primers in and locked?

[stultus]

In the emergency engine failure check we verify that the primers are in and locked. Why?

 

[USMCmech]

If the primer is not closed then fuel can be fed into the engine through the primer lines and flood the engine. Produceing a overly rich mixture and stopping combustion.

People forget that the mixture can be too rich as well as too lean. In fact it is possible to put out a fire by dumping enough gasoline on it (do NOT try this at home kids).

 

[project7]

Try this

To illustrate the "primer in and locked" point to a student, I'll pull the primer out in the run-up area and let the engine idle. Usually (not always) the engine will either quit or get very rough after a minute or so. They'll remember to check it after seeing that.