My Thumb Hurts

[TheTurtle]

Plane was being a pain starting today. Usually not an issue on a cold start.  I think my battery was a little low.

Point of the post is I hate the ignition system on the mooney.  The turn to start and then press in is just awkward.  On a good day its not to big a deal.  On a hot start or a day like today when shes being grumpy it's downright painful on my index finger and thumb.

Im wondering if its because I have a cheap aftermarket home depot metal key with a small "holding" side.  It about the size of what you would think the baggage door key is.

maybe I need a key cover of some kind?  Maybe a big glob of quicksteel around the key for something to hold on to?

anybody else have this issue?

[Raptor05121]

I think my plane is a red-headed step child. Mine is a turn to start, I don't have to press in.

[TheTurtle]

35 minutes ago, Raptor05121 said:

I think my plane is a red-headed step child. Mine is a turn to start, I don't have to press in.

worked for cars for 100 years now.  Yea lets make this weird thing where you have to turn and push just to be a pain in the ass.

[mike_elliott]

14 minutes ago, TheTurtle said:

worked for cars for 100 years now.

Oh you show your age...Car and truck starters used to be a foot depressed switch..(now I show my age)

[TheTurtle]

Just now, mike_elliott said:

Oh you show your age...Car and truck starters used to be a foot depressed switch..(now I show my age)

jesus when was that?  My car/farm truck/tractor knowledge starts with early 50's vintage.  I do really miss the foot stomp high beam switch on my classic cars.  bombing through windy country roads (before they had all those reflectors in the middle) barely hanging on to the corners and death gripping the wheel theres no time to dim your lights by hand!!

[mike_elliott]

Notice the small pedal next to the accelerator pedal. Yep, thats the starter. 1952 Chevy PU. A real man's machine, not like these mamby pamby PU's of today. Drive one of these at 75 and you are white knuckling it the whole time.

[TheTurtle]

cool truck. I just sold a 58 long bed step side and 72 C20.  Planes are expensive!!

[Bob_Belville]

39 minutes ago, mike_elliott said:

Notice the small pedal next to the accelerator pedal. Yep, thats the starter. 1952 Chevy PU. A real man's machine, not like these mamby pamby PU's of today. Drive one of these at 75 and you are white knuckling it the whole time.

Details - starter pedal was right on the starter!

[carusoam]

Is it possible that as the switch ages it becomes harder to tell what position the key is in?

It shouldn't take that much force to twist and push to make it work.

But, when you twist as hard as you can and push as hard as you can on a cold day...

You quickly find that your finger strength isn't all that strong.

Then you realize a key is the wrong shape for any form of human factors experiment.  Pushing on the edge of a hard piece of metal... using your non-dominant hand...

The last thing to fail on My old M20C was its ignition switch.  It stopped working in the hands of the new owner... 

Take a look at getting a new switch or getting the one you have washed up properly.

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

[Yetti]

Old jeeps did not have any silly solinoids to fail.   The starter was a pedal that sat on the back of the starter.  When you pushed it in, it make contact between the battery and the starter motor.  Then the starter whirred.

Should not take a long time to start.  When were your mags done?  How do you prime?

[DAVIDWH]

I too became frustrated with the turn and push era of ignition switches. (People have been brewing beer for centuries)

This is 2017 and I do carry an I-phone everywhere I go and Foreflight is my friend. (We are looking for progress here, right?)

At last annual, had enough, had it changed.

Now its just all knobs firewalled, high boost for five seconds a slight sw. turn and vola.  (Ready to copy)  

My advise to the turtle would be to jump on a hare and just get there faster.

Compared to replacing the batteries in my EZE-GO golf cart, this is an easily solvable problem.

 

Ps: Two aspirin (500mg.), cold ice packs and a thumb splint from  (The Walmart)  may ease your pain.

Now, with that out of the way, let's continue the discussion of having a transponder ident sw. on the control wheel.

Sometimes a "Snowflake"  just has to have a safe space.

Best

 

 

[Danb]

Bob you could have shined your shoes, jeez

[Bob - S50]

I suggest you fly more.  If you fly enough, you'll build calluses on your fingers and it won't hurt anymore.

[flyboy0681]

4 hours ago, mike_elliott said:

Notice the small pedal next to the accelerator pedal. Yep, thats the starter. 1952 Chevy PU. A real man's machine, not like these mamby pamby PU's of today. Drive one of these at 75 and you are white knuckling it the whole time.

Even the brake release was a work of art.

[N6758N]

6 hours ago, Raptor05121 said:

I think my plane is a red-headed step child. Mine is a turn to start, I don't have to press in.

Mine is the same as yours Alex. 

