AN MD80 ON L ENG START WITH 'B' IGNITION SELECTED. WHEN FUEL APPLIED; THE ENG FAILED TO START. ENG MOTORED PER PROCS. ON START WITH 'A' IGNITION; EXPERIENCED TAILPIPE FIRE.

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ARRIVING AT THE ACFT FOR DEP ON FLT TO ZZZ1. I MET THE INBOUND CREW THAT TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD A PROB STARTING THE R ENG LEAVING ZZZ2. THEY HAD TO MANUALLY START THE ENG AND THEN HAD NO PROB. I LOOKED THROUGH THE LOGBOOK AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF WRITE-UPS ON STARTING THE L AND R ENGS. AFTER EVERYONE WAS ON BOARD WE MANUALLY STARTED THE R ENG. I DON'T REMEMBER IF I USED THE 'A' OR 'B' IGNITION. THE START WAS NORMAL WITH ALL INDICATIONS. WE THEN PUSHED OFF THE GATE AND STARTED THE L ENG. I FIRST SELECTED THE 'B' IGNITION AND PRESSED THE L START SWITCH. WITH THE ENG AT MAX MOTORING; WE PUT THE FUEL LEVER UP. THERE WAS NO LIGHT OFF. WE THEN SHUT THE FUEL LEVER OFF AND LET THE ENG MOTOR FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. I THEN SELECTED 'A' IGNITION AND PRESSED THE START SWITCH AND THE GND CREW AND THE ACFT BEHIND US TOLD US THAT WE HAD A TAILPIPE FIRE. I THEN RELEASED THE START SWITCH AND THE FIRE SLOWED DOWN BUT DID NOT TOTALLY GO OUT. WITH THE ACFT BEHIND US WE TRIED TO MOTOR THE ENG AGAIN TO STOP THE REST OF THE SMALL FLAMES THAT WERE LEFT AND THAT DIDN'T HELP; BUT THERE WAS MAINLY JUST SMOKE AT THAT POINT. WE HAD MAINT COME OUT TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD SEE AND WITH THEIR HELP WE MOTORED THE ENG. MAINT SUGGESTED THAT WE TRY TO START THE ENG. THE ENG STARTED NORMALLY. WITH ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED WE ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE GATE TO HAVE THINGS CHKED OUT. MAINT ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF FUEL COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ENG. ONCE AT THE GATE MY FO NOTICED THAT THE L ENG IGNITION CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD POPPED. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT HAPPENED AT THE GATE OR EARLIER. AT NO TIME DID THE EGT EXCEED ANY LIMIT AND THE N1'S AND N2'S WERE NORMAL.