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genie(at)swissmail.org
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 Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 9:55 am Post subject: Marginal Battery Charge when Starting |
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When starting my RV-6 it feels that the charge of my battery is
marginal. It does start but the electric motor or battery feel
reluctant, as if they will not grant me many attempts and can barely
start the engine. I keep the battery charged when my aircraft is parked
in the hangar, and the tension in the voltmeter shows around 13V when
the engine is not running. Could there be a problem with the battery and
is it safe to fly under such circumstances? Thanks.
George Nielsen
RV-6 PH-XGN
The Hague, the Netherlands
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ceengland7(at)gmail.com
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| Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2014 11:52 am Post subject: Marginal Battery Charge when Starting |
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On 4/14/2014 12:55 PM, George Nielsen wrote:
| Quote: |
When starting my RV-6 it feels that the charge of my battery is
marginal. It does start but the electric motor or battery feel
reluctant, as if they will not grant me many attempts and can barely
start the engine. I keep the battery charged when my aircraft is
parked in the hangar, and the tension in the voltmeter shows around
13V when the engine is not running. Could there be a problem with the
battery and is it safe to fly under such circumstances? Thanks.
George Nielsen
RV-6 PH-XGN
The Hague, the Netherlands
Is it a basically 'stock' Lyc with carburetor & magnetos? If so, the
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only danger to continued flight would be loss of the engine driven fuel
pump, in which case you'd need battery or alternator power to run the
electric backup fuel pump. Now, how your air traffic control would feel
about you losing radio contact might be another issue.  Here in the
USA, in most parts of the country that wouldn't be a major problem; I
live about 15 miles from a Class C airport, and almost never talk to
them while flying from my home airport community strip.
The easiest 1st test is to get some help to hold your volt meter probes
directly on the + & - terminals of the battery (directly on the posts,
*not* on the clamps that attach the battery cables to the battery posts).
Leave the mags off & fuel to idle cutoff to prevent starting, and crank
the engine for a few seconds, observing the voltmeter while cranking. If
voltage doesn't drop below around 8-9 volts at at the battery, it's
probably good. If the voltage stays up at around 10-12 volts, you
probably have a problem (higher than normal resistance) somewhere in the
wiring between the battery & starter. It can be anywhere in the path:
either battery terminal to clamp, clamp to wire, wire to terminal at
master solenoid, etc. Don't forget the return path: starter frame to
engine, engine ground terminal to wire, and back to battery negative.
You can actually find the problem point with the voltmeter while
cranking, but it requires moving the probes to the various points
mentioned, while the engine is cranking (not many people are willing to
be that close to the prop while the engine is moving, even if only
cranking).
Here in the USA, almost any automotive parts house that sells batteries
will 'load test' the battery using a load that simulates a starter load.
That would let you know whether the battery really is dying.
If the battery load-tests as good, and starting voltage (on the battery
terminals) is dropping below about 8 volts, the starter might be going
bad (shorted windings in the starter, or mechanical issues like binding
gears or bearings).
Hope that helps,
Charlie
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