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The first one had about 1500 hours. It was a ball joint system. I replaced it with a used slip joint system. I don’t know how many hours it had on it all together. It was repaired once and wasn’t jigged up just right when it was welded. It put some stress on the muffler. Back in the day, there were a lot more exhaust repair shops. Now, you have to send them across the country to get them fixed. The ball joint system would rot out the risers, so you had to get them repaired a lot. The slip joint systems would last a lot longer, but the alignment was more critical.

Oil pressure is not your problem Engine oil leaks don't DRIP from the pressure side of the oil system. Oil leaks are not that hard to find usually There are not that many places leaks can occur. Leaks can come from the rocker box drain lines that have the rubber hose connections. Have these ever been replaced? They are not hard to do and just tightening the clamps will not always stop the leaks if they are old-replace them Leaks at the base of the cylinder (s) is another matter as is a cracked case. A cracked case is a grounding issue "Suspected" cracked case is not a viable action to determine the need for a new engine It HAS to be verified that it is cracked not just suspected. Have the bolts holding the bottom oil sump been checked for torque? Is the leak at that parting surface? Lots of things to check before a new engine is called for. Your shop needs to wash the engine completely and then check it for leaks after a short flight. Finding leaks is not rocket science Verifying where they are coming from and fixing them is not that hard for a decent shop. Verify where they are coming from and fix them It may take a few flights. It can be any accessory on the rear of the engine leaking, tach drive seal, prop gov leaking, but they can be found. The BIG issues would be cylinder base leaks and a VERIFIED cracked case leak. Cylinder base leaks can be repaired with the top overhaul NOT a full overhaul (it would be the cylinder base oring leaking) A c racked crankcase is another matter requiring full overhaul. AN "Old school" trick from 50 years ago was if the leak was at a parting surface and the bolts were correctly torqued and if it still leaked- 5 min epoxy was spread on the parting surface and the leak went away :-) Just "old school" operations NOT FAA approved. How many years since overhaul? Ever had a top overhaul? You have a lot of items to check and fix before you spend the money for a new engine

Ironically that was the age of Greg Biffle’s pilot.

Why not a call to the local FSDO to avoid and future confusion?

Thanks, that's the one that led me to believe that it would be ok...and the one that I'd like to rely upon...I appreciate your time and assistance. Merry Christmas matt

@Matthew P, you made me look it up. Ref. 14 CFR Part 45.22(b), shown below (highlighting added for clarity): Isn't it great when clearly-written paragraphs seem to conflict with each other? That's when you need to read back to the beginning the section for background and context. Your 1966 E can certainly use the small numbers on either the side or the tail, but you need large numbers to cross the border.

If not done so already have shop tighten clamps on oil return line hoses, wash engine down with mineral spirits and spray suspect area with dye penetrant developer, run engine and look for developing oil taces, may have to do this several times fixing one leak after the other, find out in which areas your case is prone to cracking, spray those areas with white dye penetrant developer, cracks will show up as dark lines in the developer, this is time consuming but beats tearing down a healthy engine

Here are the two at Aircraft Spruce for comparison: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pnpages/05-00037.php https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/mdiflushdrainvalve_05-01877.php

The thread pattern and torque spec is the same for both. But it’s a total length, location of initial drain hole and size of the outer o-ring. I presumed it was a difference of how much material you needed to pass to get inside tank. Does the aux tank go through a wing rib hence need for a thicker thread? Below are the Saf Air valves. A little stiffer to sump but cheaper with viton o-rings that are replaceable. No need to over torque…they don’t need much. Apply a very light layer of fuel lube avoiding last two threads

LOL, so are you saying that you believe that my 60 year old M20E has the option....I'm (unfortunately) thinking that once it goes into paint, regardless of age, that I'm stuck with the 12" Registration....wonder if they'd ever make an issue over it.. Unfortunately I'm not an original paint scheme or it probably wouldn't even be noticed.... § 45.29 Size of marks. (b) Height. Except as provided in paragraph (h) of this part, the nationality and registration marks must be of equal height and on- (1) Fixed-wing aircraft, must be at least 12 inches high, except that: (i) An aircraft displaying marks at least 2 inches high before November 1, 1981 and an aircraft manufactured after November 2, 1981, but before January 1, 1983, may display those marks until the aircraft is repainted or the marks are repainted, restored, or changed;

I can't give FAR references, but I think the smaller N number can be painted on airplanes 30 or more years old. But as you pointed out, the small numbers are not valid for cross-border travel. The regs apparently allowed smaller numbers at some point, and when the large numbers became required, the small numbers were grandfathered in until the plane was painted. Now us Vintage Mooney owners have a choice!