[TheTurtle]

5 hours ago, DAVIDWH said:

I too became frustrated with the turn and push era of ignition switches. (People have been brewing beer for centuries)

This is 2017 and I do carry an I-phone everywhere I go and Foreflight is my friend. (We are looking for progress here, right?)

At last annual, had enough, had it changed.

Now its just all knobs firewalled, high boost for five seconds a slight sw. turn and vola.  (Ready to copy)  

My advise to the turtle would be to jump on a hare and just get there faster.

Compared to replacing the batteries in my EZE-GO golf cart, this is an easily solvable problem.

 

Ps: Two aspirin (500mg.), cold ice packs and a thumb splint from  (The Walmart)  may ease your pain.

Now, with that out of the way, let's continue the discussion of having a transponder ident sw. on the control wheel.

Sometimes a "Snowflake"  just has to have a safe space.

Best

 

 

Do you know the part number of the switch you replaced it with? 

 

6 hours ago, Yetti said:

Old jeeps did not have any silly solinoids to fail.   The starter was a pedal that sat on the back of the starter.  When you pushed it in, it make contact between the battery and the starter motor.  Then the starter whirred.

Should not take a long time to start.  When were your mags done?  How do you prime?

Got the both mags overhauled at annual last month.  On a cold start I crack the throttle turn on boost pump with mixture cutoff.  push mixture rich for 3 seconds and turn off the pump.  Crank and fire.  When its hot I have a whole rigamarole with one handed acrobatics...  I still havent tried your method from the other thread.

[bonal]

No push on mine either.  I liked the one on my Cessna you pulled the T handle and that had a rod connected to the starter solinoid and engaged the motor and drive gear

(handle just left of the ingnition)

[takair]

14 hours ago, TheTurtle said:

Plane was being a pain starting today. Usually not an issue on a cold start.  I think my battery was a little low.

Point of the post is I hate the ignition system on the mooney.  The turn to start and then press in is just awkward.  On a good day its not to big a deal.  On a hot start or a day like today when shes being grumpy it's downright painful on my index finger and thumb.

Im wondering if its because I have a cheap aftermarket home depot metal key with a small "holding" side.  It about the size of what you would think the baggage door key is.

maybe I need a key cover of some kind?  Maybe a big glob of quicksteel around the key for something to hold on to?

anybody else have this issue?

It's calibrated pain so you don't exceed the duty cycle of the starter.  When it hurts, the starter is overheating.  When the pain goes away, the starter has cooled.  The duty cycle reduces and pain increases with each cycle until the battery dies, at which time there is a long cool down and pain recovery cycle.  There may or may not be an advisory circular supporting this design feature.

[sleepingsquirrel]

I've had the same problem turn push , so I built a small roundel with a split to fit over the key . I looked up key aids for arthritic fingers and thought this was easy to do.

Edited March 16, 2017 by sleepingsquirrel

[TheTurtle]

3 minutes ago, sleepingsquirrel said:

I've had the same problem turn push , so I built a small roundel with a split to fit over the key . I looked up key aids for arthritic fingers and thought this was easy to do.

this is a good idea.  I just made a big ball with Quicksteel this afternoon and formed it around the key.  Tested it and of course it fired on the first try in about 2 seconds so I couldnt even tell how much it helped.  Will post pics of the masterpiece later.

[milotron]

I had the same issue when I first got my K and put one of the plastic color coded things on the end of the key. That provided just enough extra cushion and leverage to make it not hurt anymore. While at it, I coded the ignition/door key red and the baggage key is blue. They are indistinguishable from each other without it.

[Hank]

I put the colored plastic things on mine to tell them apart (red for fire, green for go, blue for baggage), but have never felt pain even when having starting issues. It only pushes maybe 1/8" after all, and I combination  the turn and push into one motion. Try holding the key from both sides, and push with your arm not your thumb.

[TheTurtle]

im not very fancy but it fits my fingers pretty well

[MyNameIsNobody]

Man card turn in awaits.  When you can't rack a slide on a .45 1911 you are old.  I have chosen quietly suffering versus outing myself publicly on all matters of aches, pains, vision, strength and cognitive function.  The tactic appears to be working as I only get the occasional double look or grimace from wife, children and friends.  The opening of the jars is a real nail biter...

Brights and starters on the floor were not better and do show age if you were a user.  I can remember stomping ants on the floor in my parents pointy finned caddy while a car approached on the other side of the hill.  Army 1/4 ton jeeps in 70's and 80's had floorboard starters.  You had to chain the wheel else they disappeared when in the field...NOT GOOD.  Remembering floorboard starters makes me sad as my Grand Pa reneged on a 31 Chevy Landau Phaeton coupe Convertible after giving it with the title signed over...Sigh.....

Edited March 19, 2017 by MyNameIsNobody

[sleepingsquirrel]

It doesn't take much to make life easier, I choose easier! Makes a real difference on starting .