I wonder what the overall opinion of SkyTech is? Personally, my advice is to
ignore anything they say.
I have not been happy with my experience. They always have an excuse not to
honor the warranty, and I am tired of sending them money. It seems to be a
scam to get you to keep coming back to them for repairs. Next time, I
intend to igmore the warranty, and just buy a new starter from someone else.
wrote in message
...
Hey all. I put a lightweight SkyTec starter on my Cherokee 180 a bit over
a
year ago. Recently, I've begun to notice that it's sticking in the ring
gear on the
engine for a second or two after startup. I thought it would be like a
stock starter
and require some silicone spray, but on a whim I called SkyTec. They said
that this
is normal. Since it's a permanent-magnet motor, when you shut off the
power it
generates enough juice to keep the solenoid engaged as it spins down.
Consequently,
there's a sprag clutch to prevent the engine from driving it in this
condition
forever. I'll buy the argument, but recently I've noticed it more.
Any thoughts on this from people who've experienced this? I'm sure that
little gear is haulin' ass with the engine running a 800-1000 RPM on
startup. It's
almost a "whiz-rattle"... sprag going bad? Sticky shaft? Worn ring gear?
Do I worry
too much... shut up and fly it? 
Thanks,
-Cory
--
************************************************** ***********************
* Cory Papenfuss *
* Electrical Engineering candidate Ph.D. graduate student *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
************************************************** ***********************