My airplane partner and I are the 3rd owners of our RV-7A and we have had it for 5 years. For the last 3 years, the engine has been difficult to start, barely turning the prop before the engine reluctantly turns over. Obviously a battery issue. Gets about 6 months before it starts to drag again. Bad battery? Bad starter or alternator? Standard Odyssey PC680. Put it on a trickle charger which seems to sort of help for a little while. Different A&P's have looked it over and after confirming all connections are tight, they all conclude it's either the battery or the starter going out.
Earlier this year I was watching an EAA webinar from Vic Syracuse about buying a used EAB and the need for a pre-buy inspection. Vic Syracuse also happened to be the DAR who initially signed off our airplane! One of the things that he said that stuck out in the video was that when he does a pre-buy, he has the cowling off and he tugs on the different cables to check the crimping of the terminals onto the wires/cables. Could it be that easy of an answer to our problem?
First I looked on the VAN's web site under support and there is actually a Notification and Letter affecting all models of RVs, dated Oct 18, 2006. It states that "It has come to the attention of Van's Aircraft that some #2 battery cable terminals may have been improperly crimped." more info... and "If one or both ends fail, return the cable(s) to Vans and we will provide replacements."
I went to hangar, removed the cowling and started to do the procedure that Vic said he does in a pre-buy and yes, you guessed it - not one but two terminals had loose crimping and the #2 AWG cable easily pulled out of the terminal. I called and talked to Kevin Miller at Vans. They don't do the replacements, but we talked about what to do to fix the problem. Very helpful and he also provided a wiring harness diagram.
Now to the end of this overly long discussion. I bought some new terminals. I also bought a slaging tool from Home Depot for $40 and proceeded to crimp on the new terminals with some shrink wrap over the connection. I reattached the terminals to both the Master and Starter Relays/Contacters/Solenoids (whatever you want to call them). Problem solved!! Engine fired right up perfectly. Took it for a test flight and monitored the voltmeter. A very steady 14.1 to 14.2 volts instead of bouncing around from 13.8 to 14.3 volts like it also had been doing.
Moral of the story - If your engine is difficult to start, you may not have a battery problem or a starter problem. It may be as simple as bad crimping on your main power cables from the battery to the Master and Starter relay/contacter/solenoid. Hope this helps anyone with a similar issue. Thanks to Vic Syracuse, EAA webinar series, and Kevin Miller at Vans!
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Brian - RV-7A - N947CB
Retired B-52 Pilot
Retired SWA 737 Pilot
CAF PT-13D Pilot
Earlier this year I was watching an EAA webinar from Vic Syracuse about buying a used EAB and the need for a pre-buy inspection. Vic Syracuse also happened to be the DAR who initially signed off our airplane! One of the things that he said that stuck out in the video was that when he does a pre-buy, he has the cowling off and he tugs on the different cables to check the crimping of the terminals onto the wires/cables. Could it be that easy of an answer to our problem?
First I looked on the VAN's web site under support and there is actually a Notification and Letter affecting all models of RVs, dated Oct 18, 2006. It states that "It has come to the attention of Van's Aircraft that some #2 battery cable terminals may have been improperly crimped." more info... and "If one or both ends fail, return the cable(s) to Vans and we will provide replacements."
I went to hangar, removed the cowling and started to do the procedure that Vic said he does in a pre-buy and yes, you guessed it - not one but two terminals had loose crimping and the #2 AWG cable easily pulled out of the terminal. I called and talked to Kevin Miller at Vans. They don't do the replacements, but we talked about what to do to fix the problem. Very helpful and he also provided a wiring harness diagram.
Now to the end of this overly long discussion. I bought some new terminals. I also bought a slaging tool from Home Depot for $40 and proceeded to crimp on the new terminals with some shrink wrap over the connection. I reattached the terminals to both the Master and Starter Relays/Contacters/Solenoids (whatever you want to call them). Problem solved!! Engine fired right up perfectly. Took it for a test flight and monitored the voltmeter. A very steady 14.1 to 14.2 volts instead of bouncing around from 13.8 to 14.3 volts like it also had been doing.
Moral of the story - If your engine is difficult to start, you may not have a battery problem or a starter problem. It may be as simple as bad crimping on your main power cables from the battery to the Master and Starter relay/contacter/solenoid. Hope this helps anyone with a similar issue. Thanks to Vic Syracuse, EAA webinar series, and Kevin Miller at Vans!
___________________________________
Brian - RV-7A - N947CB
Retired B-52 Pilot
Retired SWA 737 Pilot
CAF PT-13D Pilot