Cold Weather Starts

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Colin
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Cold Weather Starts

Post by Colin »

There have been only two times that I have started my 2.0 engines when the weather is less than 50F. Both times I did a double-glow-plug cycle (taught to me by the ferry pilot) and the crank time was still long enough that it *felt* super low (less than a ten count), and long enough to trigger ECU failure warnings. But they did start up, ran fine, and flew me home.

Should I do four glow plug cycles instead? What do owners tend to do in cold weather? Cary must have run into this...
Colin Summers, PP Multi-Engine IFR, ~3,000hrs
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N972RD DA42 G1000 2.0 s/n 42.AC100 (sold!)
N971RD DA40 G1000 s/n 40.508 (traded)
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CFIDave
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Re: Cold Weather Starts

Post by CFIDave »

I've started multiple owner DA42 TDI-engined aircraft in the winter when it's been below freezing, and never considered doing a double-glow-plug cycle, let alone FOUR glow plug cycles. In my experience, Thielert engines always started up within just a few (not 10) seconds of cranking, and I don't recall getting ECU failure warnings while cranking.

BTW, Austro engines consistently start up even more quickly, always within 1 second of turning the key -- or pushing the start button on a DA62 -- regardless of temperatures. (I admit that I've never tried starting at -30C where the manual suggests a double glow plug cycle may be needed. Brrrrrr......)
Epic Aircraft E1000 GX
Former DA40XLS, DA42-VI, and DA62 owner
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