Right Engine won't kick on

[Ghostmooner]

this has been going on sinse the latest patch;

 

now i'm really new to jet sims, don't really know much about this airfraft, but i'm in a mission i made from the mission editor, and i'm doing a ramp start, but the damn right engine wont kick on. i'm following everything from the start up tuturial but when it comes to throttle to idle for the right engine, the fan and everything won't move on the gauges, and the right engine just won't turn on. No idea if this is a bug or what but it works fine in the tuturial, but not in any missions.

[Ghanja]

First of all go into the "Options" section of the game and check if the controls are mapped correct. Right ALT and Home will power up the left engine. Wait until it stabilizes and then use Right CTRL and Home to power up the right Engine.

[nomdeplume]

Have you enabled the fuel pumps with the switches above the throttle? The left engine will normally start fine with them off, but the right engine will just moan quietly.

 

Are you waiting for the left engine to be fully started? Safest is to watch for the ENGINE START CYCLE indicator on the warning lights panel (top left) to extinguish before starting the right engine.

 

What method are you using to start the engines - keyboard commands etc.? Can you confirm you're moving the right throttle from the off to idle position?

 

If all else fails - get as far as you can, then quit, use the "Save track" button on the debriefing screen to save the track, then upload it here (use the "Go Advanced" button - below the posting area is a button for managing attachments to the post). Then we can watch the track and some helpful person will politely tell you what you've missed. :)

[WarriorX]

It may be you have not turned on the L/R Wing and Main Fuel Pumps.

[Ghostmooner]

well, as far as i can tell, I flip all four fuel pumps, then the single switch just above the throttle, foreget whats its called, then the top left switch over where the battery switch group is, then the two switches below it, and thats when the psi on the left engine gauge rolls around to the left, but the right engine psi stops at 8:oo o'clock, foreget the exact psi amounts, but the left psi guage needle is around 9 or 10 o'clock. that's when i start having trouble, cause in the start up tuturial, both needles went to the 9-10 o'clock position and both engines started fine, but i wait a little, power to idle on left engine, wait for the gauges to stablelize, all gauges, sounds of the left engine are normal just like in the tuturial, but when i power to idle on the right engine, the fan, temp, and rpm needles don't move, and never do move, and the engine fans outside won't spin. so I have no idea if i'm missing a step, or its a bug, cause i'm flipping all the switches in the right order just like the tuturial told me to do, i waited for the left engine to normalize like in the tuturial, but the right engine won't kick on for some reason.

[roob]

Post a track! :)

[bluepilot76]

Try my method (but I dont have a thrustmaster warthog):

1) Battery on

2) Inverter on

3) APU start

Whilst waiting for APU to spool up..

4) 4 Fuel switches on. Now the APU has spooled up:

5) Use keyboard command for left engine start. You should hear the APU note decrease momentarily. Await engine spool up (start cycle light out on warning panel)

6) Use keyboard command for right engine start. Should go just same as left.

 

have you definately got a keys mapped for left engine start and another one for right engine start? Also it sometimes doesnt work unless I wake up my stick by giving it nudge and moving the throttle from full up to idle a couple of times.

 

Just in the sake of completeness, whilst waiting for left engine to start up I turn on the APU generator so I can start the INS alignment asap. I turn on the engine generators once both engines are fully running and then turn off the APU generator and the APU. Engage SAS switches when engines are running. Get the HUD switch (cant remember whats its called -JTCC?) on test early because that takes a bit of time, and also get the MFDs on early as they take a bit of time. All the other stuff, radios, lights, antiskid, ejection, O2, canopy etc just whenever I find a moment.

 

There is something in the options about synchronising controls with stick at flight start, I guess check your setting for that makes sense?

[tmahring]

Check if the throttle moves from off to idle when you press the button.

If it doesn't you have a controll issue, if it does your startup is wrong.

[Napa]

Run the tutorial again to refresh your memory.

[Ghostmooner]

i don't use keymaps, i use the mouse to click on everything in the cockpit.

 

i went right back to the tuturial and I am doing everthing right as i can tell. i am pretty sure its a bug now cause I'm not doing anything wrong.

[Ghostmooner]

Post a track! :)

 

would love to u, but don't know how

[mvsgas]

Before starting any system, before even the APU, try putting throttle in idle. Do they respond to throttle movemets?

[Ghostmooner]

yeah my joystick left throttle works both at same time, but i mostly move to idle using the LAlt+home and the Lcntrl+End buttons just like in the tuturial, and they work fine.

[mvsgas]

before starting, every time before starting cycle your throttle all the way forward and all the way back. Not the one in game but your actual joystick. I got just to doing this since Falcon. Does that help?

[bluepilot76]

well, as far as i can tell, I flip all four fuel pumps, then the single switch just above the throttle, foreget whats its called, then the top left switch over where the battery switch group is, then the two switches below it, and thats when the psi on the left engine gauge rolls around to the left, but the right engine psi stops at 8:oo o'clock, foreget the exact psi amounts, but the left psi guage needle is around 9 or 10 o'clock. that's when i start having trouble,QUOTE]

 

Hi Ghostmooner, now its a long time since I did the tutorial, but I dont remember anything about looking at the psi gauges. You might need to worry about that in RL, but here and now, just to get you going I think you should forget about all the superflous stuff. If the APU is on, the fuel switches are on and the throttle is moved forward into the idle position, it should start. One at a time though! Also, I know it says to in the tutorial , but I am sure in RL you wouldnt turn on the main engine generators untill after they are properly running and stabilised, as anything that adds mechanical load to the start sequence cannot be good, besides which if the engines arent running there is not much point having the generators running. The other thing I dont understand from your statement is about the "single switch just above the throttle" I cant think what that is.

