Dugaru
Well Known Member
So at the conclusion of my condition inspection, my A&P discovered my battery (PC680) was dead and would not take a charge. That was weird because the battery was only a few months old. Anyway, after cursing Odyssey, I flew down to pick up the plane with a new PC680 in hand. We hooked that up (top and bottom cowlings were off), turned on the master, and… got visible smoke from the battery contactor (!). It was found to have at some point made a burn mark on the firewall, and was welded open. Meanwhile, the old battery was found to have a negative voltage.
There were no issues or warnings on my original flight down to the shop. We currently theorize it went south at some point after landing, and apparently took the battery with it.
So it looks like I need a new battery contactor. Everything I read, however, suggests a contactor failure like this is extremely rare. Are there any other problems/issues I should be looking for?
Thanks!
There were no issues or warnings on my original flight down to the shop. We currently theorize it went south at some point after landing, and apparently took the battery with it.
So it looks like I need a new battery contactor. Everything I read, however, suggests a contactor failure like this is extremely rare. Are there any other problems/issues I should be looking for?
Thanks!