Al Downs Posted May 11, 2018 Report Share Posted May 11, 2018 I recently discovered that all four of our CTLS had soft start on them but none of them were hooked up. I don't know why they came that way new but we now have them wired up. How was this discovered? Well one was having some starting problems and in the process we found that soft start was not wired. This is a 2010. We then checked the other 3 and none were wired. They are now. These 3 are 2008 and 2009. As for the starting problem, well not so good. Tried everything and decided the sprage clutch was the problem. Pulled the engine and sent to Leading Edge. Yep clutch was bad but there was now so much damage it was not economical to repair. Time for a new engine. Only 2805 hours. Ran good with excellent compression, just had starting issues. Lots of spare parts now. Might be a good idea to check and see if your soft start is wired in before damage occurs. Easy to tell if it is working because when starting and at idle the engine will start at around 1600 rpm and after 5-10 seconds it will jump to about 1800 rpm without touching the throttle. If it does not increase rpm then your soft start if installed is not wired in. The recent increase in price for the new motor brings it to almost $20,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 Soft start doesn't really prevent the damage that is caused by poor starting practice. When starting, use a strong battery. Do not stop cranking (on a normal start) until well after the engine has stabilized! In addition, when doing compression checks, slowly increase the pressure. You do not want it to rotate bavkwards! Finally, if you are having issues with starting, and hear it clunking hard or the prop suddenly stops or kicks backwards, STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING! You're damaging it! It's a classic sign of a failing sprag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 I agree. Not using the soft start feature should not have damaged the engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Downs Posted May 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 I agree also. It does not damage the engine but it does damage the sprag clutch. It is expensive to do the repair and I don't think it is worth sticking the money into the engine at 2800 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Lee Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 It shouldn't damage the sprag either. Without soft start it should start normally. Sprag's are usually damaged by kickback or poor starting technique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WmInce Posted May 13, 2018 Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 5 hours ago, Roger Lee said: . . . . . Sprag's are usually damaged by kickback or poor starting technique. And those tips on good starting technique are what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted May 13, 2018 Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 Strong battery, and stay on that cranking until the engine is stabilized. Habits of letting go after the first kick is not what you want to do, you should keep on the cranking until the engine is well into carrying itself. Heat during the winter as to make starting easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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