Starter Issue

Hi William,

Experts don't seem to be answering today, so I hope you will forgive my speculative suggestions;

If I was in this situation, I would start by ruling out the battery, as the real problem. You can do this by:

Charging the battery overnight or longer. If its performance is starting to degrade, you will notice reduced cold start performance after the initial good post charge start.

Using jump/ boost leads from a good battery to supplement your in aircraft one. If combination spins the motor to start with ease, your in aircraft one is likly weakening.

Temporary replacement of existing battery with known good and assessing performance.

If existing battery more than 5 years old, consider pre-emptive replacement with new.

Always remember even a new battery can fail - hopefully a successful warranty claim will reduce the pain.😈

;

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@Sean, Thanks for your reply, but it's not the battery.  There was no drop in battery voltage when the button was pressed and there was full battery voltage on the starter terminal.  The open was in the starter - between the brush and the commutator.

Reading some other threads here, it appears that if you rotate the prop backwards, it rotates the starter.  Next time the starter is on a dead spot, I'll try that first - easier than uncowling.

I believe electric motor (starter) dead spot can occur, however a poor electrical connection, somewhere in the start system, is more likly.

You will need to consult an electrically more astute person than I, however I think voltage indication does not guarantee sufficient current flow to rotate the starter - check your battery.😈

Even a proper or oversized battery will show some voltage drop when the starter is engaged and trying to turn the engine. The fact that you saw no drop indicates to me that the starter is not engaged and has no load on it. Some connection somewhere is not being made.