Teledyne ~ontinentalMotors, Inc.

HOT STARTS
'Reprinted with Permission by the National Pilots Association"
"Hot Starts" -- Remember that phrase? It used to fl
be quite common and to most mechanics and pilots it
was, or perhaps still is, synonymous with the gas
turbine engine. In recent years, it has spilled over
into some of the reciprocating power plants that
power the general aviation fleet. However, the
meaning is quite different when applied to modem
reciprocating engines and implies difficulty in
starting the power plant when it is hot or heat soaked '
from recent use.
This condition is primarily associated with fuel
injection engines and usually occurs only during hot
summer weather. This situation is further aggravated
by the fact that the pilot-owner of today does not
know nearly as m ~ c about
h his airplane and engine as Figure 1. Typical example of a tightly cowled engine in a well
his predecessor once did. There are many valid designed airframe.
reasons why he is not as knowledgeable, but the fact
Cooling of the engine depends on air being
remains; and this new breed of pilot-owner and the
forced into the cowling by the propeller during
machines he flies are steadily increasing in number
operation and the "ram" effect during flight. Figure 2
with each new day. So let's get acquainted with "hot
illustrates airflow during in-flight conditions on a
starts" as applied to fuel injection engines.
typical installation. Of course when the airplane is
Maybe you already own an aircraft powered on the ground and the engine is at rest, no cooling is
with a fuel injected engine and if so, you are aware of necessary. But! - things do get a bit warm inside the
the simplicity of its starting procedures. As a matter cowling immediately after shut-down. This
of fact, there isn't much difference in starting temperature rise results from the fact that the air
procedures between fuel injection and carburetor trapped inside the cowling is heated by residual
engines and both are quite simple under all normal engine heat.
conditions - although there are times during hot
summer temperatures and under certain conditions
when a fuel injected engine may not start as easy as
its carburetor-fed cousins. While this is no major
difficulty, it can be annoying.
There is a sound reason for this little annoyance
and once you understand what provokes it and how
your airplane is equipped to handle it, you'll know
exactly how to avoid it.
The engine in a modem airplane is closely
cowled to reduce airframe drag and subsequently
increase the overall efficiency. Consequently, there
is very little space inside the cowling and it is void of
any unnecessary openings. Figure 1 is typical of Figure 2. Notice how air entering the cowling opening in the front
such an installation. is forced around the cylinders by means of baffles and moves into
the lower cowling where it passes overboard through the mwl flap
openings. Cooling air also enters the accessory secbon rn
strategically located vents.
 Teledyne ~ o n t i k n t aMotors,
l Inc.

This condition can occur in nearly all modern All airplanes equipped with fuel injection have
airplanes, twins and single engine alike, and at least two fuel pumps, one engine-driven injector
especially so on those airplanes having no upper cowl pump and one electric "auxiliary" or "booster" pump.
openings. On a hot summer day it will take The injector pump can deliver fuel only when the
- -

approximately two or three hours for this trapped engine is running or being cranked. The electric
heat to dissipate appreciably. And here's where "hot auxiliary fuel pump can be operated anytime,
starts" get started. whether the engine is running or not.
What actually happens? Within ten to fifteen As its name implies, the auxpump serves a
minutes after shutdown in hot weather, the heated air variety of purposes, including the complete
inside the cowling heats the fuel in all of the lines and elimination of "hot start" situations.
fuel metering components located inside the cowling
The engine-driven injector pump differs
and forward of the firewall.
considerably from the -pump - used for carbureted
Under these conditions the liquid fuel begins to engines. On carburetor type engines the fuel pump
expand and vaporize. if the fuel selector valve is left usually serves one basic purpose: supplying fuel to
on (and normally it should be) the pressure from the the carburetor fiom the storage tanks in the airplane.
expanding fuel begins pushing the liquid fuel On an injection system the engine-driven pump
remaining in the lines back to the fuel tank from provides several functions. In addition to supplying
which it came. Figure 3 illustrates this condition. fuel, the injector pump also contains some of the
metering equipment and therefore provides some of
Very quickly most of the fuel in the lines and
the initial metering.
components inside the cowling will have turned into
vapor. If the fuel selector valve was turned off after
engine shutdown, the expanding vapors then force
METERING UNIT MIXTURE CONTROL
the liquid fuel and vapors through the fuel metering
equipment and into the engine's induction manifold,
eventually to escape into the atmosphere.

