So it appears I made the cold weather bonehead move for my 182 N. I guess I had too much primer with a couple of attempted starts after having the dragon blowing on the engine. Well it finally fired up and started running. But a couple of pops backfire it cut out. The. After a couple of seconds smoke started coming from out of the cowling but subsided. Had everything and passenger stand away from the plane and had the fire extinguisher is sight. The smoke finally settled out. So I know that I caused a fire in the carb. We took the top cowl off and started looking around and didn't see anything that jumped out as damaged except some soot on the bottom of the lower cowl. So what should we look for next? Is this something needing repair or rebuild of the carb? If I get the plane out tomorrow get it started and run it up, is everything good?
Carb flames.
- Thread starter TommyG
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Joshuajayg
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If I was in your position, I'd probably have a mechanic look over it. There is a very slight chance you damaged the throttle plate. Wires, scat hose, oil lines, and zip ties/tie cord are the common things to get singed in a carb fire. Shouldn't take but 5 minutes for someone to look over it if you take the cowling off for them.
GlennAB1
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Is that standard practice for an induction fire, stand there and watch the airplane burn?
Joshuajayg
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Stewartb
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If you get a backfire and subsequent induction fire? Keep cranking it!!!
When you say primed, did you use the actual primer or did you pump the throttle?
When you say primed, did you use the actual primer or did you pump the throttle?
mscard88
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Emergency section of a POH.... you'd think pilots would review that section once in awhile.
Dan Thomas
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Fire can damage the induction filter, and then it comes apart and pieces of it could get sucked into the carb and choke it. Better get a mechanic to check it out.
Starting, especially in the cold, takes extra care. Don't prime until immediately before cranking the engine, or the prime will just run down the intake runners and into the airbox, and a backfire (which is a sign of lean mixture) will set it afire. In cold weather the fuel doesn't want to vaporize too much, hence the lean mix, so cranking immediately immediately after prime will use the heat of compression to vaporize it and reduce the chance of backfire.
Starting, especially in the cold, takes extra care. Don't prime until immediately before cranking the engine, or the prime will just run down the intake runners and into the airbox, and a backfire (which is a sign of lean mixture) will set it afire. In cold weather the fuel doesn't want to vaporize too much, hence the lean mix, so cranking immediately immediately after prime will use the heat of compression to vaporize it and reduce the chance of backfire.
Tom-D
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Once the fire is out of the induction system. cranking the engine will not suck the flames in. once the fire is out in the cowl that aircraft belongs to the insurance company, all you can do is get your pax out of it safely. then hope it goes out. with help or not.
there is only one way to start any induction fire. do you how that occurs ?
Tom-D
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BACK FIRE??
PaulS
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GlennAB1
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How about back-fire...
Or did you confuse backfire and afterfire?
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George Mohr
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Well, I can say for certain that if I see smoke coming from my cowl, the very last thing on my mind will be busting out a POH procedure for "continued cranking". My very first concern will be for my passenger's safety and my own backside. After that I'll grab an extinguisher and see what I can do to limit the damage.
GlennAB1
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That's **** you shouldn't have to bust out the manual for... If an engine pops and quits you crank the **** out of it and hope to not see flames coming out of the cowl.
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe
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Light and Sporty Guy
I thought it was supposed to be "Potatoe Flames" (or something like that).
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George Mohr
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Tom-D
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That was the question, did he know what he had?
There is a huge difference between a engine compartment fire and an induction fire.
Fires occurring on start could be either.
I wish there was data on how many engine compartment fires were started by too much primmer fuel ignited by a bad ignition system.
Tom-D
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The 1 engine compartment fire that I saw destroy the aircraft was a PA-28-140, It had a leaking fuel pump, and not a good engine to airframe ground, when the starter was engaged it looked for a ground, which turn the mixture cable red hot and then woof. the fuel pump was still supplying a good fuel as every one bailed with the master still on.
I hear you, just sayin... smoke from cowl = this guy ejects from the machineymmv
I was already out of the plane when I saw the smoke. So you are saying with smoke and possible fire you would jump back in??????
I have seen where fire could spread pretty quickly. But you just go ahead and jump back in. Plane is insured. I'm not.