Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines

On 29 Nov 2005 05:55:17 -0800, "M.E. Borner"
wrote:

throttle open 1/4 inch
mixture full rich
electric fuel pump/prime on
wait a few seconds (2 at the most)
crank

Definitely not enuff fuel for a cold start.

In warm weather it starts right away. Colder weather takes 4-5 seconds
of cranking before it starts. Cold weather takes major cranking and no
fuel pump after the first attempt. Sometimes I get it going and
sometimes I don't. Both engines are very difficult and uncertain,
although the right engine is much more cooperative than the left.

What does "the book" say for a cold start?

I learned to verify power and mixture levers aft, boost pump on, power
& mixture full forward for 2-3 (or 3-4) seconds, pull back. Crack the
throttle, crank the engine, apply mixture lever as needed once the
engine starts running. Was taught never to crank an RSA engine with
the mixture out of ICO.

If it's colder, the levers need to stay ahead longer. The trick is to
get it rich enuff to fire, but not excessively rich. If it doesn't
fire almost immediately, or fires and dies, you just need to add a
little more fuel. If you flood it, you're screwed.

You just need to figure out how much fuel your particular pair of
engines need to start with varying OAT's

TC