jabiru engine cold start

[lyle janke]

hi 

 today  at sunrise i prepared for an early start in the tropics . i pressed the starter  ( no start )  ring a friend & discover during discussion that the jabiru wont start cold (carb temp 16C) need to heat the air so wait for sun to warm air ,delay departure by 2 hrs & now warmer  eng starts instantaneously 

 my question to you all is will the electric carb heat device that is avail  solve my problem or is there another solution ?

 what do you do for your cold start  especially in the tropics 

[Jabiru7252]

I have dragged my Jab out of the hangar at sunrise in friggin cold weather. Used choke until it fired then no choke, keep the revs up a little (1100rpm) until the engine is warmed up. I suggest you talk to Jabiru.

[Red]

3 hours ago, lyle janke said:

hi 

 today  at sunrise i prepared for an early start in the tropics . i pressed the starter  ( no start )  ring a friend & discover during discussion that the jabiru wont start cold (carb temp 16C) need to heat the air so wait for sun to warm air ,delay departure by 2 hrs & now warmer  eng starts instantaneously 

 my question to you all is will the electric carb heat device that is avail  solve my problem or is there another solution ?

 what do you do for your cold start  especially in the tropics 

Who told you that nonsense?, if Jabs couldnt start when it was<16c nobody with one in the UK could fly for 10 months of the year.

 

[Red]

Sorry that was no help...

 

I was always able to start mine down to temperatures of about + 6C (any colder and I wouldnt want to fly my draughty aeroplane)

 

A decent battery is required to chuck it over with thick cold oil and make sure the starter circuit in the bing is clear, there is a jet in the float bowl that is important to the starting circuit and a hole half way up the channel the jet sits in that is crucial to be clear. and of course make sure the rubber manifold is not cracked and is seated properly.

You  may have any number of problems that are very difficult to diagnose remotely, but 16c should be no problem for a properly set up Jab

[Thruster88]

On the subject of thick oil, shell make a semi synthetic multi grade oil aeroshell 15w50. Can be used all year round. Only slightly more expensive than aeroshell W100+

 

AeroShell Oil W 15W-50 | Shell Global

WWW.SHELL.COM

---

Semi-synthetic multigrade piston engine oil offering superior cold temperature pumping and anti-wear protection all-year-round. SAE J1899 Grade Multigrade.

 

Cold start on any Bing carburetor engine requires the throttle to be COMPLETELY CLOSED for the "choke" to function.

 

Edited Sunday at 09:03 PM by Thruster88

[lyle janke]

hi all 

i have never been able to make the bing choke work ,there doesn`t seem to be any indication that it is doing something 

has anyone used any of the cold start kits on offer  or know which one is better than another  there is 3 or 4 that i see is avail they all seem to up-grade the spark capability in different ways 

i`ve always thought that an aftermarket   ignition up-grade would be a good idea any way & if easier cold starts were achieved that would be an added bonus  then 

Edited Sunday at 09:53 PM by lyle janke

[mkennard]

I've always had issues in Winter but I've worked out a way. Got rid of the Oddesy battery and put in a MOTO battery, cheaper as well. Hold the choke and the throttle so they don't slip in and it starts every time now.

[440032]

In winter, I start in mornings down to about 5C with no problems at all, even with an Odyssey battery 8 years old.

I have a small solar charge panel plugged in sitting on the wing, under the crappy old, discolored hangar roof skylight panel.

My theory is the solar panel doesn't really charge the battery, it just stops it depleting.

In 20 winters, I have never "not started" - not once.

 

[IBob]

2 hours ago, lyle janke said:

hi all 

i have never been able to make the bing choke work ,there doesn`t seem to be any indication that it is doing something 

has anyone used any of the cold start kits on offer  or know which one is better than another  there is 3 or 4 that i see is avail they all seem to up-grade the spark capability in different ways 

i`ve always thought that an aftermarket   ignition up-grade would be a good idea any way & if easier cold starts were achieved that would be an added bonus  then 

Hi Lyle, if the Bing is the same as on the Rotax, the 'choke' does nothing unless the throttle is fully closed. The reason is that it's not really a choke in the conventional sense, but a separate fuel circuit that delivers through a port only when the butterfly is closed. 
I had thought this would be common knowledge for Rotax owners, but you can still fish up 'how to start a Rotax' stuff on Youtube, from supposedly knowledgeable operators, where they crack the throttle open then pull on the choke...

