Starter Issue

[StraightnLevel]

So much time and money wasted fooling with batteries and starters, when a few minutes doing simple voltage drop tests would reveal the culprit instantly. This messing around for days is way too typical, and it's the result of not understanding the systems.

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Go to https://skytec.aero/aircraft-starter-performance-issues/ for details. Stop messing with stuff and do this instead.

NO. Do it in the order shown. Saves time. Read the details in the website.

Voltage DROP measurements are what we use to find the tiny resistances that cause starter problems. As little as 1/20th of an ohm can cause a huge drop at the starter. Most ohmmeters will never spot that.

Absolutely!

It seems that over the past few decades, the prevalence of digital engine management systems has led to a mechanic's culture of throwing new parts at a problem instead of doing a proper diagnostic and solving the problem. That's easy for the mechanic and service shop, but expensive and time-consuming for the customer.

If you don't know what the problem was in the first place, how do you know whether or not you have fixed it?

 

[Dan Thomas]

Without going into too much detail, once this was done plane started right up.

And without the details, we learn nothing. Be fair. Educate us. What defects were found?

 

[Bell206]

It seems that over the past few decades, the prevalence of digital engine management systems has led to a mechanic's culture of throwing new parts at a problem instead of doing a proper diagnostic and solving the problem.

I've found its more generational on who holds troubleshooting as a priority as the "parts cannon" method started migrating from the auto side into the aviation side in the 80s. And this included owners/pilots as well as mechanics. Even the OEM T/S guidance started to weigh replacements vs external checks in some cases. And while the increase in digital cockpits has changed how troubleshooting is performed it still hasn't reduced the need for it and even increased the T/S skill requirements on the digital side to perform it in some cases. Now its seems the general trend is it is "cheaper" to throw parts at it vs actually spend the time and money to find what it wrong.

 

[Dan Gordon]

He believes the starter might have had an intermittent issue. But in reality he flat told me that he really doesn’t know what the cause was. Other than the fact that there was some service done to the battery and all connecting points were cleaned, there was nothing out of the ordinary. I will monitor the voltage closely.

 

[Daleandee]

But in reality he flat told me that he really doesn’t know what the cause was.

So in reality he doesn't know that it is fixed. Not sure I'd be comfortable with that answer but that's your plane and your decision ...

 

[Hang 4]

He believes the starter might have had an intermittent issue. But in reality he flat told me that he really doesn’t know what the cause was. Other than the fact that there was some service done to the battery and all connecting points were cleaned, there was nothing out of the ordinary. I will monitor the voltage closely.

If that wasn't done in the earlier diagnostic work, likely that's your answer.

 

[Dan Thomas]

So in reality he doesn't know that it is fixed.

That there. There could easily be a intermittent problem inside a contactor, for instance, that shows up again at a really inconvenient time and place far from home or even a mechanic.

Proper troubleshooting avoids recurrent defects.