That’s a good question, and although I don’t have the full story, we will toss around some possibilities in this episode. Thanks to all of you who responded with some really good guesses about the cause.
I received responses from 33 people after I sent out that email recently! The prevailing guess about the cause had to do with improper magneto timing which then caused the engine to kick back in the reverse direction and break the starter housing. That was my guess as well.
Be sure to listen to the audio to hear about all the responses and ideas.
In a future episode real soon, I’ll be releasing an interview with Adam Sipe from the Airplane Intel Podcast and AirplanePrebuy.com
Adam has a wealth of money-saving, stress-reducing wisdom and knowledge about buying an airplane and conducting prebuy investigations. Be sure to look for this episode real soon.
I installed this starter and starter adapter on a Beechcraft Debonair IO-470 engine last week… the starter adapters (or sometimes called a clutch, or starter drive,) sometimes begin to slip, and when that happens, it’s time for overhaul.
It’s also recommended to overhaul the starter at the same time, or install a new one.
There are also different opinions about the newer “lightweight starters” like Sky-Tek and others. Some prefer the older style starters due to some past problems with certain lightweight starters.
Regardless of which starter you choose, take some time to do some careful research.
And if you need some technical help, you can always call Jimmy and Debbie Schreiner at Modified Aircraft Accessories. Together, the husband and wife team run their repair station at Brooks, Kentucky, and they do excellent work.
One of their most popular free resources is the “Pilot’s Tip of the Week.” It always starts with a question, followed by a brief and practical answer, both in print and in audio form.
At the end, you can make your own choice about what you would do in that situation. Check it out… it will make you a better pilot!
Also, as an airplane owner or operator, you will love the engine book that was recently published. It’s called “Airplane Engines – A Pilot-Friendly Manual.”
Now back to the starter on the Beechcraft Debonair… after we reinstalled the starter adapter and installed an overhauled starter, it still seemed a little sluggish for starting.
After some troubleshooting and discovering high resistance in the starter solenoid (contactor) we decided to install a new one. Probably not a bad idea at all, since this one looks like it may have been original. Check out the old one beside the new one:
It was also a good time to replace some other old parts and install a couple new ring terminals and terminal boots:
With the new starter solenoid installed, the whole system worked very well, and the airplane is now back in service.
Other items mentioned in this episode:
A Piper cub being ferried by Marie-Claire Laberge… she stopped at SHD and I learned she works for “FullThrottleAviationLLC.com,” a company that provides world-wide ferry services for all kinds of airplanes.
And finally, a sight I had never seen before rolling into SHD the other day… a turbo-prop Maule!
I researched this airplane and found it on YouTube… it was for sale about a year ago for $399,000
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