Greetings folks,
Aside from the obvious issues with cold starting; oil viscosity, battery performance, etc, what is the issue with the Jabiru 2200 and cold temperatures? I ask because I attempted to start the engine this morning. The aircraft is kept in a hanger but it has been 24 F the last couple of nights (that's -4.4 C for you Celsius types 😉 ). It went up to 40F his morning (4.4 C). I tried starting and ended up with a discharged battery!
After charging the battery for the next 2 hours along with heating engine compartment with my official engine heater (a Monokote heat gun 😆), it started right up on the first crank! Also, I searched this topic and found the Admin posted an attached list of suggestions for cold starts but could not find it in the post.
I understand that converting one side to electronic ignition helps with cold starts. Has that worked well for others with this issue?
Thanks as always to all and enjoy the holiday season.
Cheers,
Alex R-
Hello,
There are 2 things that can cause difficulties starting jabiru engines in cold conditions. One is that when it is cold all those things you mention conspire to make the engine crank slower, and the jabiru coils don't spark below 300rpm. The other is that is the induction draws the fuel up to the cylinders. When it is cold the fuel can condense in the plenum and doesn't make it to the cylinder.
The cold start coils we supply assist because when active the cold start doesn't have a minimum rpm and also it is timed closer to top dead centre.
Another thing that can work is pouring hot water over the carburettor. This will help it vapourise the fuel. Avgas wouldn't help either. In cold conditions it might be helpful to run on fresh local premium mogas. It will have more volatile components for cold starting.
Thanks for the suggestion. It's been bloody cold here in the northeast US which makes this more relevant than ever. Are the cold start coils you mention the same as the cold start kit in process specification CS01-4?
I called Arion Aircraft, which is your American distributor of parts, and they said they no longer sell them because, "they didn't work." I hope I'm not starting something by this comment, just relaying what was said to me. Is there some truth to their statement? Is this still available and if so, would it be direct from Jabiru?
Rotec sells an electronic ignition kit for one side, leaving the other with the magneto. I assume this is similar? I would understand if you can't comment on a product not sold by Jabiru.
Again, I thank you for your help.
Alex - R
PS, One more thing. What about drilling the choke jet size to 1.2 mm if it's not to that size?
Hello Alex,
You can try drilling out the choke jet to 1.2mm and see if it helps.
And yes it is the same cold start kit as in CS01.
Have no idea about the rotec system.
