Just putting this out there for those who are unaware of the potential for this issue, like I was;
I had been chasing an intermittent click-no-starter-engagement and/or click-delayed-starter engagement issue for as long as I've owned the RV-7 (2.5 years). I try to diagnose and not just throw parts at a problem but the intermittent nature of this condition was giving me fits.
I had replaced the Cole Hersee firewall starter contactor and replaced the PC-680 battery. I had checked and cleaned grounds, checked all of the wiring connections and checked for parasitic draw (there was none). Sometimes it seemed it was fixed. And then it would happen again.
I kept getting sucked down the rabbit hole of thinking it was somehow a battery issue. When the starter would fail to engage, I would put the battery on a tender for the night and the next day, it would start. That pattern was repeatable, until it wasn't. I finally had a click-no-starter-engagement after the battery had been on the tender for several days.
The only thing left was the starter itself. I searched the forum for "149-NL" and found this old thread. Somehow, I had never read about this issue and it never occurred to me to grab the motor half of the starter.
As you can see in the video below, what I found was fairly egregious. Rather than just attempt to tighten the loose bolts, I sent it to Flight Widgets for an overhaul.
I believe the issue is finally resolved. Many of you are aware of the potential for this issue. I was not. The starter is of 2014 vintage, to the best of my knowledge.
In retrospect, I think the reason it would typically start after being placed on the tender was that the slightly higher battery voltage was usually enough to overcome the added resistance that was caused by the loose motor.
Thanks to the forum for making me smarter
I had been chasing an intermittent click-no-starter-engagement and/or click-delayed-starter engagement issue for as long as I've owned the RV-7 (2.5 years). I try to diagnose and not just throw parts at a problem but the intermittent nature of this condition was giving me fits.
I had replaced the Cole Hersee firewall starter contactor and replaced the PC-680 battery. I had checked and cleaned grounds, checked all of the wiring connections and checked for parasitic draw (there was none). Sometimes it seemed it was fixed. And then it would happen again.
I kept getting sucked down the rabbit hole of thinking it was somehow a battery issue. When the starter would fail to engage, I would put the battery on a tender for the night and the next day, it would start. That pattern was repeatable, until it wasn't. I finally had a click-no-starter-engagement after the battery had been on the tender for several days.
The only thing left was the starter itself. I searched the forum for "149-NL" and found this old thread. Somehow, I had never read about this issue and it never occurred to me to grab the motor half of the starter.
As you can see in the video below, what I found was fairly egregious. Rather than just attempt to tighten the loose bolts, I sent it to Flight Widgets for an overhaul.
I believe the issue is finally resolved. Many of you are aware of the potential for this issue. I was not. The starter is of 2014 vintage, to the best of my knowledge.
In retrospect, I think the reason it would typically start after being placed on the tender was that the slightly higher battery voltage was usually enough to overcome the added resistance that was caused by the loose motor.
Thanks to the forum for making me smarter
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