a peak current level sufficient for translating the pinion gear into contact with the flywheel. The control current is reduced to a holding current level less than the peak current level after the pinion gear is engaged with the flywheel. Motor torque is commanded from the starter motor, through the pinion gear, and to the flywheel while maintaining the holding current level, and held for a duration sufficient for starting the engine.

A method of controlled stopping an internal combustion engine having a stop-start mode and starter assembly includes detecting when the stop-start mode is active. The method also includes monitoring current rotational speed and position of the engine. The method additionally includes determining when the current rotational position is within a predetermined range of a target stop rotational position and the current rotational speed is less than a threshold rotational speed, and afterward energizing the starter assembly to engage the engine. The method also includes establishing a time delay following energizing the starter assembly to confirm engagement of the starter assembly with the engine. Furthermore, the method includes applying a torque by the starter assembly to stop the engine at the target stop position. A vehicle powertrain employing the engine equipped with the stop-start mode, the starter assembly, and an electronic controller configured to execute the method is also provided.

A vehicle propulsion system includes an engine configured to be selectively activated to provide torque to propel the vehicle and a starter module coupled to the engine and configured to start the engine from an inactive state. The starter module includes a brushless electric machine to generate an output torque to crank start the engine. The starter motor also includes a pinion gear coupled to the electric machine, where the pinion gear is actuatable to selectively engage a cranking input of the engine. A controller assembly is programmed to cause actuation of the pinion gear to engage the cranking input of the engine and transfer a cranking torque to activate the engine.

A method of controlled stopping an internal combustion engine having a stop-start mode and starter assembly includes detecting when the stop-start mode is active. The method also includes monitoring current rotational speed and position of the engine. The method additionally includes determining when the current rotational position is within a predetermined range of a target stop rotational position and the current rotational speed is less than a threshold rotational speed, and afterward energizing the starter assembly to engage the engine. The method also includes establishing a time delay following energizing the starter assembly to confirm engagement of the starter assembly with the engine. Furthermore, the method includes applying a torque by the starter assembly to stop the engine at the target stop position. A vehicle powertrain employing the engine equipped with the stop-start mode, the starter assembly, and an electronic controller configured to execute the method is also provided.

An electric starter system is used with an engine. The starter system may include a solenoid device coupled to a pinion gear, a brushless starter motor connectable to the engine via the pinion gear during a requested engine start event, and a controller. In response to the start event, when the engine speed is less than a threshold speed, the controller delivers a control current to the solenoid device at a peak current level sufficient for translating the pinion gear into contact with the flywheel. The control current is reduced to a holding current level less than the peak current level after the pinion gear is engaged with the flywheel. Motor torque is commanded from the starter motor, through the pinion gear, and to the flywheel while maintaining the holding current level, and held for a duration sufficient for starting the engine.

A vehicle propulsion system includes an engine configured to be selectively activated to provide torque to propel the vehicle and a starter module coupled to the engine and configured to start the engine from an inactive state. The starter module includes a brushless electric machine to generate an output torque to crank start the engine. The starter motor also includes a pinion gear coupled to the electric machine, where the pinion gear is actuatable to selectively engage a cranking input of the engine. A controller assembly is programmed to cause actuation of the pinion gear to engage the cranking input of the engine and transfer a cranking torque to activate the engine.

In a system, an engine restating module is capable of executing an engine restart task to crank an automatically stopped engine if an engine restart condition is met. The engine restart task includes energization of a mechanism to thereby shift a pinion to be engaged with a ring gear, and energization of a motor to rotate the pinion. A deenergizing module is capable of deenergizing the motor if an interrupting request that interrupts restart of the automatically stopped engine is generated during execution of the engine restart task. A maintaining module is capable of maintaining energization of the mechanism to engage the pinion with the ring gear even if the interrupting request that interrupts restart of the automatically stopped engine is generated during execution of the engine restart task.