 

It sounds like you are getting the left engine started, but it is not clear to me from your descriptions whether you get the right throttle to move forward into the idle position. If it does, do you HEAR the engine trying to start?

 

The other thing that occurs to me is you are trying in a mission you have created yourself. Perhaps you should try in another mission for example in the Devils Cross campaign, all the missions start "cold and dark", then you can make sure its just not some strange bug caused by the way you have set up your mission.

 

You HAVE got fuel in the tanks havent you? If it is very low I imagine the LH engine might start for a while but the pressure would not be enough for both to run, same as if the fuel pump switches aren't on.

 

Hope you get it running soon, it must be very frustrating!

Edited April 18, 2011 by bluepilot76
making it clearer to understand. hopefully.

[sobek]

One at a time though! Also, I know it says to in the tutorial , but I am sure in RL you wouldnt turn on the main engine generators untill after they are properly running and stabilised, as anything that adds mechanical load to the start sequence cannot be good, besides which if the engines arent running there is not much point having the generators running.

 

The generators are disengaged automatically by solenoids once their RPM is too low, so you don't put additional load on the engine by setting them on pre start. IIRC, there is even a startup test item where you have to check if the generators come online at a certain RPM automatically. Next time you start up, place the gen switches in the on position and observe how the gen lights only diminish after the engine has reached a certain RPM (slightly below idle).

[sobek]

would love to u, but don't know how

 

After running the mission, on the debriefing screen, press save track and attach the .trk file to a post in the forum.

[bluepilot76]

Hi sobek, thanks for setting me straight about that! I did wonder. However we are trying to get Ghostmooner in the air!

 

I bet in the case where a pilot cannot get an engine to start the crew cheif would be trying to start it without the genny on, because that solenoid might be the thing thats broken mightn't it?

 

Although I must miss this light going out every time I start, and I am pleased the sim is so accurate that it does happen, TBH I am trying to get in the air quite fast at the moment because my simming time is terribly short. Anyway I know the engines will start perfectly well without the gennys being engaged. Some might not realise the relationship of the genny to the engine, and think the genny is something that must be working in order for the engine to work, rather than the other way around.

Edited April 18, 2011 by bluepilot76
terrible spelling

[Ghostmooner]

lol, yeah i'll just have to post a track later today on what i'm doing, heheh, this games a huge learning curve for me lol. I'm still learning the names of everything in the cockpit. i've never played modern jet flighsims before so maybe i am skipping something silly and simple, i'll post a track after this later today so keep an eye on this thread.

 

also, as one of u said before, there is difference between the sims' tuturial and what the real pilots procedures are, and would love to learn the RL pilots start up and shutdown procedures for better emersion.

[bluepilot76]

Hey Ghostmooner, just to clarify, before I get in trouble.... I dont know what the real world procedures are for starting the A-10C. It probably is just the same as in the tutorial. I am just trying to describe the very basic fundamentals to get you up and running. I take a couple of shortcuts. my post should have a warning: my method is for simulation use only! do not use this in the real world!

 

BTW how does one view a track?

[WarriorX]

Ghostmooner, it was mentioned earlier in this thread, but I wanted to make sure you caught it, and understand.

 

Your left and right engines need to be started independently of each other. Wait for one engine to finish it's start up cycle before beginning the other.

 

When you start the left engine, take a look at your caution light panel, and notice the top left light will say ENG START CYCLE. This means that one of the engines is in it's start cycle, when the light goes out, then you can begin starting the right engine.

[Ghostmooner]

k guys, here is the track file of how i'm starting up the aircraft, excuse the camera, i'm still adjusting my Trackir 5. i'm pretty much just coppying what i've been shown in the start up tuturial, and it worked before, but sinse the last patch the right engine just won't turn over.:helpsmilie:

 

i have no idea if i'm doing something wrong, missing a step or if its a glitch with the patch or my installation.:( just review the track and get back to me.

Startup.trk

[nomdeplume]

I think there might be something specific about the weather conditions that are causing issues. Your problem isn't the right engine not starting, the problem is the left engine never finishes the start cycle. It gets to just over 50% core RPM and then progresses no further.

 

You can solve it by flicking the fuel flow switches from NORM to OVERRIDE - then both engines start up properly. You can set it back to NORM afterwards. However I don't think you should need to do that - normally there's no need to override the fuel flow governor. I do notice a fair bit of fluctuation in the core RPM at idle, maybe this is related.

[Ghostmooner]

I think there might be something specific about the weather conditions that are causing issues. Your problem isn't the right engine not starting, the problem is the left engine never finishes the start cycle. It gets to just over 50% core RPM and then progresses no further.

 

You can solve it by flicking the fuel flow switches from NORM to OVERRIDE - then both engines start up properly. You can set it back to NORM afterwards. However I don't think you should need to do that - normally there's no need to override the fuel flow governor. I do notice a fair bit of fluctuation in the core RPM at idle, maybe this is related.

 

yeah i was looking at those, but i don't know much about them so i left them alone. i'll try that out tonight though.

[Ghostmooner]

sinse u mentioned it might be a weather related situation, I set this mission's weather climate to summer, i also have a 1 am version of the same mission i like to play at night, so any advice on how the weather affects my aircraft like this would be a god send!