Plummit
Well Known Member
Yup, pulled the plane out for breakfast run this morning, hit the starter and it did it's usual thing where it couldn't get past the compression stroke of the first cyl. I released the starter then hit it again. Same thing so I released it and hit it one more time - Everything, including the fuel pump shut off. Dead, nada nothing.
Talked to 2 A&P friends and the builder and they all said "Dead Battery".
It just didn't feel like a dead battery to me, but I had kept my old battery and it was on an approved maintainer so I swapped it out. Same thing, nothing. Got my VOM out and checked the volts, 13V+. Then I put the lead on the positive terminal and the ground on the airframe. Read 13V+ but when I hit the master the voltage dropped to zero.
Hmmm. good voltage on the battery terminals but nothing when using the airframe. I've got and open ground.
Started tracing the #2 welding cable all the way to the panel and then I saw it: a shunt mounted to the cabin side of the firewall that let the smoke out.
I had never seen a shunt on a negative cable but hey, at least it happened at home! I'll upgrade the 60 to a 100 amp when I can get one next week.
-Marc
Talked to 2 A&P friends and the builder and they all said "Dead Battery".
It just didn't feel like a dead battery to me, but I had kept my old battery and it was on an approved maintainer so I swapped it out. Same thing, nothing. Got my VOM out and checked the volts, 13V+. Then I put the lead on the positive terminal and the ground on the airframe. Read 13V+ but when I hit the master the voltage dropped to zero.
Hmmm. good voltage on the battery terminals but nothing when using the airframe. I've got and open ground.
Started tracing the #2 welding cable all the way to the panel and then I saw it: a shunt mounted to the cabin side of the firewall that let the smoke out.
I had never seen a shunt on a negative cable but hey, at least it happened at home! I'll upgrade the 60 to a 100 amp when I can get one next week.
-Marc