ryan iuiggu Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 evening all, I've got an issue not sure if it the starter or the battery, basically I've got a 12v hobby battery and a power torque starter, I charged the battery today and put a multimeter on it and it's reading 2 volts, then I plug my starter to the battery, when I got to start my heli or plane the starter is really slow and then stops, like there's not enough power to turn the engine over, any ideas? Regards Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Hargreaves - Moderator Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 I take it that's a typo Ryan & your meter is reading 12V not 2V....if it really is only reading 2V then I think we've found your problem...the batteries goosed. What size battery is it? Is there a number followed by Ah on it anywhere? If it's a small SLA type battery..probably around 7Ah then I think the battery is probably not up to the job & the voltage is collapsing under load. Turning a high compression glow engine over at speed can take a fair few amps & the battery possibly cannot supply this level of current. How are you connecting the starter to the battery? Does it have small tabs for Faston connectors perhaps? Or might you be using small croc clips? Neither of these connectors are well known for their ability to supply high currents. The high resistance inherent in such a connection will seriously limit the power of your starter. A better option is to use a 3S Lipo if you have one.....anything over 2000mAh will do just fine. Either use a long lead from your stater to the Lipo or shorten the lead & strap the Lipo to the starter...you'll be amazed at the difference. Do ensure you have a good connector though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan iuiggu Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 Haha my bad as meant to say 12v, it's a 7ah battery, and it's on croc clips, I like the lipo idea how would I join the start to the lipo is there connectors to help me do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gangster Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Ryan. What does the meter read when the starter is operated ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bran Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 When I restarted flying in 2007 I went to a well known national chain car battery place and they allowed me to use their tester and select a small car battery from their "dead to recycle " pile for free. I picked a small easily carried one with a decent pair of handles. (Type 085 as it happens). For carriage it sits with tie-downs in my estate as I don't fancy a ballistic battery hurtling forward if involved in a crash. I have just early in Feb 9 years later replaced it....................guess how I did? I have it when not in use connected permanently in the garage on a CteK electronic charger, which auto trickles and reconditions, excellent device. I have all my starters (I have four!) on XT60's which are fine for the short time used and allow LiPo use if needed. Yup, I believe in having redundancy to hand even if never used!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpson j Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpson j Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpson j Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Hi this is how I start all my engines gas &glow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engine Doctor Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 Hi Ryan. If your battery is reading 12 v just after charging then either the charger is not working properly or the battery is a Dud. It should read around 13v plus when fully charged . This will go down to about 12.6 volts when left for a couple of hours . Lead acid or gel cells don't like being left in a discharged state for long periods and they rarely recover. Edited By Engine Doctor on 04/03/2016 16:30:02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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