In article ,
wrote:
When you cold start an IO-360, you are supposed to run the auxiliary
fuel pump with the mixture control knob pushed in until you see a rise
in fuel pressure, then shut off the pump and pull the mixture contol
knob back to shut off, and start the engine, pushing the mixture to
full rich when the engine starts.

I get more reliable starts by moving the mixture to idle cutoff before
turning off the pump. That seems to preload the fuel pressure so that
when it catches there's fuel available. Also it takes a moment (or longer
if it's cold) for the fuel you just squirted in to vaporize, so wait a few
seconds before cranking.

Now that I've had a lot of practice (IO-540) I don't even push the mixture
full rich on start. I just push it in an inch or so to the position where
I run it on the ground. It's so lean that it stumbles above about 1500 RPM.

For hot starts I use the procedure someone else explained. No priming with
the fuel pump, just full throttle and mixture at idle cutoff, then crank
until it starts and quickly (I keep my pinky and ring finger over the ball
of the throttle and my thumb on the mixture -- crazy Comanche knob order)
pull the throttle and advance the mixture.

--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/