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#11
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
"Kobra" wrote in message
... throttle open 1/4 inch mixture full rich electric fuel pump/prime on wait a few seconds (2 at the most) crank I agree...you are NOT priming enough. In the cold weather you can prime twice as long as in warm weather or even longer. Also, don't forget that the plugs can ice over (or so I am told) and this will cause the plug not to spark. Old wife's tale? Possibly but it makes sense to me. Kobra Yea, what he said. If you (the original poster) were as old as me, and had grown up pulling on a manual choke every time you started the car, you would realize that cold engines need a lot more fuel to get started than warm engines. All that automatic, electonic stuff might be nice for emssions and reliability (and keeping me employed) but they do insulate the average person from the mechanics of "how an engine works"... And, no, icing plugs is not an old wives tale. Usually happens when the engine fires only once or twice but doesn't start. -- Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe The Sea Hawk At WowWay D0t Com |
#12
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
wrote in message
You just need to figure out how much fuel your particular pair of engines need to start with varying OAT's TC TC makes a very important point that is often overlooked when training pilots. I usually start by asking a student what they think happens with the density altitude is when it's cold, then I ask them what that does to their fuel/air mixture. Next question is, if you've got more air, don't you need more fuel? It's amazing how many show surprise. Same theory, opposite actions for hot temps and hot starts. Jim |
#13
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
M.E. Borner wrote:
My un-preheated cold weather/cold engine starting technique is very similar to my warm weather/cold engine technique You might want to consider investing a (relatively) small amount of money in a Tanis heating system. The cost of overhauling those two engines, including removal, shipping, and reinstallation, would get you a good way towards buying a house in some of the poorer states, so a couple of thousand (including labour) for a heating system and insulated covers would be a wise investment. If you don't have access to electricity, is there a Herman Nelson or similar force-air preheater somewhere on your field? If not, perhaps there are small, portable, propane-powered forced-air heaters you could buy and bring out with you (I haven't investigated this, since I keep my plane at a major airport with lots of services). When you're visiting a remote airport, you can always cover the engines after a flight -- they should stay warm for quite a few hours under an insulated cover. I have to admit that I've cold-started the O-320 on my Warrior down to -15 degC (with a *lot* of priming), but I'm not proud of it. Now, with a newly-overhauled engine, I've moved to a spot where I can leave my Tanis plugging in all winter to protect the investment. Best of luck, David |
#14
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
I won't start my 172M without preheat unless it is above 40 degF or has
been running recently - and that's with the multivis Aeroshell. Lycomings are unusually sensitive to cold start cam damage. My thinking is that even a single episode can create internal mayhem. |
#15
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
Perhaps my description was not clear enough. My engines do have Tanis
preheaters on them. When I preheat the engine everything is fine, it starts like a mid-summer day. The problem is when it is cold and I am unable to preheat due to lack of accessibility to electricity. |
#16
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
M.E. Borner wrote:
Perhaps my description was not clear enough. My engines do have Tanis preheaters on them. When I preheat the engine everything is fine, it starts like a mid-summer day. The problem is when it is cold and I am unable to preheat due to lack of accessibility to electricity. It might be worth trying to find some other way to preheat when you cannot plug in (get the plane pulled into a heated hangar, or borrow a forced-air heater). Your engines might be trying to send you a message. All the best, David |
#17
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Hard Starting Cold Continental Engines
Portable generator?
"M.E. Borner" wrote in message ups.com... Perhaps my description was not clear enough. My engines do have Tanis preheaters on them. When I preheat the engine everything is fine, it starts like a mid-summer day. The problem is when it is cold and I am unable to preheat due to lack of accessibility to electricity. |
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