Drat! E won’t start.

[Conrad 101]

I’ve never had this happen before. I’m at KOAK, hoping to leave for KOSH (or more precisely for the leg to KBMC). I turn the key to start, hear the normal grumbling whine from behind the panel. Then when push, i can hear the click of the starter gear being pushed forwards, but then nothing else happens. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I have a Sky Tec lightweight starter, currently trying to figure out which model. Battery seems fine, i’m reading 12.0 volts on my digital engine monitor.

Does this just sound like a dead starter?

[PTK 1,685]

If showing 12v sounds like the battery is low. Should be showing ~12.7 or above. At 12v your battery is down to about 25% charge. How old is your battery.

[M20F 895]

Step 1) Hit starter with rubber mallet or something that will jar it and not hurt it.  Try again.  

Step 2) Run jumper cable from battery and touch to starter (this by passes everything else if it works the prop will spin and plane could start so be careful)

Beyond that probably not something you can field fix more than likely.  

[M20F 895]

2 minutes ago, PTK said:

Sounds like the battery. 12v is low. How old is your battery.

It’s enough to spin the starter. 

[Conrad 101]

Yeah low battery would seem to me enough to spin the prop a little. A tiny bit. I’m seeing no movement at all.

[Conrad 101]

It started! I didn’t whack it or anything. I have no idea what was or is going on. I’m gonna buy a new starter at OSH.

[Conrad 101]

Thanks for your help!

[PTK 1,685]

27 minutes ago, Conrad said:

It started! I didn’t whack it or anything. I have no idea what was or is going on. I’m gonna buy a new starter at OSH.

Maybe sticky and intermittent starter solenoid also. If it happens again I would seriously look at replacing the starter relay. I don’t know where it’s located in your E but I can tell you it was a pita in my J!

[ELT 30]

Problem could be sticking starter solenoid.   Hitting the solenoid with mallet can unstick it or heat causes it stick.  Usually if a starter dies it stays dead.  Could also be push to start contacts in ignition switch.  I have had both fail at different times on my E.

Good luck

Eddie

[David Lloyd 456]

Over the last 5 years I had the starter solenoid become erratic on 2 different Skytec lightweight starters.  Both were replace with one from O'Reilly's for a Ford F350.  Each would not pull in, until the sharp whack.  The O'Reilly's part is working fine.  Of course, that was on the RV.  Cough.

[Boilermonkey 122]

Did you make it. At 2pm still closed for aircraft parking and camping.

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[jaylw314 1,338]

2 hours ago, Conrad said:

I’ve never had this happen before. I’m at KOAK, hoping to leave for KOSH (or more precisely for the leg to KBMC). I turn the key to start, hear the normal grumbling whine from behind the panel. Then when push, i can hear the click of the starter gear being pushed forwards, but then nothing else happens. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I have a Sky Tec lightweight starter, currently trying to figure out which model. Battery seems fine, i’m reading 12.0 volts on my digital engine monitor.

Does this just sound like a dead starter?

+1 on starter solenoid. Mine suddenly went kaput last year.  FYI, there is no replacement solenoid out there, my IA had to replace it with the Lamar solenoid and file a 337.  He said as far as he knew, that was what people were typically doing for older Mooney's.

2 hours ago, PTK said:

If showing 12v sounds like the battery is low. Should be showing ~12.7 or above. At 12v your battery is down to about 25% charge. How old is your battery.

The no-load battery voltage would be 12.7v, but there is always some load on the battery with the engine monitor running, so 11-12v read off the monitor wouldn't be unusual

[Planegary 109]

dont forget to check all of the grounding straps (dont ask me how i know). hopefully it will be something simple. mine acted like yours and turned out to be the airframe to engine ground strap

Edited July 21, 2019 by Planegary
added info

[Yetti 3,717]

The B&C and maybe the skytec have a solenoid that lives on the starter.   Then there is one on the pilots footwell.    Grounding straps.   I have saved many batteries by cleaning the terminals.   Clean the terminals on everything between the battery and the starter.   A stainless or brass brush is your friend.

[Conrad 101]

I’m going to continue to investigate. The battery still seems to read low, but the behavior has gotten markedly better since I flew the plane to Denver and then today to Waterloo Regional in Iowa, so I’m pretty sure there’s some battery involvement. I’ll hopefully be rolling into Vintage camping tomorrow morning. Seems like perhaps I could have made it in tonight, but unfortunately the text message updates failed to include the fact that Vintage camping opened at 6:30 today. Looking forward to meeting some more Mooneys and associated pilots at Wittman!

[Boilermonkey 122]

Plenty of Mooneys down in the S40.

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