Engine not starting, stuck 150nm away from base

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Lawson Laslo

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jan 18, 2019
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Hello
this morning I flew up to stearmans field near Wichita kansas
Engine ran great on way up, after eating lunch I started the engine and it ran for about 3 seconds then shutdown. started the engine many times with same results. I eventually got it started but it was running very rough.

Took it to the maintenance shop on the field and they adjusted the idle mixture. I could get the engine started but it ran very rough at 1500rpm and wouldnt make full power, and no rpm increase when pulling power.

we did finish the annual last week, all the did to engine was clean gasculator, time, remove 1 intake to replace motor mounts. we rechecked everything and all looked okay

last year i had a very similar issue with running rough at 1500rpm but leaning mixture would solve the issue, replaced the carb and solved the issue

anyone else experienced anything similar? or recommend what to start looking at? Mechanic will be flying up to kansas on friday

luckly the Ercoupe is in a hangar at stearman field
 
Is your primer fully locked in? I’ve seen it before where primer didn’t get locked back in after use and it’ll allow extra fuel to be pulled in, running extremely rich and terrible on the cylinders that have primer lines connected. It’s definitely something to check with very sudden change in behavior between starts.
 
Ryan Klems said:
Is your primer fully locked in? I’ve seen it before where primer didn’t get locked back in after use and it’ll allow extra fuel to be pulled in, running extremely rich and terrible on the cylinders that have primer lines connected. It’s definitely something to check with very sudden change in behavior between starts.
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I did check the primer, but that is good info to know
 
Hard starting hot seems to be Coils.

Possibly capacitor,
 
pmanton said:
Turn the prop over by hand to see if there's a soft cylinder. Morning sickness from a stuck valve can happen that way.
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That would be my guess.. It happened to me twice. The engine shaking from losing one cylinder is eye opening, glad it happened on the ground and not in the air!
 
Stewartb said:
On an engine that was running well an hour or two prior? I’d suspect a fuel problem.
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You’re forgetting how abruptly an ignition problem can arise.

How much time on the mags and when were they last serviced?
 
ordered replacement carb, will let yall know if that fixes it
 
Lawson Laslo said:
ordered replacement carb, will let yall know if that fixes it
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I wish mechanics had stronger troubleshooting skills. If this fixes it, you got lucky. If it doesn't, what's next? New mags and harnesses? And in the end they'll finally find the sticking valve or slipped intake tube boot or something like that.
 
Dan Thomas said:
I wish mechanics had stronger troubleshooting skills. If this fixes it, you got lucky. If it doesn't, what's next? New mags and harnesses? And in the end they'll finally find the sticking valve or slipped intake tube boot or something like that.
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We verified all the intake boots where correct and tight, mags overhauled less than 200 hours ago last year, new ignition harness last year. Theres no clog in the fuel line or gasculator. Carburator is still under warranty from last year.
 
Lawson Laslo said:
We verified all the intake boots where correct and tight, mags overhauled less than 200 hours ago last year, new ignition harness last year. Theres no clog in the fuel line or gasculator. Carburator is still under warranty from last year.
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Did you try the mags when you were running it? A rogue mag, firing at the wrong time, can cause serious issues. Those plastic distributor gears do fail, and Slick has had trouble with them in several ways.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Did you try the mags when you were running it? A rogue mag, firing at the wrong time, can cause serious issues. Those plastic distributor gears do fail, and Slick has had trouble with them in several ways.
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Took the old carb off Friday, the mixture lever would not fully go from stop to stop without holding it, seems as if it’s jamming internally. Heading up to Wichita right now to put new carb on, will let y’all know if it’s the issue
 
Lawson Laslo said:
Took the old carb off Friday, the mixture lever would not fully go from stop to stop without holding it, seems as if it’s jamming internally. Heading up to Wichita right now to put new carb on, will let y’all know if it’s the issue
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Sounds like a problem alright. Needs fixing in any case.
 
Be nice to know what was found inside the old carb. Bit of gasket material or (oh, boy) silicone sealant stuck in the mixture control valve?
 
Excellent. Good outcome. I too would like to know what was the issue with the previous carb.
 
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