What's 9 years among friends for a bump... Now that I have time to clean the airplane while the exhaust gets repaired, I cleaned up really good under the four drain valves (I have the Monroy LR tanks). The outboard (LR) valves persistently get dirtier and leak-ier than the main valves. I cleaned them so good that now I can read the P/N and see that the outboard ones are the same P/N as the inboard drains. All four of them are F391-53S. I see that my outboard tanks require the F391-72. Anyone know the difference between the two? The 'proper' one looks taller than the factory drain. Thanks as always.

Aircraft currently in paint, wanting to go back to original size (smaller) registration number as opposed to 12". As I'm reading through the FARs it seems to indicate in one section that, due to the age of my aircraft, I can have the smaller registration numbers, but then the next section seems to say that retaining the smaller registration numbers don't apply IF I have the aircraft repainted....can anyone provide clarification. Primarily want the smaller registration numbers so it doesn't interfere with the paint scheme I'm wanting to go with, and I figure if I fly to the Bahamas, I'll buy some temporary 12" vinyl Numbers. TIA Matt

Do you happen to recall how many hours were on the muffler in each case?

I think you misunderstand the intent of the rule. The owner/operator is responsible for getting required inspections done and seeing that all applicable ADs are complied with and, upon discovering an unairworthy condition, getting it fixed. The A&P signing off their own work is responsible for the work done - no more, no less. So in this case, the A&P that signed off the work was responsible for that and clearly messed up. The owner, once discovering that the airplane is unairworthy is responsible for getting it fixed, which is exactly what he did. Suppose it were otherwise. Suppose you took your airplane to a shop to have the oil changed. Suppose the A&P, during the course of the oil change found something that they felt was unairworthy. If the A&P rather than the owner was responsible for airworthiness, they could ground the airplane. But since they are only responsible for changing the oil, they merely inform the owner. The owner is now able to determine the best course of action. It's actually a pretty good system and it gives the owner a lot of flexibility.

Thanks, guys. Time to get it sent out and repaired. I can't get a good look into the innards with a borescope so I'll just have the A&P remove the risers and hand me the muffler. On the exterior shroud/jacket, is it normal to have multiple rivets holding the shroud together? It looks like it may have been repaired before and looks like a 'rough repair.' Separately, researching shops, I have never seen such an incestuous business segment as aviation exhaust repair stations. It's like either Hartzell or some other VC-owned player owns all of the big ones. Thanks again to all!

Yes they do get quite toasty. I’ve flown my plane down to -41*C and still had good heat in the cabin in flight. There is no shortage of cabin heat in the Mooney. Perhaps the downfall is that it all comes out of a single outlet in the cabin. The fuel selector is on the edge of melting, meanwhile the rear seat passengers are calling for a bit more heat.

I would get quotes from both of these companies: https://planexhaust.com https://aircraftexhaust.net

And be a CFI too many primo Donna’s.

Went right over his head . . Lol

Apparently he missed my own comments re Madonna . . . .

Thinking that prima donna is actually pre Madonna . . . . finally concrete proof that a person with a sub-80 IQ can earn their pilot’s license. - - - As a side note since your name is Jackk I would be cautious about using the word “ass” in any sentence.

I consider my iPad a part of my avionics.

Yeah, post a screen shot buddy, you’re full of it. I thought you were joking, but you apparently were not, got called out lying now you want to do the equivalent of this Yeah you won’t see this, but it still needs to be said I simply gave a good method of IFR ops, guess I may not have explained it simply enough for some

So tell me where I am wrong You’re Candian and fly a MD11? When’s the last time AC operated one of those?