-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Patillo [mailto:logistics_engineering@...]
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 9:24 PM
To: Q-LIST@...
Subject: [Q-LIST] Re: Broken Skytech pinion tooth (Q200)




Kevin,

1. Thank Rich for all his help, send it back and try to get a refund.
Don't waste your time trying to make another Skytec work. I tried
that three times.
2. Buy a B&C, have Bruce Bainbridge upgrade the motor to a 320, no
charge(better for high compression)and install it.
3. Go fly!

The B&C starter has worked perfectly since the install. The
modification to the mag box was simple and the motor mount only
needed to have one corner cut off the pad. About 10 hours work, start
to stop.

As I've said before the B&C starter takes much less power to run it.
Hopefully I've put the starter issue behind me. You can do the same.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I do understand!


Regards,
Jim P

--- In Q-LIST@..., "Kevin Fortin" <kfortin@p...> wrote:

Brad Olsen and guys,



First off, my apologies to Brad Olsen for not responding to an

offline email

he sent me regarding the following subject. My email was filtering

emails

without attachments and I didn't realize it.



I am responding to his email on list because I think it is of

interest to

many regarding Skytech starters.



Background: I ordered a Skytech starter on the basis of what

Skytech

told me and after discussing what seemed to be the problem with Jim
Patillo's starter aka. "electronic ignition induced kickback". Upon
receiving the new starter I installed it and it seemed to work

well, but had

more of a "grinding" sound in operation than I would have liked.

After a 10

MAXIMUM total starts, in a hurry to get the airplane to an avionics

shop

(onfield), I forgot to turn on the fuel, and, after a very short

taxi, the

obvious happened, I ran out of gas. Duh!!! I turned the gas valve

on,

waited about a minute, then tried starting again. The prop turned

for

somewhere between 6 to 10 seconds before the engine caught and I

taxied on

my merry way. A couple of days later, I picked the airplane up,

jumped in to

start it, and was met with what seemed to be the grinding sound of

gears

with missing teeth (the engine did start, however).



The following weekend I pulled the engine and the starter only to

find a

tooth missing from the Skytech starters drive pinion gear. That was

the bad

news. The good news, I was able to find the tooth. (I thank the Q

god's for

that one.)



On the following Monday, I called Skytech and explained the problem

and they

did all they could to help. I can't complain about their customer

service.

At this point, I have received a replacement starter (new) from

Skytech, but

as of yet, I have not installed it. All my mental alarms are going

off

related to something that can throw of a piece off big enough that

it could

gum up my engine (read off field landing and/or a damaged engine)

or at the

least break off a tooth on the crankshaft gear, which at the least,

is going

to be damn expensive.



Relevant info 1. As far as I know I did not have a

kickback.

2. I was starting on left mag only

3. I believe the real problem is Skytech's

control of the

centerline distance of the pinion/crankshaft gear set. In an effort

to

loosen the tolerances in the manufacture of the starter, Skytech

has allowed

the pinion to get too far away from the main gear on the

crankshaft. This

results in an incredible force trying to separate the gears. This

force than

further deflects the shaft that holds the pinion, which leads to

even higher

forces on the gears, then ultimately to a broken tooth.

4. I am going to try to get some measurements on

the

centerline distances this weekend and I will let you guys know what

I find.

5. Item 3 is only conjecture at this point.

Please take it

as so.

6. I have high compression pistons, but I don't

know the

ratio.

7. I usually don't write well and tonight is even

worse.

If anyone has a better starting system idea, let me know. I am not

feeling

to good with this right now.



Kevin Fortin

N275CH

Except for the starter, damn close to flyin'

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http://www.quickiebuilders.org


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