HOT STARTS
M20E
Ed Note:
As mentioned in the pilot report on the M20E in this issue, starting the
IO-360-A1D in our evaluation airplane humbled me. I could start it cold. But
hot starts were another matter. I could never get it right. Using procedures I learned
for the J model and procedures straight from the E model owner’s manual, I
would crank and crank without so much as a feeble misfire from the engine. For
a while, this inability to start the engine made me not like the airplane. But
David McGee from All American Aircraft came to my rescue. He probably started
more E models than anyone in the country and has developed his own starting
procedures for the airplane that worked perfectly for me. I thought this
information would be interesting to everyone who owns or flys
an E model regularly. Here is what David had to say concerning his starting
procedures for the IO-360-A1D fuel injected engine in the M20E.
MAPA:
David, I made a fool of myself trying to start the engine in the E model. I
never could get it to fire, especially when hot. I went by the procedures in
the owner’s manual, but they didn’t work. I used procedures that have never
failed me in the J model-again no luck. You then gave
me your personal procedures for engine starts in the E model and I started the
engine every time. I thought our members might like to know how it is you get such
good starts in the E model.
DAVID:
Glad I could help. We saw you out there on the ramp cranking away. It’s a good
thing the battery in that airplane was fully charged. You used enough
electricity to power a small city.
MAPA:
Okay, I stand humbled. So tell us how you start an M20E.
DAVID:
After starting too many different E models to count, I have developed a set of
start procedures for a cold engine, a hot engine and a flooded engine. First,
let’s talk about a cold start, or the first start of the day. Here’s how I do
it:
·
Master switch on
·
Throttle, prop
and mixture controls full forward
·
Boost pump on 5
seconds
·
Mixture to idle
cutoff
·
Throttle reduced
to the approximate position for a 1000-1100 idle speed
·
Engage starter
·
When the engine
fires, release starter key and firmly (but not rapidly) move mixture control to
full rich
·
After engine is
running, lean mixture control out for smooth idle
MAPA: This
procedure sure worked well for me. But cold starts are pretty easy. The real
test and the area I had the most trouble with were hot starts.
DAVID: You
must remember that one of the secrets to hot starting the IO-360-A1D in the
M20E begins with the engine shutdown made just prior to the hot start you are
about to make. If you’ll remember to use the following engine shutdown procedure
in the E model, you sure will make it easier on yourself for the next start, especially
if that next start is done with the engine still hot.
·
Idle the engine
at 1000-1100 RPM
·
Pull the mixture
control to idle /cutoff from this idle speed
·
DON”T TOUCH THE T
·
Ignition switch
off after the engine spools down
·
Master switch
off
MAPA:
Okay, so we come back out to the airplane in a few minutes with the engine
still hot to fly again. Now give us your hot start procedure.
DAVID:
Here is my hot start procedure for the M20E that hasn’t failed me yet:
·
Master switch on
·
DON’T TOUCH THE
T
·
Engage the
starter
·
Expect about
15-20 blades before the engine fires
·
When the engine
fires, smooth (not rapidly) move the mixture control to full rich
·
After idling,
lean the mixture for smooth operation on the ground and during taxi
MAPA: Tell
us about a flooded start. The IO-360-A1D in the M20E seems easy to flood. What
if I mess up and have somehow flooded the engine during my hot start attempt or
the above hot start procedure has no results.
DAVID:
Then go to my flooded engine start procedure. If you suspect a flooded engine (and
it’s easy to do in the E model), here’s what you do:
·
Master switch on
·
Throttle, prop
and mixture full forward
·
Boost pump on 3
seconds, then off
·
Mixture to
idle/cutoff
·
Throttle full
open
·
Engage the
starter
·
Slowly pull the
throttle back towards idle as the engine is turning over with the starter engaged
·
When the throttled
is reduced to about ½ to ¾ towards the idle position, the engine should fire
after the throttle hits the position for the perfect fuel/air mixture for
starting
·
When the engine fires,
smoothly increase the mixture to full rich
·
Bring the
throttle back to the normal idle speed (1000-1100RPM)
·
After idling
awhile, lean the mixture for smooth operation on the ground and during taxi
MAPA:
Thanks for the good advise. I can affirm that your procedures
worked for me. Any other words of advise for our M20E
owners concerning engine starts.
DAVID:
Absolutely. One of the best investments an M20E owner can make is the purchase
and installation of a high speed, lightweight starter for his or her airplane.
The primary advantage of either a SkyTec or Prestolite lightweight starter is much higher turning
speeds for engine starts. These starters really get with the program and will
spin the engine almost twice as fast as the standard starter they replace.
These higher spin speeds make the M20E much easier to start, hot, cold or
flooded. On top of that, they are 10 pounds lighter than the standard starters
they replace. We highly recommend both of these starters to our customers as a
big help in curing any engine starting problems they might be experiencing with
their E models. But with or without a lightweight, high speed starter
installed, using the procedures I have outlined above will give you the best
chance of getting a quick and easy engine start in the M20E.
MAPA:
Thanks for the advise, David. I think more of our M20E
owners have a problem hot starting their engine than we think. It’s probably
due to the tightly cowled engine or the design of the
induction system, but for whatever reason the IO-360-A1D engine in the M20E is
very difficult to start when hot. I hope our M20E members will give your
procedures a try. I know I will use them from now on. Maybe in the future I won’t
embarrass myself as much as I did during my first attempts at starting the
M20E.