METERINO UNIT MIXTURE CONTROL

Figure 4. This illustration shows normal fuel flow when the

' engine is running. Note the return of excess fuel from the injector
pump and metering unit. This excess fuel returns to the tank from
which it came.
COWL FLAP -&,
All engine-driven fuel pumps must have the
capacity to provide more fuel than the engine can use,
Figure 3. A simplified, though typical diagram of the fuel even at full throttle. The automotive (diaphragm) type
supply system and its components forward of the firewall. Notice pump simply recirculates this excess delivery within its
how the heated air rises to the top of the cowling. All fuel lines are
shown in X-ray fashion to show what happens inside. Notice the
chambers. Since the injector pump operates at higher
puffs of vapor separating the liquid fuel and that expansion has pressures and delivery, it is provided with a return line
begun to force the fuel back to the full tank system. The injector pump also supplies more fuel to
the metering equipment than is needed. This excess
Since we prefer to keep the fuel for turning the fuel returns through the return system to the tank fi-om
propeller rather than permeating the atmosphere, it's which it came (see Figure 4).
better to leave the fuel selector on - this way the
vaporizing fuel pushes its way back to the tank from All injector pumps are fitted with a bypass valve
which it came. which allows the auxiliary pump to bypass the vane
portion of the pump and yet utilize the metering
 Teledyne Continental Motors, Inc.

section of the injector pump when the injector pump To "Fix" a Hot Engine
is inoperative. During normal operation the injector
Ready? Let's start a typical fuel-injected engine
pump draws fuel from the tanks, meters it to some
that's been shutdown for approximately twenty
degree, and then delivers this partially metered fuel,
minutes when the ambient temperature on the ramp is
under pressure, to the metering unit or control.
90°F.
The metering unit contains the fuel metering
Procedures for a routine, warm engine start on
valve, which is mechanically linked to the air throttle.
this fuel injection engine would consist of:
On some engines the metering unit also contains the
mixture control, while other installations have the 1. Mixture control - full rich,
mixture control built into the injector pump. In either 2. Throttle - "cracked" or slightly open,
case, fuel passes through the mixture control valve
prior to reaching the fuel control metering valve. 3. Magneto switches - on (if separate from starter
switch).
Whenever the pilot moves the throttle, the fuel
metering control will move in direct or related 4. Starter - engage.
proportion. The metering unit is also provided with a Usually a small amount of liquid fuel will
return line for returning excess fuel which isn't remain in the injection lines leading to the nozzles.
delivered to the cylinders for combustion. The return As the engine begins cranking, this retained fuel is
line from the metering control connects to the return injected into the intake valve ports (Figure 5) and
line on the injector pump, and fiom here the return drawn into the cylinders. Upon ignition, the fuel
system goes back to the storage tanks or (in some ignites and the engine bursts into life; then, just as
installations) to a small hopper tank located suddenly as it started, it dies. A false start and the
somewhere along the main fuel line. This return prima facie indication that a "hot start" situation
system plays a very important role in preventing "hot exists.
start" difficulties.
Since the fuel lines inside the cowling are full of
The Auxiliary Pump vapor rather than liquid fuel, the engine driven pump
When you turn on the auxiliary pump, it draws will not pump or "remove" the vaporized fuel in
fuel from the storage tank and delivers this fuel under sufficient quantity to support combustion. Therefore,
pressure to the engine driven injector pump. If the the engine's refusal to continue running after the
engine is at rest, fuel from the auxiliary pump will initial start up is simply due to fuel starvation.
pass through the injector pump bypass valve and into
the metering section of the injector pump. The
partially metered fuel leaves the injector pump and
flows on to the metering control.
If the mixture control is open, the fuel arriving
fiom the injector pump will continue on to the
distributor valve and nozzles. However, if the
mixture control is placed in cut-off or full lean
position, the fuel leaving the injector pump will
arrive at the mixture control in the metering unit and
then enter the return line system. Once in the return
line system, the fuel returns to the tank from which it
came.

