Pinion stopper arrangement for starter motor

A pinion stopper arrangement for a starter motor comprising:

• a motor output shaft driven by an electric motor and having a circumferentially extending projection, said circumferential projection having a front end surface facing away from said electric motor and a rear end surface facing toward said electric motor and being substantially perpendicular to the axis of said output shaft;
• a pinion drive shaft having a pinion gear thereon;
• an over-running clutch having a clutch outer member having a front end surface facing away from said electric motor and engaged with said helical splines on said output shaft and a clutch inner member mounted on said pinion drive shaft for rotation therewith, said clutch outer member and said clutch inner member being relatively rotatable but substantially immovable in the axial direction relative to each other;
• and
• an elastic stopper ring disposed between said front end surface of said clutch outer member and said rear end surface of said circumferential projection on said output shaft, said elastic stopper ring having an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of said circumferential projection, and said elastic stopper ring, in cooperation with said circumferential projection on said output shaft, restricting the axial movement of said over-running clutch and said pinion gear relative to said outer shaft.