Cold starting

by philip Foden in 912 / 914 Technical Questions 12 years ago

I have a Europa aircraft fitted with a 80hp 912ul engine fitted. When the weather is very cold it refuses to start. Chokes are working correctly, fuel is getting to the carbs. Outside air temp was about -1. Once the engine is running, it will start first time, for the rest of day. Any ideas or solutions.

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Re: Cold starting

by Don Hudgeon » 12 years ago

Don Hudgeon

6 33 0

Hello Philip
I find my 912UL is very easy to "flood",I suppose by choking too much when it is much colder than freezing. My Kitfox is hangered so it is easy for me to put a small ($40) electric heater blowing hot air into one of the front air intakes in the cowl. With an old comforter thrown over the cowl it does not take long to warm up the engine for easy starting. About 30 minutes usually does it. I also believe this should prolong engine life as well!
Cheers
Don

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Re: Cold starting

by Tim Ward » 12 years ago

Tim Ward

2 12 6

With temperatures as low as that I use a hair dryer to raise the temperature of the oil and engine for 10 minutes before starting via the air intake for the shoud. Really works well for my 912s with the old starter. I get an increaseof 10 degrees within 10 mins.
Cheers,
Tim

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Re: Cold starting

by Kevin Machniak » 12 years ago

Kevin Machniak

6 167 40

Hi,
It is recommended to preheat the engine and oil when the temps are 60 F or below, certainly preheating the engine when it is around 0 C /32 F will make it much easier to crank and start, the engine will run smoother and warm up will not be as long. most engines wear more on cold starts, so that is something to think about as well.

I have a 912 uls with the smaller starter, I preheat the engine/oil when the temps get 10 C or less. With a good, charged battery, the engine preheated to around 5 C ,it will start easy every time.

I put on a Reiff 150 watt preheat setup (certified by FAA) , it is designed for the 912. it has a 100 watt pad that glues onto the bottom of the crankcase and a 50 watt band that goes around the oil tank. the oil tank heat band is thermostatically controlled and limits the oil temp ( I think it limits to 150 F, but I am unsure of this stat without looking info up). I have the aircraft in a hangar, with a blanket over the cowled engine, the preheat is setup on a timer to come on approximately 5 hrs before I want go flying. The coldest I have started the engine with this preheat method is -12 C with overnight low of -20 C.

I hope this helps, it is not fun when the weather is nice and the engine won't start !

Thank you said by: Tim Ward

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Re: Cold starting

by Roger Lee » 12 years ago

Roger Lee

125 5.12k 4.53k

Hi Philip,

Things that can influence a hard starting engine.
Poor battery condition
idle set too high or too low
giving it throttle at start with the choke
old style starter verses the newer high torque
depending on the wing and fuel delivery system maybe an electric fuel pump for the first start to prime the system

and last, but not least yes pre-heating a cold engine does make a big difference. The gold standard for aircraft engine pre-heaters is the Tanis engine pre-heat. I have installed several of these. It is easy to do and will heat soak the entire engine inside and out. Some pre-heaters only do the oil and a little of the outside metals. You are far better off getting the heat all the way to the core, cylinders, pistons, crank, ect... My friends say their engine is 75F even when it is in the single digit temps at start.

Roger Lee
LSRM-A & Rotax Instructor & Rotax IRC
Tucson, AZ Ryan Airfield (KRYN)
520-349-7056 Cell

Thank you said by: Jorge German

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Re: Cold starting

by Jorge German » 12 years ago

Jorge German

0 3 0

Hello

Owner of 912 S 100 H.P. the old series, small starter, Actually im not able to start my engine. in my country i cant get spark plugs, at this time i will be at Flo for a few days im trying to get spark plugs I only have installed 4 brand new ones.
the Batt is good, checked the chokes for proper extension, little cleaning in both carburators just to check out, last winter was specially difficult to start and now, I cant start my engine at all.
It seems to start failling, shaking until a complete stop just a few seconds after firirng.

I dont know, what is next?

German Rivero
LV-X235

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Cold starting

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