The previous owner's mechanic, 1500 miles away.Who did the replacement? Take it back and have it repaired correctly as it should not do that ...
The previous owner's mechanic, 1500 miles away.
What would the fix be, replace the whole starter unit? Or can that pinion's alignment be adjusted somehow?Ouch! I hate it when stuff like this happens. Regardless, it still needs to be addressed ...
Well first I'd have someone check to see if the new pinion is the correct P/N, if the pinion is installed correctly, and if the starter is installed correctly. Then plan from there.What would the fix be, replace the whole starter unit?
There is a small spring that forces the starter drive back when it disengages. That spring sometimes breaks and you'll hear the flywheel ringing as the pinion gear touches it.
If someone has oiled that drive, there's another problem. Oil attracts dust, and when water gets into it, as it will, you get sticky sludge that inhibits the drive's engaging and disengaging. Usually, it just won't engage, just spin. The service manuals are clear on the lubrication: dry silicone spray ONLY. But too many mechanics don't read the manuals.
In your case I'd suspect the spring. The starter is engaging OK, and when the starter ceases cranking the flywheel will spin the pinion hard enough to retract it.
Do not fly it like this. It will chew up your ring gear and pinion. $$$$
Depending on the aircraft ...
If this was my Cherokee, I would say the starter pinion (bendix drive) is not fully retracting. Likely gunked up.
When you hit the starter, the pinion is thrown into engagement with the ring gear. Once the engine starts and RPM overtakes the pinion RPM, the pinion is thrown back out of engagement. (The pinion shaft is an interesting thing with spiral groves).
Gunk will generally prevent the pinion from engagement and hitting the starter will produce nothing but a whine.
Less often, but still common, is the gunk preventing the pinion from retracting. This creates an alarming racket and the engine must be shut down instantly or damage will occur. It seems you issue is a partially gunked up pinion shaft.
Gunked up starter pinions can be cleaned after removal and disassembly of the starter, or it is possible to flood the appropriate locations with some solvent (brake cleaner) and dissolve and remove enough of the gunk to allow proper function.
Replacement bendix drives are available and not too expensive.
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Well first I'd have someone check to see if the new pinion is the correct P/N, if the pinion is installed correctly, and if the starter is installed correctly. Then plan from there.
Perhaps it's rare on my model? PA28-180B.Rare narrow deck O-360? B.S.
Rare narrow deck O-360? B.S.
Well if it were brought to me to fix, it wouldn't have flown till it was. The fact it did hit and your guy caught it, then you find it still hits, something is not right. Perhaps the ring gear is not true? But since it appears to be your problem now, you may want to actually get it fixed.Seller's mechanic said he tried different starters, which never got rid of the issue, but ultimately said it isn't a problem.
Mine had the wrong ring gear when I bought it. This doesn't sound quite the same. But mine had the wrong number of teeth which I didn't find out about until the starter pinion broke and we looked at it closer.Well if it were brought to me to fix, it wouldn't have flown till it was. The fact it did hit and your guy caught it, then you find it still hits, something is not right. Perhaps the ring gear is not true? But since it appears to be your problem now, you may want to actually get it fixed.
I know absolutely nothing about this particular set up but shimming it came to mind when I first read this thread. Don't know if that's even an option here ...Some of the earlier light weights required shimming.
IIRC OP never stated Starter type.
Some of the earlier light weights required shimming.
I know absolutely nothing about this particular set up but shimming it came to mind when I first read this thread. Don't know if that's even an option here ...
count the teeth in the ring gear. If it's not 149 that's one of your problems. Probably not, but easy enough to verify.It's a Sky-Tec, I believe a 149-NL.