Starter Falling Apart

[Mooney_Allegro]

I have a 1998 Mooney M20J and recently took it in for an annual inspection at a MSC.  I told the mechanic that I had a starting issue.  After 2 weeks, the plane was done and I flew it out that day.  On the 2nd start, that same day, I observed a loud scraping noise as I engaged the starter.   The plane started right up and the noise went away.  I decided to fly back home since it was late Friday night with no maintanance available.   Monday morning, I called my mechanic and told him of the problem and he told me to bring the plane over and he'll look at it.  After he uncowled the plane, he discovered that the Presto Lite MHB4016 starter that was installed the year before with only 80 hours on it was falling apart.  2 screws that hold the 2 parts of the starter together were missing, 1 screw was sheared off, and the other was hanging half-way in, half-way out.  He said he never has seen anything like that before.  As I was engaging the starter, the entire motor housing was spinning very fast, so that was the scraping noise I was hearing.   I then asked him why he didn't see that when he did the annual, since I just paid $1000 for the starting issue alone.  He said he should have seen it, but the starter is not an airworthy item, so he's not required to check it or to see if the screws are in place.  He then installed a used Skytec light-weight starter in place, and $370 later, I'm back in business.  So to make a long story short:  Tell your mechanic at annual to check the 4 screws that connect the motor of your starter to the Bendix part or front part of the starter if you have the factory heavy weight starter.  If my mechanic would have inspected the starter on annual, he would have seen this and saved me $370 plus taking off a day of work, and avfuel/time. 

David Lincoln

[TurboExec]

You'll like the skytec....I got mine to replace that Lycoming boat anchor, big difference.

[Mooney_Allegro]

Adam, I love the new Skytec starter!  It spins so fast I think I could taxi with it.  I have heard of Mooney pilots burning them up due to not adhering to the mandatory cool times between starts.  So far, I like it much better than the old heavy-weight starter I had on before. 

[TurboExec]

Yeah I said good buy to those troubling hot starts about 2 years ago!  The speed that the prop spins really helps get it going.  It isn't often that more than 1 blade goes by and it isn't running.

[GeorgePerry]

I can echo those comments...This weekend I had a heck of a time getting my plane started with the crappy old starter.  I just barely got it running before the battery gave up.  I got home and ordered a skytec that night

[GeorgePerry]

I can echo those comments...This weekend I had a heck of a time getting my plane started (hot start after refueling) with the crappy old starter.  I just barely got it running before the battery gave up.  I got home and ordered a skytec that night

[TurboExec]

3 times in the same night, I probably would have done it too!

[GeorgePerry]

Dont' know how that happened???