Ok guys, I need some help. I have a taurus 3.2 engine. Two weeks ago I started the engine and everything went fine. Today I went out to fly and the engine started fine. I let it warm up and then opened the throtle to full power...again everything fine. Then I taxied to the runway and made my flight check by again running up the engine to full power. This time the engine started missing bad and would not reach full power. some backfire and then it quit. I started it a few more time with the same results. MISSING when I advanced the throtle. I have checked everything. Low and High needle setting (open 1turn on low and 1 1/4 on high. The plug is very black and wet (new Plug)....PLEASE HELP.....

A VERY BLACK plug is good signs of fouling......You want to run the engine so that the plug turns TAN...a LITTLE black is ok for a new engine, but you do not want to run it like that for long

How about the battery and the power supply system to the ignition? Did you check the battery voltage under load? Based on your findings this is the most likely cause of your problems, IMO.. Is this a new battery, was it cycled and load tested?

It maybe possible the timing ring on the hub has managed to move. Let me know if you need help with ascertaining if the ring has moved.

Make sure to charge your ignition battery. A low battery charge will make the engine miss when you increase rpm as the current demand goes up and the battery runs out of juice. Man you're fast Michael.

Do you mean that its running too rich......should I get a new plug.

Ken

Thanks, I need help to determine if the ring has moved.

Ken

YES.....Throw a plug in it to quickly eliminate whether or not that is it.......if it is VERY BLACK, then that could very well be the whole problem.....let us know how it turns out.

BTW, I would always keep at LEAST one new spare plug.....it would be a shame for something as little as a plug to keep you from flying for a couple of days

I will pick up a new plug tomorrow and start the motor. Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for the help.

Ken

I agree-- check the battery first, but I think you will find out that it is the ignition. (I think the black, wet plug comes from no spark while the engine is turning over). Bill got some bad CH systems a while back. (How do I know??? I ended up with 2 of them)

How do I check the ignition??? to determine if thats the problem.

Ken

I'm using a 1100 mah pack and the voltage with a volt meter is 5.12. I'm not sure if the volt meter is putting enough load on the battery.

Ken

That sounds like enough battery. The way I checked mine-- I swapped it out with another. I would remove the module and mail it back to Bill at CH-A bubble wrap envelove from the USPS is less than $2 shipped.(I would call CH first and explain) He normally has a quick turn around. Please let me know what you find. BTW-- the ground wire has not come loose, has it?

The ground wire is ok...wraped around the plug and secured with a hose clamp. I will put in a new plug tomorrow, try that and if it still misses I will send the ignition back to bill to check out. I will let you know what is wrong.....


Ken

I just checke the battery and its 5.17 volts...I also checked the voltage at the dean connection and its only 4.94. Is 4.94 enough to fire the plug when the throtle is advanced.

Ken

I would not fly it at 4.9 volts. The vast majority of ignition problems come from a low battery. Generally (from my experience) at least 5.1 is as low as I will chance it. Give it a fresh charge and see what happens-- got nothing to lose.

Plenty....Sometimes too much advance will cause backfiring...If it seems to kick back when starting the timing could have changed.......

Four or five cell pack? Is the battery freshly charged and KNOWN to be a good battery?

How did you load the battery with your meter? Do you have a volt meter or a loaded volt meter specifically designed to evaluate a batteries charge?

Simply because your battery reads voltage does NOT mean its fully charged or providing current under load... Check the battery.

If you are looking for a sparkplug make sure you obtain an exact plug replacement or cross over... I don't recommend useing a non-resistor plug. I doubt you've run the engine long enough to harm the plug. It maybe dirty and or partially fouled from the weak spark at rpm, improper needle setting or timing related problems...

Where are your needles at now?

If the engine starts easily and such its unlikely the timing ring has moved.

Most likely the problem is the battery, then the ignition module based on your information.

It didn't kick back when starting. Actually it started very easy. The problem develops when I advance the throtle....around 1/4 to 1/2 throtle it starts to miss and if I leave it at that speed, it will backfire and then quit. I can pull the throtle back and it idles just fine around 2000 rpms.

Ken

four cell pack, 1100 mah. double A size. I'm going to put a good charge on the battery tonight and see what happens. My tester is a Sperry digital Multimeter. I really don't know if it loads the battery when testing. I will replace the plug with the same Champion RCJ7Y plug. The needles are set///low 1 turn out......high 1/14 out.

Ken

Ken, meeksman as in Meeks Building materials???

Your Sperry DVM is not a loaded ESC meter. These devices are able to place a fixed load on the battery while checking its voltage, typically the loads are .25/250mA, .5/500mA, 1.0A and 1.5A dependent on the specific meter.

A four cell battery at 5.17V does not sound to far off, BUT as I mentioned your reading the voltage without a load, so its static voltage and this is of little value when attempting to evaluate the batteries condition.

C&H Ignitions can draw as much a 8.0 amps peak when charging the coil according to the engineer that designed it... So the question is will your battery provide at least 4.8 volts under a one amp load or better???

Sounds like the carb is not adjusted..Have you tried opening the needles farther ?

I did try to adjust the carb setting but without success. If battery charge doesn't work, then will send ignition to Bob.

Ken

Yep,,,as in Meeks Building supply...where can I get a good ESV...

KEN

Head to the hobby shop. Pick up either a Hanger 9 or Hobbico digital ESV that places at least a 250 milliamp load on the battery. A little larger load would be better.