Starting my 65hp BC12d

[jim cooper]

I watch a pal start his T-Craft. (Its the old lycoming engine with the jugs sticking out of the cowling.) He primes it twice, chocks the wheels, leaves it on idle and it fires off. If its warm, he just pulls it thru twice, turns ignition on, props it and it starts right up on IDLE. It farts a few times then settles down to a nice idle. Mine: I prime it (cold) 3 times, CRACK the throttle and pull it thru 3-4 times. Turn key on, (tail tied down tight) and it may or may not start. After three pulls, or 4, I turn it off, pull it thru 3 more times, turn it on, prop it and it fires up. It does not want to start on idle. Why do this BE?! I should add that AFTER it starts, it runs very smoothly, no problems on run up, etc. JC

[mohawktipi]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

When I had my A-65-8 on my L2, I never used the primer. Switch off throttle closed, turn through 8 blades. Switch on throttle at idle started on one pull 80% of the time. Never more than two. I had Slick mags with dual impulse. Hot start, turn through 3 blades fired right up.

[Bob Waldron]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

Jim,

My Taylorcraft 40-BL-65 is like the Lycoming with Bendix Magnetos that you describe. I also have a J-3 65 Continental and it starts nearly as well. The Continental has SLICK mags and dual Impulse Couplings. You don't mention which mags you have, but I think that the Slicks make all the difference in the world.

[akndrifter]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

On ours (A-65); Primer twice, pull through 4 times, mags on, throttle slightly cracked. Usually starts first pull. Today, she sat for a couple of hours and all I did was prime once, mags on, and she started on the third pull.

[Ragwing nut]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

sounds like too much prime. try fewer shots or none at all, just pull through several times

[Doc]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

Mine has 45 TSMOH by me with reconditioned Bendix Scintillia lunchbox mags (no impulse couplings). 1st start begins with 2 prime strokes, and hand turn of 4 blades for the squishy sound. 1/8" throttle and a pull through usually starts within 1 or 2 blades. Restart is hand turn 2 blades and then it usually starts on the first pull through. I always immediately throttle to idle and let it warm up as I do the final checks, tail tiedown removal, and then left wheel chock removal. I usually hand prop start with the main wheel on the grass at the edge of the taxiway. I have a wire cable with an eye loop imbedded in concrete 18" into the ground to tie the tail to. Doc

[senior]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

Sounds very similar to the problem I had starting my 65 Cont on occasion.
Turned out to be a cracked coil on the Eisilman imulse mag.
Replaced coil. 1st prop pretty much every time all the time

[lfries]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

Don't prime and "Don't" crack the throttle. Prop until you hear the sucking sound then crack the throttle . If the thottle does not close this won't work and then its just good luck getting it started.

[NY86]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d


It's a Stromberg thing...

[crispy critter]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

I agree partly with Ifries.....NO crack or prime especially in warm weather. The primer is made primarily for cold weather starts only. For a properly tuned or close to properly tuned A65, leave the throttle at idle with no prime, pull it through until you hear it suck or hiss through the carb plus 1 extra blade(usually adds up to 6-8 blades total)...then go hot with the mags,leave the throttle at idle and on good pull should do it. As for hot starts....each bird seems to have it's own temper for that.

[Pearson]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

.... Mine: I prime it (cold) 3 times, CRACK the throttle and pull it thru 3-4 times. Turn key on, (tail tied down tight) and it may or may not start. After three pulls, or 4, I turn it off, pull it thru 3 more times, turn it on, prop it and it fires up. It does not want to start on idle. Why do this BE?!

Jim,

As everyone has mentioned, these engines each have their own personality when it comes to starting. Something that caught my eye in reading your post is that you pull it thru 3-4 times after you have primed it 3 times. Have you tried not pulling it through after priming? My thinking is that you are sucking the primer fuel into, and then OUT of the cylinders.

After priming make the mags hot and leave the throttle FULLY CLOSED. When it fires, you have to get to the throttle within a second or two. The only way to do this is by propping from behind on the passengers side, or have a qualified person at the ready. When it fires, just bump the throttle in a little to keep it running, then fine tune it to a nice idle.

If the engine has been run and is still a little warm, THEN you can prop it with the throttle cracked to idle and no prime.

[n6346m]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

My L2-B (A65-8) had lived in California all of its civilian life and did not have a primer (nor cabin heater) when I bough it. I started ok in cold weather during its short stay in Western Washington and the first summer in Alaska, but I soon found out that it totally refused to start in the cold Alaska winter without a primer. Even with engine pre-heat if I could get it to fire a few spurts, it would not keep running by trying to advance the throttle past idle, it would just cough and die. So I had to install a primer (and a heater too).

If your primer directly injects the atomized fuel in to all the cylinders at the same time then I suppose that it would be unnecessary to pull the prop through. If your set-up is like mine, the primer injects the fuel in the intake manifold "spider" and does not get sucked into the cylinder until you pull the prop through an intake cycle. I seem to me that you would have to pull the prop through to get fuel into the cylinders. I imagine that the same principle applies even when not using a primer. Engines with the Stromberg carburetor that have no mixture cut-off are usually shut off with the ignition switch, leaving a residual amount of mixture in the cylinders. When restarting a warm engine this may be sufficient to fire on the first pull, unless you shut the engine down by shutting off the fuel valve and have no fuel in the cylinders at all.

[jim cooper]

Re: Starting my 65hp BC12d

many thanks for all input! I shall try each one. JC