Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site ssc-vax.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!wanttaja From: wanttaja@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ronald J Wanttaja) Newsgroups: net.aviation Subject: Wanted: Cessna Ghostbuster Message-ID: <215@ssc-vax.UUCP> Date: Mon, 19-Nov-84 17:56:23 EST Article-I.D.: ssc-vax.215 Posted: Mon Nov 19 17:56:23 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 15-Dec-84 22:31:05 EST Distribution: net Organization: Boeing Aerospace Co., Seattle, WA Lines: 37 An interesting occurence: A week ago, I went out to fly my 1965 '150, and the battery was dead. I had flown it two weeks earlier, starting it with no difficulties. I jump-started it, and noticed a good rate of charge on the ammeter (why do we call it "ammeter" when it is an "amp-meter"?). Therefore, I assumed the problem was in the battery. I pulled it out, took it home, and put the charger on it. It charged up normally, and held the charge for the rest of the week, sitting on my workbench. I shrugged off the problem, assuming I had left the master on the previous time I had flown it... although I was sure the switch was OFF the day I found the battery dead. Yesterday, I installed the battery, and everything worked fine. I flew a couple touch-and-goes, then landed and shut it down to wait for my wife to pick me up. I sat in the cockpit, as it was raining a bit, and read the logs to determine how old that battery was. As I was reading, I listened to the gyros winding down. Suddenly, it hit me- the noise was now INCREASING in pitch. I looked, and the fuel guages were coming up, just like the power was on. The master switch was pushed in (off position). I pulled it out (to on) and pushed it back in again, and the guages dropped, and the gyros wound down again. I reset the clock to 12:00, and nothing else occured before I left. I went back today at noon, and the battery was dead... again. The clock had stopped at 4:00, so it took either four hours or sixteen hours to run down. I'm suspecting the master solenoid, but a "Fail on" from the off condition seems a little far-fetched. Does anyone have any ideas? Could the master switch itself be bad? Is there some other route that could apply power (My owner's manual doesn't have a wiring diagram)? Does it need an exorcism? Where's Bill Murray when you need him? Ron Wanttaja (ssc-vax!wanttaja)