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I wouldn't even replace the cylinders unless inspection shows something terrible. Clean, measure, hone. Address any valves if needed and use new rings.

I bet one of the major engine shops could help you source one...

I've seen worse!

Ross, disappointed in you. A troll compares an E to a civic and you post that? Meh. A ridiculous comparison that I made accurate based on ability to perform and you dismiss as ricer elitism. Do better man.

What's going on with your interior? I'm in the process of doing mine and the interior plastic can be repaired and repainted.

This Past February… Edge Aviation did it for me. A retired AP/IA was available at the time and took it on. I do have a 6 year relationship with the shop so was glad they could do it -Don

Would you mind sharing who did your IRAN and how long ago was it?

The 6 month estimate from Zephyr was for a full overhaul. Penn Yan estimated 5-6 months. I think IRAN is a reasonable possibility based on the hours on it and that’s what Zephyr suggested up front.

Just did oil change on my 1980 Mooney M20K 231. After runup checking for leaks, pulled dip stick to check oil level. As I raised up in my hand to read, the entire metal dipstick departed from handle. Glad it didn't happen while in place on engine. Trying to find part number 632062-25A1 which is part number on stick. Boeing says 240 day back order because they'd have to have one made. Been on Ebay and any other site I can find. Anyone got one for sale or can advise if they know who might?

Looks like the red annunciator light below the gear down light is on as well, can’t read the label of what it is.

Awesome, thank you sir for the input.

Looking back at your old posts - was that back in 2020 or more recent and reflective of the current situation?

very nice upgrade!

Update: The bottom two hinge joints were the culprit. The plane had to be jacked up to offload the joints before they could be greased properly. Lord was right! It was not squeaky shock disks.

I did the IRAN with new cam, dlc lifters, bearings and new cylinders, etc.. - took the shop 3 weeks..

That is a tough spot. I'm now an experienced owner and have overhauled my engine once so far. If I were to buy another plane, I would rather have one with hundreds of hours of service (in just a few years) after an overhaul, or one closer to TBO (and priced accordingly) so that I could overhaul it to my specs. I would be VERY leery of one that was just overhauled and put on the market as I would be fearful of infant mortality AND corners that were cut in order to save money in anticipation of selling it soon and letting it be someone else's problem going forward. This could be mitigated by getting an overhaul from a well-known shop with a great reputation, and hopefully a transferrable warranty. The downside to this is that you most likely will not recover 100% of your expense on the overhaul when selling the plane, and in fact, it might be closer to 50-75%. The immediate question to me: is your engine/airplane airworthy? You found wear/damage, but did your shop ask if you wanted to keep flying it? Selling an un-airworthy airplane is a LOT harder unless it is going to be cut-up and hauled away, and that should not be an option for you with a nicely equipped plane and presumably no airframe damage/corrosion. So could a buyer fly your plane away and then deal with the engine? Your oil usage is likely due to a ring failure and not cam wear, but now you know you are "on the clock" with the cam, if it is still airworthy. You could replace the rings, document the cam wear, and disclose everything to the right buyer. I would also measure the valve opening/lift at each cylinder to see if the damaged lobe is losing profile right now vs. just pitting/chipping. Many buyers will be scared away, though, but it would minimize your costs. With 800 hours on it, though, it might be worthy of an IRAN (from a great shop like Zephyr) presuming you don't have any other issues like a cracked case, metal that has circulated and scored the crankshaft, etc. You could get a new cam and DLC lifters, IRAN the jugs, new rings and bearings, and get back together quickly. You could also get the Centrilube STC mod for the cam shaft to help prevent what you have now. You'll still have to price it as an 800 SMOH engine, but your expense will be far less than a full overhaul and you'll have a much larger selection of potential buyers compared to where you're at currently as-is.

Indeed it would. I have only flown formation with a C model. The difference in both climb and cruise surprised both of us.

Maybe someone did, but I don't recall anyone arguing to lift flaps first if you limit your final flap setting to the T/O (or partial) position. I think the discussion has been about full flaps and whether to raise them to the T/O position before raising the gear. And I think you use of the word "technique" is just right.

We had been thinking of selling our E model recently but a couple weeks ago I noticed it was suddenly using a lot more oil than normal (1 quart/hour). Left it at a shop to look into it. They ended up pulling a cylinder after scoping it and seeing some scoring and in the process also found a cam lobe and a lifter that was starting to get chewed up. The engine was about 800 hours since overhaul and 700 hours since IRAN (after hitting the prop on a tow bar) by the previous owner about 11 years ago. The airplane is pretty nicely equipped with GTN 650, GFC 500 and a EDM 900 engine monitor and some other stuff and generally in good mechanical shape. I talked to Zephyr about timeframe to get it overhauled and they estimated 6 months. I figure getting it IRAN or overhauled and reinstalled would be between $25-50k depending on what is found. Trying to understand if it would be money ahead to pay for the engine work and then sell or just sell as is as a project for someone else. Anyone have insight?

Me, too! But according to the poll, we are a tiny minority. I do sometimes bump the flap switch a bit on final, usually some more Down, then about half the time I end up taking out some of the extra Down. Whatever is required to hit my desired landing spot.

I haven't tried using the J parts in a K although I'd expect the J and K parts are close enough but just be aware that Vantage doesn't have all the J parts and their parts don't always fit well with the factory parts. I had some issues with the Vantage J front headliner not fitting properly with the speaker grills and the small panel that houses the cabin light switch/overhead vent control.

Hello all, I am looking to replace all the interior plastics, window trim headliner baggage compartment etc. VANTAGE plastics does not make a M20K specific kit, they do for the J. Has anyone does an interior for a K using the J and if so how close is the kit to fitting the K

That's a great data point. Would be very interesting to compare our two airplanes side by side in a carefully orchestrated speed test.

I can see how reduced flaps allows for a higher deck angle given that the effective angle of incidence corresponds to the position of the trailing edge of the flap. At full flaps, the wing has the highest angle of incidence, meaning highest AOA for the deck angle which means it stalls flattest with full flaps.

My use of the word "technique" was a little strong . There really isn't anything to it - I set my landing configuration as I approach the FAF, gear down and flaps extended to the T/O position, and then don't change the flaps through either landing or executing a missed approach. Some refer to this flaps setting as "approach flaps". Runway length and conditions permitting, I leave the flaps at that setting and target the appropriate speeds for this configuration through landing. Nothing cosmic. If I go missed or abort the landing I don't have to do anything with the flaps until I'm well up and away, with less pitch impact when I use full power. It works comfortably for the destinations I typically fly to with longer runways. I'll extend full flaps when runway length or condition warrant. If you find this interesting I suggest throwing one or two of these in the next time you're out practicing no-flap landings. Check the book to get the proper speeds for the configuration and see how it looks to you. I'm not offering this as the "right" way or the "best" way, rather its "A" way to execute the approach and landing phases that I've found make my life easier. And back to the original premise of this thread, I raise the gear first.