Starter

A starter comprising:

• a motor which has a rotation shaft;
• a pinion gear which is movable in an axial direction of the rotation shaft of the motor;
• a shifter which works to shift the pinion gear in the axial direction of the rotation shaft toward a front end of the rotation shaft for bringing the pinion gear into engagement with a ring gear of an internal combustion engine to rotate the pinion gear using the motor to start the internal combustion engine;
• a first elastic member which is disposed between the pinion gear and the motor and configured to be compressed to permit the pinion gear to move to the motor along the rotation shaft;
• a second elastic member which is disposed between the pinion gear and the first elastic member;
• a holder which retains therein the first elastic member while being subjected to a given initial load and is movable in the axial direction of the rotation shaft in response to expansion or contraction of the first elastic member,
• wherein the holder includes a first pressure-exerted member on which an elastic force, as produced by the first elastic member, is exerted by a first end that is one of opposed ends of the first elastic member which is closer to the pinion gear and a second pressure-exerted member on which the elastic force, as produced by the first elastic member, is exerted by a second end that is one of the opposed ends of the first elastic member which is closer to the motor;
• a contacting portion which is formed by a portion of the holder and placed in contact with the second elastic member in the axial direction of the rotation shaft, the contacting portion being held from being moved to the pinion gear in response to expansion of the first elastic member, while being permitted to be moved to the motor in response to contraction of the first elastic member;
• and
• a stopper which is placed in contact with the second pressure-exerted member and works to stop the second pressure-exerted member from being moved toward the pinion gear from an initial location where the second pressure-exerted member is not being subjected to reactive force from the ring gear, thereby holding the contacting portion from being moved to the pinion gear.