Andy95W

Make your own out of a good, heavy-duty cotton canvas. Spray it with a fire-retardant spray, glue it in place. Make sure your cabin is labeled “No Smoking” and you’ve met the requirements of CAR3 and owner produced part.

A half way decent A&P can fabricate new doghouse pieces in about a day (maybe 2). Hopefully yours is willing to take on the project. You’ll probably save money on it, too.

My Mitchell tach went out a few years ago so I installed an UMA. I ordered it through Aircraft Spruce but then communicated with the company (UMA) to “personalize” my new tach with the correct hours and red/green arcs. That process was kind of a pain, but it went off smoothly and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I had a digital tach in my last airplane and really wasn’t a fan of watching the rpm dance around. I really love the UMA. Installation was pretty easy and straightforward. I installed the sensor in my right magneto in case I ever change to a Surefly. Works great.

@Mcstealth- here’s a page from 2009 that is almost identical to your issue. Hopefully it answers your question. https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=14475 It seems to be explained in Lycoming Service Instruction 1454: https://www.lycoming.com/sites/default/files/attachments/Rocker%20Arm%20Assembly%20Replacement%20Part.pdf Basically, it seems to say that the rocker with the oil drain on the valve side is for the exhaust and the one with the oil drain on the pushrod side is the intake. (BTW- this corresponds to what Byron- @jetdriven posted above). But please double check!

Why not remove the valve cover from another cylinder and compare the look and numbers to the two rockers you removed? (I suppose this wouldn’t work if you pulled all of them.)

The easiest way to tell is by looking at the fasteners that hold the cylinders on. Wide deck cylinders use “normal” looking nuts, narrow deck engines use nuts that are round on the outside and have teeth on the inside.

Supposedly Lenkite has evidence- possibly apocryphal- that their AvBlend product helps prevent valve sticking. It has other properties similar to CamGuard. Aviation Consumer magazine had some positive things to say about Lenkite AvBlend, but didn’t specifically mention valve sticking.

He did what you hired him to do- look for airworthiness issues. The pictures you posted show cosmetic damage with an accompanying 337 documenting the repair. Therefore it becomes your responsibility to notice the damage in order to negotiate the price down.

I would only add 2 items to Mark’s excellent summation, above. 1.) If you have an autopilot, turn it on. 2.) If you feel like you’re in over your head, declare an emergency. This isn’t a time for pride and ego. Most of us as pilots like to be as self sufficient as possible. It’s probably better to remember that if you have a Comm radio, you’re never truly alone. ATC is there to help and wants you to land safely- almost as much as you do.

Yes, I understand all that, and addressed some of those points in my second post, above. And as I noted in that post, I was a supporter for years. And as I also noted, a lot of the “regulars” from years gone by are no longer here. I seem to remember from a few years ago that Craig said he actually makes more money from the advertising than he does from the $10 per member. So I’m still doing my part in helping out, because obviously I’m still stopping by. But I’m understanding why so many regulars aren’t any longer.

Scott- @Echo- if you pump the right brake, does the pressure come up and then act almost normal? If so, and if it’s not leaking anywhere, it’s almost certainly air in the system. Keep us posted!

I was a supporter here for many years. When the attachments got deleted from old posts I couldn’t believe the incredible amount of institutional knowledge we lost, and that’s when I stopped paying. Truthfully, I’m not sure how much we actually lost because the search function of MooneySpace has been atrocious for so long we just accept it now as normal. Losing M20Doc and a few others removes even more usefulness to me. And the lack of a true archives and FAQs means having to wade through the same questions every 3 months. And now the ads have become more obtrusive.

I’m getting that also, Cliffy. Supporters who donate won’t see those ads. It’s adding to my reasons to avoid MooneySpace.

I worked at a shop in Killeen, TX where there were 3 IA’s. I know for a fact that they all worked together on the Annuals, but only one signed off the logbook. (I’ll bet the official answer if they were questioned by a Fed was that of course they did the whole inspection themselves.). They all three did more than enough Annuals for currency. I think who signs it off is like deciding who is PIC if there are 2 pilots in an airplane- you should decide ahead of time. For me personally, if it’s my signature I do the inspection or I inspect the repair myself.

A big part is whether the compression test was done hot or cold. 72-75 is fairly normal for a cold engine, for hot I’d rather see 76-79. At 30 hours, ring seating should not be an issue if the engine was broken in properly.

@mooniac58

Here’s the wording from the actual AD: (c) Applicability This AD applies to Continental Aerospace Technologies, Inc. (Continental) model engines equipped with an F&M Enterprises, Inc. (F&M) or a Stratus Tool Technologies, LLC (Stratus) oil filter adapter installed per Supplemental Type Certificate SE8409SW, SE09356SC, or SE10348SC. So it only applies to engines with an F&M or a Stratus Tool oil filter adapter installed IAW those STC numbers. It is extremely unlikely (if even possible) that you have one of those oil filter adapters, but you can certainly check through your 337 list to see if any of those STC numbers show up. Those STCs probably aren’t even applicable to Mooneys.

Same here, I bumped mine up by $20k and it only cost $200 more for the year.

I don’t have an Ovation Service Manual in front of me, but I’m wondering how your mechanic is checking the nose gear rigging. On electric gear Mooneys, nose gear down tension is checked by the amount of compression of the nose gear bungee springs, not by using the rigging tool. That is only used on the mechanical gear Mooneys. (The main gear is still checked using the rigging tool.) Your nose gear bungees appear to be fully compressed, which certainly doesn’t seem right (but someone needs to check the actual Service Manual). There is a Mooney Service Center in Lapeer. I’m not sure how good that shop is, but they certainly know how to rig the landing gear. One last thing- gear rigging is only adjusted to set the proper down tension. It is never adjusted to change the up travel. That’s a good way to ensure a gear collapse on landing or exiting the runway. Door rigging fully closed is an art in itself.

There are some things that might be best not experimented with. Landing gear springs are in that category (IMO). There are sufficient wrecked Mooneys out there that don’t need theirs anymore- salvage yards have them. @Alan Fox is our local Mooney salvage guy.

Suggest you check an online magazine called The Mooney Flyer: https://themooneyflyer.com It’s free, and has a list of Mooney instructors in it. Good luck, keep us posted, be safe!

That looks suspiciously like the stock CHT probe for the old cluster. Located where it is under the #3 cylinder make me think that also. I’ll bet the previous owner got tired of his #3 CHT being significantly different from the others on the JPI so he installed another “normal” thermocouple and just Ty-wrapped the old probe where you see it.

Cliffy makes a great point. If you have first run cylinders, you should definitely consider keeping them. A good option to research is the CermiNil treatment by ECI. Well regarded and recommended by Aviation Consumer. None of the issues of cermichrome, and they will only Nickel treat new or first run cylinders. Our O-360A1D engines are remarkably bulletproof, typically run nicely past TBO, and the cylinders are very reliable when overhauled.

By any chance, is it leaking from the Schrader valve? Easy to check, just take off the cap and put a little spit on the nipple. If it’s leaking, use a Schrader valve tool and tweak it closed. When I replaced my tires and tubes 2 years ago, I bought the Leakguard tubes from AeroClassic. Made from the same material as the Michelin Airstop tubes. They are in stock at Aircraft Spruce. Also available with a 70° stem for old Cleveland wheels like mine. I only have to add air twice a year: once at annual, and once at the start of winter when the temperatures drop. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/aero_tube_600_20.php