The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Dan,
If you haven't already, check the starter pull cable for proper clearance on the solenoid button. Seems like it's making contact before the clutch gear is fully engaged. Or maybe just a little too close.

Dan, I think you need to adjust your starter engagement/switch engagement. Your starter should not be turned on till the starter teeth are engaged in the flywheel.

Here's the Niagara instructions to adjust the pull cable:
4.3 Install the starter motor. Turn the starter clutch and push it in by hand so as to butt the pinion gear
against the face of the crankshaft gear. Release the starter clutch and make sure that there is at least
1/8” clearance between the starter clutch pinion gear and the crankshaft gear.
4.4 Pull the pivot lever toward the switch and turn the crankshaft until the starter clutch pinion engages
with the crankshaft gear. Pull the upper end of the pivot lever rearward as far as possible. Attempt to
push the starter clutch further into the accessory case. If the clutch cannot be moved inward, loosen the
lock nut and turn the adjusting bolt to obtain 1/16” clearance. (The lock nut may be repositioned to the
other side of the lever if required.)
4.5 Check to ensure that the pull cable return spring has sufficient tension to return the pivot lever to its
fully released position. It is also necessary that there be a minimum of 1/16” clearance between the
starter clutch shaft and the pivot lever when the cable is released (see figure 1).
4.6 Operate the pivot lever control and measure pinion travel. Travel should be a minimum of ½” and a
maximum of 9/16”. The movement can be measured on the visible part of the starter clutch as shown in
figure 1. Adjustment is made by loosening the lock nut and turning the adjusting bolt.
4.7 Operate the cable mechanism. It is very important that the pivot lever moves the starter clutch 7/16”
BEFORE the adjusting bolt contacts the starter switch. The remaining 1/8” to 3/16” of travel will be used
up in making the electrical contact of the starter switch.
4.8 It is important that the clutch actuating lever is correctly adjusted after the clutch is installed (as per
original instructions and service bulletins). Failure to do so may result in the starter motor turning the
clutch before it is engaged with the crankshaft gear. This would result in failure to start and gear damage
inside the engine.
VERY IMPORTANT – Be absolutely certain that the clutch is set up to become fully engaged into
the crankshaft gear BEFORE the electrical connection is made to the starter motor.

In regard to the idea of substitution of non-aviation batteries in aircraft, I feel I must offer a caution against that particular practice.
Aircraft operations subject a battery to operational hazards to which ordinary vehicle batteries are not designed. Aircraft undergo more rapid and more frequent changes in atmospheric pressures which subject their casings and vents to stresses for which common batteries are not designed. Even more importantly, common automotive/marine/tractor batteries do not usually insulate their plates with permeable mats as aircraft batteries do. Vibration, shock, rough-field and hard-landing operations, and large static-pressure-changes, can cause charge-plate warpage which can result in internal contact and shorting of plates.
While such an event occuring on the ground or on the water might pose a serious fire and loss of the vehicle.... the identical problem in the air would likely be much more serious and likely to result in fatalities.
While I certainly respect the desire to save a little money on parts, the saving of $50-$75 over the period of a couple of years is a very foolhardy matter, in my honest opinion.... It will only result in a few pennies of so-called "savings" per flight hour and It is illegal at the least and foolish at best.
Do not use unapproved batteries in aircraft. Save your money in other ways.

Geoge is certainly correct. Installation of garden tractor battery in my airplane made a much smoother pilot out of me.

P.S Actually, I was pretty damned smooth already.

P.P.S. I know this because I woke up one morning in a strange hotel in washington D.C. and she said to me, "You know, for a pilot, you're one smooth SOB."

Ha! That's funny.

I'm not picking on you ...OR Ol' Gar, Dick. But... being as smooth as you are will not help you fight a fire while airborne. (and I simply couldn't let the recommendation offered sit without pointing out the not-so-obvious differences between the battery types.)

I just looked up "gahorn" in the dictionary and here's what I found:

"Knowledgeable being capable of keeping all his ducks in a row with a big stick"



But he is right about certified parts in aircraft. No dispute!
Cut your corners elsewhere.

(PS, I've been doping fabric on my Champ, and I think the nitrate is kicking in )

Is the starter set up correctly? If it is, the starter motor cannot start turning before the gear teeth are engaged. If the motor starts before the gears engage, you're going to end up with metal bits from the gear in your oil screen, and maybe have to replace the clutch assembly on your starter, or worse. If the gear inside the engine is damaged, you've got a bigger problem.

And heres the Cessna Service Manual instructions on how to adjust the starter cable:

Most people that have a bench grinder also have one of these around. $15-$20 cost and if you ever have been around when a battery explodes while hooking up to a charger,tender or jumper cables ........

W.

Thank all of you with your input. After considering all of your 170 wisdom, I went for the one way no one talked about, try and re-condition the battery. Something new to me. The suggestion came from my electrical wiz buddy. After removing the battery, there was a date of 12/07/07...only two years old! I bought one of those new $60 battery chargers at the big box stores. It does about anything you can think of including charge. I chose the 24hr recondition program. Long story short...the plane starts like having a new battery. Yea, time will tell if I have success. By the way, I did this to my camper battery and it is up to standards now. If all continues to work, the investment in a new charger saved about $300!

I'm still undecided on how to warm the old bird when it is below 20 degrees F. I'm enjoying the link on that subject on this site.

This site is the best deal for the membership. Don't hesitate to join!

Keep 'em flying1
J. Edmund