Andy95W

I get FF free from my work, and I seriously dislike it. It is a royal pain in the ass.

Don’t know about no Cherokee. Both Mooneys I’ve owned flew straight regardless of passengers or unbalanced fuel. Didn’t matter.

Flying solo or burning one wing tank down should not affect flight characteristics in a noticeable fashion. If one wing is “heavy”, it is aerodynamic due to mis-rigging. (Note: this may be different for long range tanks.)

Just tell everyone you did it on purpose and the shop followed your instructions. They look great!

It sounds like you’re close to making your decision. Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll find a welcoming owner group. In the meantime, I’ll bet the folks at Pilots of America (pilotsofamerica.com) would be glad to share their opinions with you.

That’s like mine from 25 years ago. The FSDO quizzed me for about 2 hours to make sure I knew what I was talking about, then said, “well, if Sam says you’re okay, you’re probably okay.” Then they signed my authorization to take the tests.

But with the exception of the M20E that crashed (and that had been modified/repaired with duct tape), does anyone have credible information of any other failures that caused crashes?

I’ve been doing this as well for almost 30 years.

Having “a few extremely small flecks of shiny metal” in the oil filter is very normal regardless of a recent top overhaul. The question is how many and how small. 5-10 flecks that are 1x2 mm or smaller is not a cause for concern, particularly considering your recent top.

I’m curious to see your data, at least regarding a properly installed and maintained component.

Scott- he’s not worth getting kicked off MooneySpace. He is one of the most disliked and blocked people around here, and he doesn’t even own a Mooney anymore. Not even sure why he hangs out here, he should be on Pilots of America. He’d fit in nicely over there. Just block him like the rest of us have, we’d rather hear about you and your new M20E.

I wonder if the additives in G100UL serve as an acceptable intermediator in lieu of the lead?

If you buy 4 large ones at your local hardware store, you’ll only be out about $3.

No words to express my sadness. I will continue to hope for the best. My heart goes out to Andrew, your family, and you.

This exactly. Works great, took about $3 worth of cheap ass washers from Harbor Freight.

When Rich said “in annual”, that means that there is a current annual inspection within the past 12 calendar months. If the aircraft is “out of annual” it is not legal to fly.

@W6k- I tagged Flying dude so he will get a notification that he was mentioned in a post. When he has time, hopefully he will check in. I was not involved in the installation, so I can’t offer any assistance.

@FlyingDude installed one in his M20E under IA supervision. Should be nearly identical to the M20F.

Have one of your hangar neighbors who’s done the job check your work. Take a cooler of beers and sodas out to the airport as payment for his/her time. It’s a simple job once you’ve done it. But there are pitfalls if you haven’t. Proper torque, use of anti-seize, gapping, and not cross-threading are a few.

I’ve flown my Mooney at -20°C (-4°F) way down here in Michigan and didn’t have a problem, and I’ve never had a battery minder. I’m not saying I can compare my winter experience to yours, but we regularly see extended stretches when the temperature never gets above -12°C. I do fly regularly (every 7-10 days), and I do preheat when it’s below freezing.

Yes, but it’s also a way to fool yourself into thinking a marginal battery is still good. It would suck to go on a trip, have your airplane sit on an FBO ramp for a week, and not start.

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ This, exactly. I started with bifocals, then changed to progressives. My second set of progressives I had the optometrist make the “reader” portion as wide as possible. After 10 minutes of acclimation, I absolutely love them. I swear I feel like I can see like I did when I was 25 years old. But yes, there is a bit of a learning process for your brain. Mine was very short and I haven’t thought about it since.

Nope, can’t explain it. It’s all black magic to me. Maybe something about where the voltage is measured across the shunt versus to a ground through the ammeter itself. (?) I still maintain that it is the easiest thing to check, and better than removing the cluster, sending it off, paying $1000 for overhaul, and having it still not work. The wires that attach to the shunt are flimsy and one of mine broke. I don’t remember how the ammeter reacted, but it was very easy to find just by taking a look at the shunt area. The fuses tend to last forever, but might as well be checked since they’re right there at the shunt also.

2 easy things to check first- a broken wire at the shunt or burned out fuse(s) at the shunt. The shunt is on the cabin side of the firewall in front of the co-pilot seat. It is near the top and toward the outboard of the firewall.

The “rocker” (the parts manual calls it a walking beam) isn’t that hard to remove. I put mine back together the way it came apart, but the parts manual actually shows the bolt should be reversed like yours is. The boot itself is attached the way the original was. I simply measured the remains of the old one and sewed a few until I got it right