Turbo Arrow Continental delay with ignition switch, possible worn out starter adapter.
Q During our last flight, a friend pointed out there is a slight delay between turning on the ignition switch and the propeller starting to turn. He said my starter adapter might be getting worn out, and that the starter adapter is a known weak point in Continental engines. This is a Turbo Arrow with Continental TSIO-360 FB. Has anyone experienced this problem? I did (my own) search on the topic. My understanding:
1. For good starting, both the starter motor and the starter adapter, especially spring clutch mechanism of the latter, must work well.
2. If the starter motor armature does not rotate with less than 5 in/lb resistance when unpowered, excessive wear of the starter adapter clutch will occur. This will lead to bad starts and metal contamination of the engine.
3. If the starter adapter clutch is worn, replacing the starter won’t solve the problem.
Karol Zadora-Przylecki
A My lifetime of Pipers says you’re right on the money. … My Turbo Arrow 3 is in the shop for annual inspection right now and my number one squawk is that I have to turn the starter on twice to get the prop to turn. Same problem. My shop is going to clean the starter and see if that fixes the problem. If not, it’s time for a new Skytec light-weight starter.
Scott Sherer, Piper Owner Society Aviation Director
