I've owned my 415c for 2+years and flown 224 hours on the tach. It has a C85-12f engine with Stromberg carb. From day 1, it has been hard to start under certain conditions. Cold starts are easy, usually 1 to 4 blades. If I taxi to the ramp, shutdown and restart within minutes, as when switching passengers, it starts fine, but when I am on long cross-countries, shut down to refuel or eat lunch, it refuses to start easily. I have tried every combination of shutdown/restart configuration I can think of including: 1. No priming and attempt start. 2. 1,2,3,and 4,etc. primes and attempt start. 3. Shutdown by shutting off fuel and allow carb to run dry and attempt start with various amounts of prime. 4. Prime until the fuel runs on the ground and attempt start. 5. Pulling the prop through forward 8 - 12 cylinders before attempting start with various priming counts. 6. Pulling the prop through backward 8 - 12 cylinders before attempting start with various amounts of priming. 7. Atempting start at various throttle setting including full throttle and mixture lean.
Since the mags check good, and starts under other conditions are easy,I assume the problem is getting the right mixture to the cylinders. The battery holds up/cranks the engine good and cylinder compressions when hot are 72+/80. I've never found much lead on the plugs when cleaned and serviced. I'm sure I've left some of the methods I've tried out, but have never found a reliable method (a method that works more than once). This is not the 1st hard starting/hot continental I've flown as I spent some time in a flying club with multiple planes and had many "hot" starts when renting a plane. Please advise if you have encountered this, and your solution. I can always get it to start if I let it cool to ambient temp., but it would take four days to fly to OSH from home base. NOT acceptable!! And not as much fun! Thanks, Bill N94191