Figure 5. Fuel enters the intake valve port by way of the injector
nozzle located in the cylinder head, and then passes into the
cylinder through the open intake valve in the usual manner.
7
 Teledyne ~onti&ntalMotors, Inc.

"Words" Won't Help No priming will be necessary because a small

amount of fuel will make its way past the closed
Such false starts will usually be followed by
mixture control and into the nozzles during the
difficulty in re-starting. The unknowing pilot will
purging operations. If this "three step" purging
continue cranking the engine while resorting to some
operation is conducted exactly as outlined, the engine
favorite procedure, self-designed, to accommodate
will respond to a normal warm start procedure every
the situation. If this doesn't bring forth immediate
time, and with no difficulty.
results, more cranking and different procedures are
tried, sometimes accompanied with "words" Just remember:
expressed in a manner designed to encourage the
1. The mixture control must be full lean - to prevent
engine to be more cooperative. At last (usually) the
flooding and to force the circulating fuel to flow
engine starts - but only because the excessive cranking
has pumped away the vapor, permitting liquid k e l to back through the return system.
fill the lines and returning things to normal. 2. The throttle must be full open - because some
There has to be a better way - and here it is, in three single engine fuel . injected aircraft incorporate
easy steps: switches in their throttle linkage to prevent the
auxiliary pump from operating in the high
1. Mixture control -- full lean or cut-off. position when the throttle is retarded.
2. Throttle -- full open. 3. The auxiliary pump must operate in the high
3. Electric auxiliary fuel pump - on high. position for approximately twenty seconds - to
provide sufficient time to adequately cool the fuel
Relax for approximately twenty seconds and lines and components inside the cowling.
while you are waiting, here is how the solution is
working for you.
METERING UNIT MIXTURE CONTROL
The electric fuel pump is taking liquid fuel from
the tank selected and pumping it through the heat-
soaked lines under the cowling. In its cut-off
position, the mixture control prevents this fuel from
reaching the cylinders. This is exactly what is
needed at this moment: Now the fuel takes the
alternate path and returns to the tank or header from + TO FUEL
TANK

which it came.
Fuel Flow Purges Lines COWL FLAP 3\
During this process, the continual flow of fuel Figure 6. The electric pump is operating and you can begin to
will purge the lines forward of the firewall of all see the results. The supply line from the electric pump to the
vapors. Also this continued flow will reduce the wall injector pump is almost free of vapors. Notice the vapors being
temperature of the lines through which it passes. returned through the return line system and that fuel is passing the
After approximately twenty seconds the fuel lines mixture control to the nozzles.
will have cooled sufficiently to retain the fuel in a
liquid state after the pump is turned off. Figure 6
illustrates the purging process.
After twenty seconds, turn off the electric pump
and make a normal start as follows:
1. Mixture control full rich.
2. Throttle cracked or partially open.
3. Starter engage.
 Teledyne Continental Motors, Inc.

Three to Remember 2. The actual condition is temporary fuel

starvation due to vaporization of fuel in the
Finally, let's summarize the three important facts
lines inside the engine cowling.
that you should remember about "hot start"
difficulties:
~
3. The solution for preventing the difficulty is
the auxiliary fuel pump which simply purges
1. The cause of this possible difficulty is simply
the vapors and hot fuel from the lines prior
heat soaking of the fuel lines inside the
to starting.
engine cowling or nacelle after engine
shutdown in hot weather. It's just that simple.