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The ‘56 172 I used to own had two impulse mags. It also had the mags wired kind of odd. One mag did all six top plugs and the other did all the bottoms. The timing was different for the two mags. One was at 26 and the other was at 28.

I think it kind of preserves them.

Call Savvy. I bet Mike Busch will tell you to replace the bolt and run it, which is what I would do. His wisdom on stuff like this is worth the small price of admission.

That's kinda exactly where I am at for sure. I think the odds that it spun are low. The engine builders I spoke to both felt that if it did spin we'd have a rapid (within minutes) engine failure due to restricted oil flow. My current opinion is that I'm sitting on Schrodinger's cat. Either the bearing spun when I warmed up the oil for the oil change or it didn't. If this was a low time engine it would be worth doing the IRAN to look inside that box and making sure it was all in order so as to not risk more damage. This is a high time engine though, and a GB. I'll be sending it in to Continental to exchange for an LB within a few years anyway. If all I'm risking by fixing it is that the cam might get further damage on startup, that math seems to point toward fix-it, run it up hard, and fly it with maybe a few extra oil changes to monitor for metal. If that bearing spun on last operation that cam is likely unserviceable anyway. The biggest uncertainty in my mind (as I'm not an expert): is there another failure mode that isn't as obvious as "bearing spun, oil flow obstructed, engine die". I have no interest in taking a risk that this engine is a timebomb and would rather just overhaul if there is any reasonable chance of that.

Like others, I had a steady application of engine oil on the nose gear shocks and tire for years. No apparent compatability issues

MLG trunions are sometimes easier to make take grease if you slightly retract the gear and move wheel up and down while greasing.

Hmm, so Lord has never heard of the shock discs themselves squeaking and they manufacture them and have for 60+ years and they didn't have a lubrication to recommend. The Mooney pilots who have responded on this thread who have at least 100 years experience flying Mooneys have said that it's the landing gear that you're hearing squeak and that the only lubrication needed is just to verify that every zerk has been greased, even the ones that are not noticeable at first glance. (And by the way keep giving it grease til the old grease comes out.) And you're sure that it's the rubber shocks discs that need lubricating, even though you would probably be the only Mooney owner who has ever done this? Finally Lord said you could use Castor oil if you wanted to. Was that for the Mooney or for you that they recommended the Castor Oil . . .lol?

I was surprised to learn that my m20k has two impulse mags and is wired to start on both mags. My F model with an io-360 was injected as well but only used one mag for starting. Your whole post wasn’t crazy, just a tiny bit!

Interested to hear you opinion on install and function.

I have delrin bushing in my track camaro.. hard as heck… -Don

They're comparable, with delrin being probably a bit harder. In race cars delrin is often used where solid metal bushings or mounts are illegal (e.g., for suspension mounts, etc.), because it's much harder than even very hard polyurethane and nearly indistinguishable in performance from a solid metal bushing. So it's essentially a "cheater" material for getting around the rules (I encountered it a lot when I was a compliance official, aka scrutineer). It's really hard, robust stuff. It's a really good material for something like a seat roller.

My suggestion is to remove the cowling and look for missing fasteners and possibly oil leak (looks like the bolt is covered in oil). Given the size and position it was found in - possibly cowl flap mechanism. Just a guess, though. Then again, it may not be from your plane. Cannot tell from the pictures for certain, but the break looks fresh.

Curious as to the 'hardness' of delrin compared to phenolic...will it wear as well/last as long? My recollection is that phenolic is pretty hard material.

You could measure the diameter and grip to determine the AN or MS part number for the bolt and then a search of the IPC will show where that bolt is used.

Just put some on the top of the center stem under the retention collar.

To test for a spun bearing, pull the prop forward, then push it backwards. You should feel the crank move about 0.020”. This is the thrust clearance of the crank and bearings. I’ve been told by an old A&P (humm, what and I) that if a bearing has spun, it won’t move for and aft. Could just be an OWT.

If the bearing spun it likely would show up on oil analysis. What is that telling you?

Are you trying to tell me something Mike?! . I get enough of that from my doctor.... On a serious note, I try to get the two-mile aircraft move done as quickly as possible since I usually do it during business hours and need to get back to work right away.

This is the replacement with LEDs from EI: https://iflyei.com/product/r-1-rpm-tachometer-instrument/

I'd further make the point that the plane flew for a while with the through-bolt loose...so, if the bearing has spun then the crankshaft has already been compromised. Therefore, I don't see much added risk to now replace/tighten the through-bolt and ground-run the engine aggressively. IOW, the odds that the bearing spun JUST before the plane was last shut-down without damaging the crankshaft, and now after tightening the through-bolt the previously spun bearing will now damage the crankshaft seems pretty unlikely.

It looks a bit like a brake caliper bolt but not sure how it would have ended up near your nose wheel. It may not have been from your aircraft but you might want to take a look at your left and right main wheels to see if the calipers are missing any bolts (and are safety wired). Otherwise if you still think it was deposited from your aircraft I’d remove the top and bottom cowlings and see if any of your engine accessories are missing mounting hardware.

Ok, this was a ridiculous post and I apologize. It’s obvious I misread the plug wires or it would not have run on one mag (3 cylinders). Even with my newly cataract free eyes, I can make mistakes. Good news is we had 2 successful hot starts. I’m reminded of a captain I flew with once who made a lengthy p/a to the passengers but mistakenly picked up the wrong mic and broadcast it on comm one. Before he finished he realized what he was doing and continued by saying to his audience of airline pilots “ I’m just going to hang up now and take off my headset, so make all the comments you want, I’m not listening “ Ya’all have a great day!

Hello, 1990 Mooney M20J. Just flew home from my annual and after I parked the plane and shutdown, a linesman at the ramp told me there was a screw on the ground, right under the exhaust. I cannot be sure it wasn't already there at the ramp but also, I want to know where it came from. The screw looks broken and was kind of coated in some lubricant. It wasn't hot like it had fallen from the engine but it was warm to the touch (it's a sunny day and the ramp had no shadows). I'm trying to get an A&P to come see the plane but wanted to check with the experts here if anyone would have a guess. I have an important work commitment so I couldn't stay at the airport and uncowl the engine to take a look around. Any thoughts? My guess is that, if this screw came from my plane, it could only have fallen from the nose gear area or somewhere over the RH cowl flap. Thanks

Mine goes in Monday for the AeroCruze…hopefully it goes as smoothly… -Don

Are you sure the harness was installed correctly?