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Starter question

airguy

airguy

Unrepentant fanboy
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My IO360B1B came with a Magnaflight starter on it, I'm not familiar with this line. It looks like the starter gear stays permanently engaged in the ring gear and spins full time? There seems to be a ratchet mechanism on the starter gear that allows it to spin freely one direction and lock the starter rotor in the other direction, is this legit? Or is my starter nerfed from the get-go?
 
I have not engaged the starter, but I did rotate the flywheel by hand through one revolution and it did not disengage. Since I've got the engine out in the open on a hoist right now, I think I'll pull the starter and play with it a bit to see if I can make it act properly - if not I guess I'll be buying a new SkyTec.
 
starter

Greg,

Surely the starter doesn't stay engaged all the time. I'm sure that once the engine fires and overspeeds the starter drive, the gear will withdraw from the flywheel and patiently wait for its next time to start the engine. BUT, I AM NO EXPERT ON AIRCRAFT STARTERS.........
 
Starter Bendix

If I bump my starter the bendix comes out and stays out until I start my engine. I didn't know if that was right so did some research on line and didn't come up with an answer. I think its ok but not sure.

Brian

It looks like the starter gear on mine is locked forward
 
Once the starter bendix is engaged, it will remain engaged until the engine starts. When the engine starts and exceeds the starter speed, it will retract from the flywheel.
 
airguy said:
I have not engaged the starter, but I did rotate the flywheel by hand through one revolution and it did not disengage. Since I've got the engine out in the open on a hoist right now, I think I'll pull the starter and play with it a bit to see if I can make it act properly - if not I guess I'll be buying a new SkyTec.
Click to expand...

There is nothing wrong with your starter. Unlike the the starters of today your particular starter actually has a Bendix on it. Like everyone has said, when you hit the starter button the Bendix is flung out to engage the flywheel by the spin of the starter motor. When the engine starts and the starter button is released the spinning of the flywheel drives the gear back into the starter.

Newer starters use a solenoid to engage the gear and a spring returns the gear back to the "at rest" position.

With the starter, or ring gear removed you should be able to twist the gear back to its starting position.
 
Adding confusion

It is possible the design is using a "needle roller clutch" bearing in the pinion gear. This will drive the ring gear when torque comes from the motor, and release when the ring gear overspeeds the starter. It is most likely a "bendix on a helical starter motor shaft", but the possibility I described does exist.
 
Magnaflight

I have had excellent results from the Sky-Tec 149-NL. I gave/threw away the "others". Russ
 
Resurrecting an old thread here - but this past weekend I spun the engine (or rather, attempted to) for the first time, and the starter is having a devil of a time getting the engine over the compression stroke. I had a charger on the battery and it was registering full voltage before I hit the starter, but I have not checked the voltage drawdown during start (yet). I have #2 copper multistrand just like everyone is supposed to, for both power and ground. I am running a lightweight composite WW 200RV prop and I'm wondering if I need a different starter for higher torque since I have a low-inertia prop?

Any starter suggestions for those with composite props on an IO360?
 
airguy said:
Got any feedback that's not 7 years old?

It looks like the starter gear on mine is locked forward - if that's not a normal situation, that's all I need to know.
Click to expand...

I think you might have a problem. If that gear is forward and engaged with the starter ring gear AND there is no lubrication on the gears, something is going to be toast very quickly.

That said, I know nothing about your particular starter.
 
Check the engine ground to the airframe. Should be a large wire or cable #4 or preferably a #2 gage and should go directly to the airframe. Then check all other connections.
 
airguy said:
Resurrecting an old thread here - but this past weekend I spun the engine (or rather, attempted to) for the first time, and the starter is having a devil of a time getting the engine over the compression stroke. I had a charger on the battery and it was registering full voltage before I hit the starter, but I have not checked the voltage drawdown during start (yet). I have #2 copper multistrand just like everyone is supposed to, for both power and ground. I am running a lightweight composite WW 200RV prop and I'm wondering if I need a different starter for higher torque since I have a low-inertia prop?

Any starter suggestions for those with composite props on an IO360?
Click to expand...

I had to swap my sky tech 149ls for their NL model. The first one didn't have enough torque for the IO-360/WW200rv combo and it drained the battery very fast from the high current draw.

No problems at all since swapping. It was not a battery or connection problem. Sky tech will do a swap for you. Old + $ = new
Don
 
Just for grins, be sure to rotate the engine through a couple of revolutions by hand (prop) first to ensure no hydraulic lock component exists, then proceed with your electrical (lack of torque) path.
 
BillL said:
Just for grins, be sure to rotate the engine through a couple of revolutions by hand (prop) first to ensure no hydraulic lock component exists, then proceed with your electrical (lack of torque) path.
Click to expand...

Tried that too. Did not work. I simply needed a higher torque starter.

Don
 
BillL said:
Just for grins, be sure to rotate the engine through a couple of revolutions by hand (prop) first to ensure no hydraulic lock component exists, then proceed with your electrical (lack of torque) path.
Click to expand...

Same here - I've rotated it by hand (and without plugs) I don't know how many times, life is good there. I've got #2 copper for power to the starter, and good ground with #2 copper back to the main copper grounding block and #2 from there back to the battery. I shouldn't have any voltage drops there but can't swear to it - I haven't put an analog VOM meter on there yet while cranking, I'll do that next after ensuring a fully charged battery.

The thing I was looking for was which starter does best with a low-inertia prop - I remember some discussions about that a while back but was unable to locate the thread(s) where it was hashed out. I have one impulse mag and one Lightspeed II EI.
 
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