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Ummmm....anyone have a new starter?

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gkrangers

college = debt
Joined
May 21, 2004
Posts
1,405
http://wx.hookemupcharters.com/files/starterhousing.jpg

So there I was, minding my own business, just trying to start the plane.

First crank, starter doesn't engage. Ok, second crank, horrid horrid noise as starter engages. Shut everything down and got out to take a look at the front of the engine compartment, where the starter is.

See the picture above for what I found.

There was also scoring on the inside of the brass fitting, and a nick on the inside of the casing.

The prop would not rotate in the opposite direction of its normal motion. So I moved it slightly down, in its normal spinning direction, and just heard "click click click click" as it moved. I only moved it a few inches, to see if it would move.

Kinda glad things fell apart on the ground...

Think the housing could break inflight, if it was already cracked?

Sounded and it appeared there was more to it than just the starter.

Any thoughts on what would cause the housing to break open like that?
 
Ahh, who needs a starter? Just push start it!


Roll 'er down hill, put 'er in second, and pop the clutch. BruuuuuUUUUUUuuuuummmmmm.




:)






.
 
Gk,

From the picture, you appear to have experienced a failure of your bendix housing. The housing is cast, which is not the strongest of materials. It is prone to shattering and fatigue, just like any other metal.

Your bendix drive may have failed and caused the stresses on the starter housing. The end of the housing acts as a bearing for the starter motor and the support end for the bendix drive. A failure of the drive (the ratchet shaped part in the end of your starter that engages the starter ring on the engine...often located at the back of the propeller) may have fractured the housing. Conversely, a failure of the housing could have caused the bendix problem, causing it to stick as the starter shaft becomes misaligned.

What caused this? Impossible to say. Excessive stresses may have been experienced before, by this starter. It may have been left engaged during a flight. It may simply have reached the end of it's life. (clearly, it has).

You asked if this could fail in flight. As the starter is only used for start up and shutdown, the only chance for this item to fail in flight under normal circumstances would be if you had occasion to use the starter. Otherwise, as the starter never normally gets used in flight, there should be no stresses on the starter motor or bendix drive. It's not turning, it's not energized, and it's not attached to the engine unless you failed to check for disengagement after a start in the last flight or two. (You'll normally see a stuck bendix in the form of unusual voltages, generators tripping off, or an abnormally high amperage draw on your ammeter).

If you've had the starter hang or fail to turn the engine/propeller lately, it may have been the crack developing and the housing giving way, allowing the starter shaft to misalign and the bendix to stick, while the commutator was binding in the starter core.

What this means to you, as you already know is...you need a new starter.
 
Thanks avbug..I had a friend with me whos into cars, and he mentioned it being cast, and therefor generally weak.

I had a lot of trouble starting this aircraft once, a few weeks ago (made a thread about it actually). And it had experienced the starter not disengaging before, within the last two months, according to its discrep sheet. So the crack was probably getting a little worse with each usage.

I was just curious if the housing could break just from vibration from the engine in flight, and thereby cause any problems.
 
TonyC said:
Ahh, who needs a starter? Just push start it!


Roll 'er down hill, put 'er in second, and pop the clutch. BruuuuuUUUUUUuuuuummmmmm.




:)






.

TonyC,

This post just goes to show how little you know. You cannot push-start an airplane. To do so, you would have to push it at a TREMEDOUS speed, which you could never do safely, if at all, on the ground. Also, none of the airplanes I've seen/flown, have a clutch/transmission as you claim. Yes, airplanes with constant-speed props use a governor to alter the pitch of the blades, but that's not the same thing as a clutch, and there is no "second gear" as you claim, because it is basically an infinitely adjustable system.

Try doing a little more research before you post.
 
UnAnswerd said:
TonyC,

This post just goes to show how little you know. You cannot push-start an airplane. To do so, you would have to push it at a TREMEDOUS speed, which you could never do safely, if at all, on the ground. Also, none of the airplanes I've seen/flown, have a clutch/transmission as you claim. Yes, airplanes with constant-speed props use a governor to alter the pitch of the blades, but that's not the same thing as a clutch, and there is no "second gear" as you claim, because it is basically an infinitely adjustable system.

Try doing a little more research before you post.
whiskey t
 
UnAnswerd said:
TonyC,

This post just goes to show how little you know. You cannot push-start an airplane. To do so, you would have to push it at a TREMEDOUS speed, which you could never do safely, if at all, on the ground. Also, none of the airplanes I've seen/flown, have a clutch/transmission as you claim. Yes, airplanes with constant-speed props use a governor to alter the pitch of the blades, but that's not the same thing as a clutch, and there is no "second gear" as you claim, because it is basically an infinitely adjustable system.

Try doing a little more research before you post.
whiskey tango foxtrot
 
i just spit coffee all over the place after reading that.........

some through the nose and it was very hot
 
You cannot push-start an airplane.

Really? I learned to fly in a J-3 cub, and we were propping airplanes long before we had them thar new fangled starter motors. You really should do a little bit of research before you post.

To do so, you would have to push it at a TREMEDOUS speed, which you could never do safely, if at all, on the ground.

Never propped an airplane before, have you?

Apparently never towed a glider with a car, either.

Come to think of it, any gyroplane is started that way, and runs the entire flight in autorotation. Traditionally these were spun up by hand and the training done by towing them with a car at a fast enough speed to achieve flight rotor RPM in order to get airborne.


Also, none of the airplanes I've seen/flown, have a clutch/transmission as you claim.

Haven't flown much yet, unanswered. Again, you really should do a little more research before you post.

Virtually all large piston engines utilize a clutch.

Most all helicopters utilize a sprague clutch for rotor engagement.


Yes, airplanes with constant-speed props use a governor to alter the pitch of the blades, but that's not the same thing as a clutch, and there is no "second gear" as you claim, because it is basically an infinitely adjustable system.

With your wealth of experience, you ought to be familiar with more than just a constant speed propeller. Controllable propellers needn't be constant speed, and may be limited to just two or more positions.

Some engines utilizing reduction units do indeed use a clutch or torque converter assy...you really should do a little more research before you post.

As far as diving and driving...ever heard of an airstart? Never seen one airplane start another or provide an assist by using the thrust of one engine to work an engine behind it? You really should do a little more research before you post.

Back to the subject matter, GK, your starter shouldn't pose a hazard if it fails in flight. However, I once had an alternator assembly come apart, which fell forward and went through the propeller. Anything coming loose up there could conceivably cause damage or cause a problem. I've also had startersand generators fail at the attach points and hang on the splined shaft into the engine accessory drive. These caused wear and heat, and chewed up both the drive and the starter and/or generator. Constant speed units, something found on turbine engines, can go a step further by causing enough friction and heat during a failure to set fire to the magnesium frame that usually forms the casing and support of the starter, generator, or starter/generator.
 

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