Cracked SkyTec Starter Housing

[jtrusso]

Has anyone seen anything like this before?



I practiced my landings for about an hour and a half this morning, and then taxied to the fuel pit. After fueling the starter wouldn't engage. I could hear it spinning, but it woudn't move the prop. The airport guys towed the plane back to the hangar for me. After removing the problem was obvious. Fortunately the starter has 1 month left on the 2 year warranty.

I'm a little nervous that whatever caused failure may have other suprises instore for me. The plane is actually down for the conditon inspection now (has to be completed by the end of the month) so everything under the cowling will be getting a very close inspection. Any comments or suggestions on what may have caused this, and places to double check during the inspection are much appreciated. The engine is a Mattituck TMX 360.

[rocketbob]

Thats very strange because the NL starters have a shear coupling that should go long before the case does. Looks like the crack started from the bolt hole so I would argue this is a case of a manufacturing defect.

[erich weaver]

Looks just like the crack I had after a kickback. The built in protection for this is not foolproof. Sky tech will tell you what happened, but if it's kickback, I don't think it's covered, although they will give you a good deal on a replacement, about $200 if I remember right.

Erich

[jtrusso]

Originally Posted by erich weaver

Looks just like the crack I had after a kickback. The built in protection for this is not foolproof. Sky tech will tell you what happened, but if it's kickback, I don't think it's covered, although they will give you a good deal on a replacement, about $200 if I remember right.

Erich

We'll see what Skytec says, the starter is boxed up and will ship out tomorrow. The engine backfired during shutdown yesterday, but started up this morning with no problems.

Thanks for the feed back, it's much appreciated. I also did a search of the forums for "kickback" and I see that I'm not the only one that has had this problem. This place really has an amazing knowledge base. I read about a few items to double check during the condition inspection.

[RVbySDI]

Originally Posted by erich weaver

Looks just like the crack I had after a kickback. The built in protection for this is not foolproof. Sky tech will tell you what happened, but if it's kickback, I don't think it's covered, although they will give you a good deal on a replacement, about $200 if I remember right.

Erich

I had a similar crack as well. Mine occurred within the first week or so of initial engine start. I immediately got on the phone with Skytec. They told me to ship it back to them and they would ship me a new one covered under warranty at no cost. You should make sure to talk with them about this failure to see what they will cover on the warranty. They were great for me to work with. Good luck.

[Bavafa]

I also had issues with my Sky Tech stater (light weight) and they replaced it with no cost or hassle. The service was very prompt and professional.

Good luck