Page 18 - Volume 14 Number 4

allows the high voltage to jump to ground instead of going into the plug and creating spark. Just like your ignitors, you can have one failed lead while the other keeps working. Again, you are down to one igniter on that engine and you might not notice much difference in your starts. But when that second lead fails or its plug wears out, you’ll have a no-start situation.
Igniter Box
If the plugs and leads check good, then the igniter box must be the culprit. Remember that your ignition light on the annunciator panel indicates you have power going to the box. Once you exchange that igniter box you should be good to go. Igniter boxes do not fail often. Many vendors don’t keep them on the shelf ready to go; they wait until you need one before they overhaul or repair for exchange. If you order an exchange box and it turns out you don’t need it, you might be stuck with it. So, make darn sure the igniter leads and plugs check out before ordering an exchange ignition box. Years ago, I had a spare igniter box that I kept around for troubleshooting. One of my customers was stranded in a far-flung location with an engine that wouldn’t start. Over the phone, I ascertained the igniters and leads were OK, so I overnighted my spare box to them and it
did the trick. Once home, we got a proper exchange box installed, their core unit went to the vendor, and my spare came back to me. That didn’t happen often, but that spare box sure came in handy from time to time.
Here’s to many hassle-free hours of King Air flying. Don’t forget to stash a spare igniter somewhere ... and remember where you put it! KA
Dean Benedict is a certified A&P, AI with 45 years’ experience in King Air maintenance. He’s the founder and former owner of Honest Air Inc., a “King Air maintenance boutique” (with some Dukes and Barons on the side). He founded BeechMedic LLC in 2016 to consult with King
Air owners and operators on all things King Air related: maintenance, troubleshooting, pre-buys, etc. Dean can be reached at dr.dean@ beechmedic.com or (702) 773-1800.
16 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
APRIL 2020