O.S. Engines FT-300 Gemini - Manual (Page 12)

Hand Starting
For safety be sure to use a heavily padded glove or 'chicken-
stick'. The procedure is as follows:
1) The propeller should be fixed in such a way that it is
positioned horizontally as compression is first felt when
turning the propeller counter-clockwise.
2) Open the throttle valve fully and unscrew the needle-
valve 3-V2 turns from fully closed position.
3) Close the choke valve and turn the propeller counter-
clockwise through two revolutions.
4) Release the choke valve and immediately turn the pro-
peller counter-clockwise several times so as to draw fuel
well into the cylinders.
5) Set the throttle at approximately 1/3 open from the
fully-closed position and gradually turn the propeller
counter-clockwise until compression is felt.
6) Connect the glowplugs to the battery and swing the
propeller smartly counter-clockwise from the centre of
the right blade. The engine should start. If it stops
again, make sure that fuel is reaching the carburettor
from the fuel tank, then repeat procedures 3) to 6).
Correct priming is the secret of easy starting.
7) When the engine starts, open the throttle fully and keep
it running, initially (approx. 10 seconds), with the
original needle-valve setting. If it slows down because
the mixture is excessively rich, close the needle-valve
about 1/4 — 1/2 turn .
8) Now disconnect the battery from the glowplugs and
close the needle-valve slowly so that revolutions increase.
Adjust the needle-valve gradually. Abrupt adjustment of
the needle-valve may cause the engine to stop, especially
when it is new and insufficiently run-in.
9) To re-start the engine when it is warm, after a run, first
try just flipping the prop with the throttle in the idling
position after re-energising the glowplugs. If the engine
does not restart, re-prime it by closing the choke valve
while rotating the propeller twice with the throttle open.
Initially, high temperature inside the combustion
chambers may turn the liquid fuel into gas and emit it
through the exhaust pipes. Therefore, repeat the
priming procedure once or twice until the cylinders
become cool enough for restarting.
CAUTION: Do not connect the-glowplugs to the battery when
priming.
Note: Excess fuel in the carburettor may drip into the engine
compartment when the choke valve is reopened. There-
fore, it is advisable to drill a drain hole in the bottom of
the engine bay or cowling and to apply fuelproof paint to
the surrounding surfaces to prevent fuel from penetrating
the airframe structure.
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