C172 Start Procedure

[ColSig]

Hi All,

It might just be my pensioner brain, but I am completely unable to start the C-172. All I manage to do is to flatten the battery. Any help gratefully received.

[Piper_EEWL]

Hi,

And welcome to the community. First question would be if you ran the latest updater? The updater can be found here and yes you'll have to run it even if you just downloaded the plane:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... 24&t=41279

Next up. Is everything ok in the walkaround? Oil? Fuel?

Are you following the procedure from the manual?
Is the fuel shutoff valve open? (It's next to the fuel tank selector below the trim wheel)
Did you prime the engine correctly?

And finally what's the ambient temperature?

I know it's a lot of questions but it could be a variety of things why the Skyhawk doesn't fire. But don't worry. You'll get there!

Take care.

[Lewis - A2A]

^ i'd repeat Piper too, to make sure your all updated software wise + that the aircraft is fit for flight prior to starting.

thanks,
Lewis

[ColSig]

Many thanks for all your help. The software is fully up to date and, when all else fails, read the manual. The aircraft starts and behaves as advertised and flies beautifully.

[Lewis - A2A]

Good to hear, happy flying!

thanks,
Lewis

[Piper_EEWL]

I'm glad we could be of help. Enjoy flying the C172!


Take care

[Styggron]

Hi All,

It might just be my pensioner brain, but I am completely unable to start the C-172. All I manage to do is to flatten the battery. Any help gratefully received.

Hello ColSig,
I am new to Acu Sim/A2A too (4 days in), I had the same problem. I followed the manuals checklists though and could never start it. I tried auto start fora while which is in one of the A2A menus with the shift key. Yesterday though I thought to myself "NO ! *I* want to start it".

So I did the checklist and had to try several times. I don't think I was quite getting the mixture correct. I just had to prime the engine several times. I think A2A have said all planes are different, maybe my one is just a little tricky to start when cold. I can't tell. you how happy I was when I heard that engine fire up though. Oddly the process was not frustrating at all, it was FUN. I have now learned a lot more about using the mixture control where previously in FSX normal, I never touched it.

Glad things are working for you. I hope your starting is easier now. I'm about to try to fire it up again. Being in the southern hemisphere, all the seasons are wrong in FSX so I can pick November which is spring here but FSX insists on cold weather, oh well.

Safe Flying

[Oracle427]

Yesterday (RL) I flew a carburetor equipped 172N that is primed just like the Cherokee with the little hand pump in the panel.

She never gives me any trouble to start, but for some odd reason she backfired really loudly right before starting. That's just the way it is sometimes. We are doing the tasks that modern computer controlled ignition systems perform. I probably added a little too much fuel when priming yesterday.

The fuel injected ones are always a tiny bit more work to start IMHO because you need that extra hand motion to jam the mixture in. I bet most people feel uncomfortable moving that control forward so quickly since most of the time in aircraft nothing is meant to be moved quickly.

If anyone looks at old cars from the 30s this procedure isn't all that different.

[Styggron]

I'll keep at it but my C172 always takes 4-5 primes before the engine catches.

[jsbrewster1]

Be careful about over-priming, that was my issue initially with the A2A 172. I thought I needed to keep priming when a single 3-second or so push is plenty. A better more thorough explanation is in another thread about starting the engine. What I'll do now, is prime, then ignition. If it doesn't catch on the first try (about half the time), then hit the ignition again while increasing the throttle, and usually that will do the trick, maybe goose the mixture while I'm doing that to jump it a little. Also, though it doesn't have it in the A2A checklist, I use another checklist that keeps the fuel pump activated until engine start is complete, that seems to help as well.

I love learning all the new things about the A2A 172, and I'm having a blast flying it. Currently in Australia on a trip around the world in my N9KTY (custom Hello Kitty paint job found in these forums as well).

[AKar]

The thing with injected Lycomings (the Bendix RSA injector) is that while they maybe are a bit difficult to gasp at first if you don't know the idea behind the servo unit, they can be started with extremely repeatable results with no tricks whatsoever in almost every conditions when one gets the basic routine. That can't be said of carburetted engines or of some fuel injected Continentals: they may take some tricks or black magic to prime properly or to start up in various conditions.

-Esa

[Piper_EEWL]

That can't be said of carburetted engines...

I can confirm that. In RL I fly a Grob 115B with a Lycoming O-320. If its cold it requires 5 priming strokes with the throttle to start. If the engine is warm you better don't dare to move that throttle at all. Just put the mixture to rich and turn the starter. And even then it sometimes doesn't catch. If you pump just once it'll be flooded.

Then we also have a Robin DR400 (absolutely lovely) with a Lycoming O-360. It always requires 3-5 priming strokes with the throttle. It doesn't matter if its freezing in the winter or if you just took a flight in the summer and the engine is hot. And it always fires immediately.

It just amazes me how the two carburetted engines can behave so differently.

[Styggron]

Be careful about over-priming, that was my issue initially with the A2A 172. I thought I needed to keep priming when a single 3-second or so push is plenty. A better more thorough explanation is in another thread about starting the engine. What I'll do now, is prime, then ignition. If it doesn't catch on the first try (about half the time), then hit the ignition again while increasing the throttle, and usually that will do the trick, maybe goose the mixture while I'm doing that to jump it a little. Also, though it doesn't have it in the A2A checklist, I use another checklist that keeps the fuel pump activated until engine start is complete, that seems to help as well.

I love learning all the new things about the A2A 172, and I'm having a blast flying it. Currently in Australia on a trip around the world in my N9KTY (custom Hello Kitty paint job found in these forums as well).

Thank you for your reply jsbrewster1
Hmmmm ok. So I should never prime more than once then ?
I tried that before though. I primed once 4-5 seconds. Turned the key and after 5-6 tries nothing still. So I prime again and after so many it eventually starts. I tried following the checklist to the letter but after 5-6 turns it does not start so I just primed over.

Should I try to start with the fuel pump on as you suggested ? Can we add our own content to the checklists at all is there a custom checklist ? You said you use a different one.

Also I have seen people "pump" ie move in and out the mixture setting while the fuel pump is on.

In the meantime I shall search to see if I can find the more comprehensive starting thread you mentioned.
Thank you again for your kind assistance and patience

[Piper_EEWL]

Here's a link to a thread with a video by Cessna on how to prime the Lycoming IO engines in Cessna aircraft correctly:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... t=+Priming

There's another thread here that discusses a lot of how to get the engine started:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... it=Priming

And another one:

http://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtop ... t=+Priming

You see this has been discussed extensively

[TBryson2]

In real life, and with my A2A Cessna, I find it easier to have mixture full, (all the way in), master switch on, fuel pump on just until you get a movement in the flow gauge, (it will move just a tiny bit), fuel pump off. Now mixture full lean, throttle in 1/3(?) or so, crank engine until she catches, (you WILL have to pay attention), then full mixture. Works every time!

TB2