Revised 06/02/2019
Page 3
When cold, prime 6 to 8 times before cranking. The notch for pulling the primer out is about a ¼ inch turn past
where the primer appears ready to release, when rotating clockwise. Crack the throttle ¼ inch and it should
start within 3-4 blades, and you’ll look like a pro to anyone looking!
Hot start requires no prime, throttle open ½ inch. Be ready to throttle back when it starts, usually 10 or less
blades. Sometimes it helps to move the throttle full open, then full close, then back to ½ inch while cranking for
a good hot start.
Lean, lean, lean. Really. Lean!
This engine is prone to fouling the plugs when running rich. For ground operations, lean to the point the engine
stumbles then enrich slightly.
If you don’t, you will likely encounter concerns during the run up: that the decrease in RPM on mag check is too
much or the difference between drops for left and right mags is too great. If that happens, stop the run up, lean
the mixture as described above, throttle up to 1800 rpm and burn off the excess/heat the plugs for 30 seconds
then try the mag check again.
I have developed a habit on take-off of retracting the gear, engaging the prop, throttling back slightly, slight
leaning, then cruise climbing at 100 kts all in a steady combination before turning crosswind.
Oil
In short: fill to 7 ½ quarts, unless going on a long cross country.
I’ve been experimenting, trying to determine the best oil level. The POH and the dipstick indicate the capacity to
be 12 quarts. The POH says “the operating level is normally kept a few quarts below maximum to reduce oil
consumption.” True that. The POH also says normal oil usage is 0.25 to 0.35 quarts an hour. When I added a
quart at 8 on the dipstick it seemed it would go through a quart an hour! The oil seems to just be blowing out
the crank case breather vent. My current practice is to add a quart at 6.5, particularly if I am going for a local
flight. I might fill to 8 or 8.5 if going on a longer cross country. If you’re interested in experimenting and sharing
your results send me a text or an email and let me know what you find.
There is a screw on filler/adapter to use when adding oil. It is stored in a bag in the box with supplies in the
baggage compartment. It should be self-explanatory, but just in case: one side screws on to the bottle of oil
and the other side screws into the oil filler tube. There is a valve in the middle which deters the oil from flowing.
Make sure it is turned so it is perpendicular to the oil flow to be in the off position while you screw the adapter
into the oil filler tube. The threads aren’t great, so be patient.
Fuel
The plane has a pretty nice digital fuel gauge. Unfortunately, the senders in the tanks are old and need some
work. They are correct when full and when empty. Somewhere under half a tank they appear to me to read
low. I recently flew until the left tank read under 4 gallons. Since it is a 30 gallon tank, I should have been able
