In a message dated 11/26/2003 5:09:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, eanderson@carolina.rr.com writes:
Hi Guys,
>
> I tried to fire up my plane a couple days ago while it was a lovely -16C
> (4F) outside and it would not light up. I bought a can a lubricated ether
> starting fluid and a 2 second squirt of that before trying to start it
> solved the problem. If you are going to try this look for lubricated
> starting fluid as I've read straight ether is very dry.
>
> ....still waiting for flight authority
>
> Perry Casson - Glastar/13B
Never use ether in a spark ignition engine. It conducts electricity, so it shorts out the plugs, and makes starting problematic. It washes away lubricant film, so compression goes down and starting becomes more difficult. Also, if you don't get it started, it will rust shut in a few days. This is not a big deal in a piston engine, but a rotary is open to the outside all of the time through the exhaust port. A slight rust film in the apex seal grooves will stick the seals at the deepest point in the rotation, and then you will need to do some work to get it going again.
Mazdas used to have a bottle of antifreeze on the firewall. In cold weather some antifreeze is squirted into the carb while cranking. This was to keep frost from gluing the seals in the grooves and preventing the start. Like an airplane, this seldom happens when it is really cold, because most of the water is on the ground, But in cool high humidity situations you get carb ice and rotaries that won't start. Tip number 87. Plug the exhaust pipe after it cools down a bit. This makes starting much easier in cold weather.
My first rotary racer was an RX-2. The engine was junk and I put it back together with the same junk seals that were in it when it was gifted to me. It was carboned up and it would not run. The only way to start it was to drag it behind my van on a rope in 2nd gear. Once it got some heat in it everything was fine. But it has to start on the starter in order to race it, so I ended up pouring 1/2 cup of hot coffee and 1/2 cup of hot motor oil into each carb throat. It started instantly. It makes quit a bit of white smoke also.
Since then the lowest I have stooped, is to give one a stream of WD-40 into the carb. Never a problem. If it has a timed spark and the starter will turn it at all, it will start and run on WD-40 no matter what is wrong with it. The combustion chamber is so big that the fuel will not vaporize. Compression is so low that there is little heat of compression to help you out.
All of this is reduced by using an MSD system, at the least on the leading side.
Anyway WD-40 is the answer. Another feature is that if you get a WD-40 fire going you can see it. Not the case with either. Also, WD-40 is a lubricant, (sort of), and you can buy WD-40 anywhere. Either is for diesels, WD-40 is for piston and rotary engines.
Lynn E. Hanover
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