 

[IBob]

Also on the Bing, you may want to check the idle throttle stop and idle jet settings. These are very simple static settings, just so many turns of a screw in each case.
One of mine was out on a new Rotax, I think one idle jet, but I'm not now sure.

[Earl Pike]

My Jabiru J230 is hangared in Porepunkah, NE Vic ( YPOK ); the winter temp is often below zero into mid morning.. I made an engine warmer from a bit of pvc plumbing and a hair dryer… works well.. 15 to 20 mins while doing checks and getting organised..

Starts like a summer day..

[PureCaboose]

I just got back home from a flight, was 8 degrees at the hanger and my J160/2200 started no issues. Close throttle, open choke, press button and fires right up.

[Red]

8 hours ago, lyle janke said:

hi all 

i have never been able to make the bing choke work ,there doesn`t seem to be any indication that it is doing something 

has anyone used any of the cold start kits on offer  or know which one is better than another  there is 3 or 4 that i see is avail they all seem to up-grade the spark capability in different ways 

i`ve always thought that an aftermarket   ignition up-grade would be a good idea any way & if easier cold starts were achieved that would be an added bonus  then 

Get someone who knows about Bing Carbs to look at your setup.

When you say it doesn't seem to do anything are you saying that at the times it does start, pulling the choke* on and off makes no change?

Dont go throwing money at addons before varifying the proper functioning of existing kit.

 

*it's not actually a choke but let's call it that for simplicity

 

 

 

[kgwilson]

Make sure you reset the spark plug gap to the minimum (about .020 in) for the cold weather. That and make sure the throttle is fully closed & the choke fully on. My gen 3 3300 always started even when it was pretty cold with a light frost with the plug gap about 023 but when I went out west and there was ice on the fuselage I could not get it to start & flattened the battery. I took all the plugs out, closed the gap up & at the time not with any feeler gauge, just a good eye, got a jump start & it fired almost straight away.. Never had a problem since as I change the gap when it gets cold every year.

 

If all that fails get a cold start kit from Jabiru. It is basically a gruntier coil. It replaces one of the standard coils & provides a much bigger spark on one of the plugs in each cylinder.

[dlegg]

Very important your engine spins at least 300rpm when trying to start. So need a good battery and starter motor, as magnets for coils supply weak spark at low revs. I have fitted an electronic ignition on one side, now starts at very low revs and in the cold weather. 

[facthunter]

In you are having difficulty starting make sure you don't exceed the time you are cranking the engine or you'll wreck the starter and also have a very low battery when you commence the flight. Having the throttle fully closed makes the engine easier to turn also as the cylinders don't fill as much. it's an old trick for smoother starts. Make sure the battery is fully charged. After a frosty night it will have discharged a bit.. Cold causes it. Nev

[BrendAn]

23 hours ago, lyle janke said:

hi 

 today  at sunrise i prepared for an early start in the tropics . i pressed the starter  ( no start )  ring a friend & discover during discussion that the jabiru wont start cold (carb temp 16C) need to heat the air so wait for sun to warm air ,delay departure by 2 hrs & now warmer  eng starts instantaneously 

 my question to you all is will the electric carb heat device that is avail  solve my problem or is there another solution ?

 what do you do for your cold start  especially in the tropics 

i had an electric carb heat on my jab powered xair. i doubt if it would have helped start the motor, they don't heat up that much ,also i would not want to draw extra current before start up. My battery was marginal because of the long battery cable run.  started on frosty mornings no problem at all. as others have said, you must be at idle position to enrich the fuel mix.

even cracking the throttle a little bit will prevent starting.

[danny_galaga]

On 16/06/2025 at 12:08 PM, Earl Pike said:

My Jabiru J230 is hangared in Porepunkah, NE Vic ( YPOK ); the winter temp is often below zero into mid morning.. I made an engine warmer from a bit of pvc plumbing and a hair dryer… works well.. 15 to 20 mins while doing checks and getting organised..

Starts like a summer day..

Fantastic! A friend did a similar thing to dry his motorcycle boots ☺️

 

If I ever live somewhere cooler, I'm stealing this idea!