REFLECTOR: Franklin Starter

[Ron Brown]

A good way to check connections is to connect a volt meter across the hot 
wire at the starter and the hot wire at the battery.  There should be zero 
(or nearly zero) volts showing on the meter when the engine is cranking.

Do the same for the ground side of the starter.  Connect the volt meter to 
the case of the starter and the other lead on the ground post of the 
battery.  Again, there should be zero volts when the starter is cranking.

If the voltmeter indicates more than .25 to 0.5 volts then there is a bad 
connection somewhere.  Again, you can use the volt meter to determine 
exactly where the problem is - connect the volt meter to different places 
along the hot and ground paths.  For example, to make sure the problem is 
not in the wire between the battery and main solenoid switch, connect the 
volt meter between the battery and the wire on the contactor.  You can check 
the contactor by putting the meter across the contactor terminals.  You get 
the idea.

Good luck!
Ronnie


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laurence Coen" <lwcoen at hotmail.com>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 12:01 PM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Franklin Starter


> John,
>
> You don't say what kind of starter you have but whatever it is you can 
> have it rebuilt.  If your battery cranks the engine OK when it's cold, the 
> battery is probably OK.  In general a cold engine is harder to crank than 
> a warm one.  Poor starter performance when hot can be caused by worn 
> bearings. Something to check if you have magneto ignition is the impulse 
> mechanism. If it sticks when hot it can fire a cylinder before top dead 
> center and stop or slow cranking during the compression cycle.  I had this 
> happen with a Bendix mag on my Cherokee.  Also make sure that all the 
> electrical connections between the battery and starter are tight before 
> spending the big bucks on stuff that's just fine.
>
> Larry Coen
> N136LC SE/RG Franklin
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "John Dibble" <aminetech at bluefrog.com>
> To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 11:24 AM
> Subject: REFLECTOR: Franklin Starter
>
>
>> When my engine is hot, my starter is sluggish.  Maybe time for a new one. 
>> Where can I
>> buy one?  Can I have it rebuilt?
>> Thanks,
>> John
>>
>>
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