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new ignition?

Old 08-12-2007, 02:41 AM
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Holton50
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Default new ignition?

so ran my da 50 today.. second flight, had a dead stick landing. then i tried to restart i could not re start the engine. i had fuel going to the engine, battery's were fine.... the engine would not even pop. the engine has always been kinda hard to start. it only has maybe 15 flights on it. before i took of on the second flight the engine didn't sound perfect, thought it was good enough to fly though. how can i tell if i need a new ignition.. or is that it???
any help would be greatly appreciated--
thanks-
Old 08-12-2007, 04:03 AM
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pe reivers
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Default RE: new ignition?

Put a spark plug in the ignition cap, and whilst maintaining good contact between plug body and engine mass, check if the ignition will spark. If not, you will have to check all electrical connections first. If all looks good, you may need to replace the ignition.
Old 08-12-2007, 06:05 AM
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mfuess
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Default RE: new ignition?

DA Ignitions do not have a history of going out. I would check your connections by un-plugging each one, then re-connect. Check your battery for charge buy putting a 1 AMP load on it. If all checks out, then insert a spark plug in your cap and check it for spark. You have to rotate the magnet rapidly back & forth through the sensor. DA Ignitions are setup to NOT fire when the magnet passes slowly, to prevent accidental ignition. Even if you dont's see a spark, listen to it to see if you "hear" it spark.

The most common problem encountered is that the sparkplug cap is very tight and you MUST have it pushied all the way down on the sparkplug. I've seen this way too many times! Make sure the cap is ALL THE WAY DOWN!
Old 08-12-2007, 07:20 AM
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Default RE: new ignition?

I had trouble with my DA 50R wouldn't start - run.
Sent the ignition modual in, DA found a small hole (like a pin hole) in the silicone insert inside of the spark plug cap.
They replaced it for me, said it may have been caused by pushing the cap on to harde.
Old 08-12-2007, 02:35 PM
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mstroh3961
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Default RE: new ignition?

One thing to check is the Anderson Power pole connector, red and black connector suppled with the engine for the battery lead. They have a history of the wire braking inside the plastic housing, where the contact is attached.
Old 08-13-2007, 01:05 AM
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Holton50
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Default RE: new ignition?

do you guys think my engine going out could be because its too rich/lean? keep in mind that after this dead stick landing i could not restart... also i have a fiber optical kill switch on it. when its lit a lil red led should come on, and i really didn't see it at the Field. how would i go about testing that system out? would the kill switch system not engage if my ignition isn't working?
Old 08-13-2007, 09:53 AM
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Default RE: new ignition?

Just bypass the optical kill switch in the circuit and do a spark plug test to see if there is a spark at the plug. Once turned on the fiber optic switch should light up. If not, it's a strong possibility that it's on the bum.

Karol
Old 08-13-2007, 01:06 PM
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Holton50
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Default RE: new ignition?

ok well after further inspection i found that that wire mesh is fryed up just before the boot. im pretty sure that this is the problem... sound right??
Old 08-13-2007, 03:52 PM
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pe reivers
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Default RE: new ignition?

that mesh is the current return path. You will be lucky if the ignition survived that!
Old 08-13-2007, 08:07 PM
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mstroh3961
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Default RE: new ignition?

Im with PE Reivers, send it to DA for testing! Any idea how it got fryed? pictures of the install may be helpful. Any contact with a cowl edge is death for spark leads.
Old 08-17-2007, 01:58 PM
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Holton50
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Default RE: new ignition?

well i had that twisty automotive wire cover over the wire mesh. at the very end of the protective automotive wire cover it came to a point.... and slowly worked its way through the wire mesh. it was all messed up right before the boot. i sent it to DA a few days ago. hopefully that was my problem. cant see it being anything else.
Old 08-17-2007, 03:53 PM
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3d-aholic
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Default RE: new ignition?

What kind of battery are you using for an ignition? Is it a LiOn by chance?

Your story sounds almost exactly like my friends with his DA. He actually bought a brand new ignition from DA and the same thing happened the next weekend. It eventually turned out to be his battery....thats why I asked.

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