• PiperForum.com is a vibrant community of Piper owners and pilots. Our over 1,500+ active members use Piper Forum to swap technical knowledge, plan meetups and sell planes/parts. We host technical knowledge of general aviation topics and specific topics on J3-Cubs, Cherokees, Comanches, Pacers and more. In addition to an instant community of pilots for you, PiperForum.com is a library of technical topics, airplane builds, images, technical manuals, technical documents and more.

    Access to PiperForum.com is subscription based. Subscriptions are only $49.99/year or $6.99/month to gain access to this great community and unmatched library of Piper knowledge.

    Click Here to Become a Subscribing Member and Access PiperForum.com in Full!

PA-32R Starting Issue; Lycoming IO-540

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Mar 6, 2023
Messages
19
Reaction score
6
Location
Virginia
Wondering if others have had this issue. I have a SkyTec Starter Model Number 149-NL (12 volt system). It was installed in June, 2005 and has about 700 hours on it. Lately, and on a more frequent basis, when I go to start the engine, I just hear a "Click" with no movement of the starter. The clicking sound is coming from the starter solenoid, on the firewall. I replaced that part and the problem persists. The battery is new, fully charged and the lights in the cockpit do not significantly "dim" when the clicking sound is heard. Most of the time the problem "fixes" itself by just waiting 15-20 seconds and it starts fine. A year ago, it would happen 1 in 20-30 starts. Now more frequently (one in 10 starts). No correlation to hot or cold. I have been told if you rotate the Bendix on the starter, such that the armature in the starter rotates, that should "clear" the issue; my problem with that is I have an after-market "Howl Cowl" that takes a good 30 minutes to move enough to gain access to the Bendix. Replacing the Starter is likely next but wanted to see if others have similar issue. I am 100% certain the battery is fine (cranks the engine very well when the problem is not apparent), and I have a new starter solenoid.
Thank you for any thoughts.
Rick
 

Latest posts

Back
Top