hnorber

Hello. I'm upgrading to dual GI-275s (and I have a GNS 530, as well as a KFC-150, which is why I chose the GI-275s over G5's). My installer seems to think that my autopilot doesn't have GPSS capabilities. I realize now that's not accurate - but my question is: will the GPSS function be available automatically, or do I need to ensure that my installer configure the GI-275s specifically to make GPSS available? Thanks!

Thanks for the recommendations! I'll definitely keep Steve Myers in mind for next year! I actually had him quote me some repair work on my cowl, but he was quite a bit higher than another highly recommended shop near me for that work.

Wondering whether anyone has a recommendation for a shop at KOSH or nearby to do my annual (1991 MSE). I'm having avionics work done at that field and was just asked if I could bring the plane in early April for 4-5 weeks (previously we discussed July). I'll be out of annual at the end of April, so it'd be ideal if I could have an annual done at the same time or right afterwards without needing to move the plane. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!

Thanks for the responses. I suspect that the tab is somehow bent incorrectly (I'll need to PT20J's picture to mine when I get to the airport next) OR that there's dirt/friction (I actually don't think it moves very freely - it seems to move okay in the top third of its range, but gets stuck there). I'm guessing WD40 is a bad idea- but happy to hear suggestions on cleaning it and getting it to move freely. Thx!

Yup - I adjusted the tab all the way up (up is early warning) per the instruction above before my BFR. Still didn't work at all.

Well - it's been quite a while since I started this post - but bringing the thread back to the original issue...I did my BFR last week and took the plane into full stalls (yes-with abrubt wing drops) and the horn didn't come on at all. It still checks fine on the ground. Does anyone have any thoughts on or recommendations on where to have it serviced? I'm in Chicago, and my regular mechanic (an extremely reputable shop - but doesn't specialize in Mooneys) is telling me that they can't do anything short of replacing the entire system.

That's right - no issues when I test it on the ground.

Thanks. I haven't tried slow flight yet since I've been breaking my engine in from an overhaul (trying to maintain higher power settings/internal pressures). I'll try slow flight shortly and also send some pictures of the stall vane. Thx

HI all. I have a 1991 MSE and the stall horn appears to work just fine when I test it during my preflight. However, I never hear the horn when I land (and I generally do fully stall prior to touch down). Wondering if maybe the tab isn't properly aligned or maybe bent incorrectly. Has anyone else ever dealt with this? My shop isn't much help. Thanks

Thanks!

Does anyone know why Flame Engineering stopped selling Red Dragon heaters? I've had one for more than 10 yrs - and it seems to have a recurring problem in the valve or regulator. I'm hooking it up to full propane tanks, but only showing about 5lbs of pressure (max - when pressing the boost button for ignition) and it won't light. Not sure if they still support existing units?

Hi all. My tail strobe (strobe only - not a position light) has burnt out - and it looks like a replacement is over $400! (I'm in a 1991 MSE). This price sounds pretty ridiculous to me! Has anyone replaced their tail strobe recently? Does this price seem right? (anyone have a line on a cheaper option?) Thanks!

Does anyone have a part number for the tail strobe light on a 1991 MSE? Seems mine is burnt out, and a shop quoted me $300. (To be fair, they suggested that I don't buy it from the shop).

Thanks, everyone for the helpful replies!

Hi All: The rubber bracket that holds my exhaust pipe in place under the cowling is mostly cracked. Does anyone have a part number or explanation of where I can find a replacement part? I think the current one was fashioned from an old tire by my mechanic. Would also be grateful if anyone has a part number for the tail strobe for my plane. Shop quoted me about $300 - would hope that I can find for less. This is for a 1991 M20J (Really an MSE). Thnx

Jerry: I'm assuming that I need a back-up battery with this? I'll talk to my avionics shop today to confirm that it's compatible.

Thanks everyone. I'll call Bob Bramble - although if the price is $2500, that's pretty close to what shops here quoting me for an overhauled unit. Problem with buying a used unit on Ebay is that I don't think I could trust it to fly in hard IMC (or any IMC). Does anyone know how long it typically takes for these units to completely fail after they start showing signs of trouble? Elimansour - how did you swing a loaner? I'd also want to know for sure that it's the AI and not the vacuum pressure before I take any drastic steps. Last question - I though I remember reading a bunch of stories about a year ago about Aspen units going dark in flight? Does anyone recall anything about that. Has the problem been addressed? Thanks again!

Well, after dumping more money that I care to discuss into ADS-B and a top-overhaul, my attitude indicator seems to be showing signs of failure. On a flight a few weeks ago (VFR), it seemed to be lagging behind my turns, and it also doesn't seem to come alive for a good 10 minutes (last flight, it was erect after about 5 or 7 minutes (including my run-up), but the pitch was off until my climb-out (all in good VFR). My vacuum pressure was consistently low, but at the last annual, the shop adjusted the regulator and it's now reading a little bit high (just north of the green - I think 5.25 or 5.5 inches). Since it's a KI256 (connected to my KFC 150 autopilot) - this isn't a cheap fix. Avionics shop was ball-parking somewhere north of $2500, and also mentioned that I might consider an Aspen EFD 1000 (which can integrate with the KFC 150) - but that would be much more than I had planned to spend (or can really part with) at this stage. Wondering whether folks have any thoughts regarding good alternatives. Thnx! Howard

Apologies for the delay in providing an update. I had my cylinders repaired a Poplar Grove Airmotive. I've put about 6.5 hours on the engine since picking up the plane, and the difference in performance is definitely noticeable! I'm actually getting about 50-75 more RPM in my takeoff run (shop confirmed that they didn't adjust the governor - so the difference seems to be attributable to the cylinder repair!) - and my cruise speeds seem to be about 3-5 knots faster (although it's hard to tell, since I'm running the engine much harder than my typical SOP for break-in purposes). I'm also happy to say that there doesn't seem to be any fresh oil on the belly after these flights. I thought the price was reasonable (paid more to disassemble/reassemble than the actual cylinder work itself). Unfortunately, now my attitude indicator seems to be failing (will post about that separately). Happy to answer any specific questions.

Thanks. That makes sense.

Well, after much delay, I've overhauled my cylinders and am going to pick up the plane tomorrow. The shop instructed me to run it at low altitude (less than 5K MSL), high manifold pressure and btwn 65%-75% power for several hours to properly break in the cylinders. Wondering if anyone has more specific advice - and thoughts on how long the break-in period should be? Thanks.

Thanks. Mag has 300 hours since last overhaul.

Thanks, Andy. My thought is that I'd overhaul the engine only if, after pulling the cylinders, I discover issues in the cam that lead to an overhaul (in which case, I'd switch course and go with new cylinders) - but I'm really hoping that the cam is fine. What is the connection between cam health/overhaul and the need to adjust mag timing? Thanks!

I've been watching with alarm a significant increase in oil consumption (and tons of oil on the belly of my plane) over the past year or so. I'm up to about 1 quart per every 2.5 hours. My mechanic has been recommending a top overhaul based on the symptoms and oily spark plugs. Yesterday, I took the plane to another shop to adjust my mag timing and to get a second opinion on the cylinders (including identifying which of the cylinders was causing the problem, since I disagreed with my regular mechanic about replacing all 4 instead of just those that are problematic). The new shop showed me that all 4 cylinders were glazed and that I do, in fact, need a full Top Overhaul (quoted me btwn $5K and $8K to overhaul my existing cylinders - I think that the higher end of the range would be for replacing the pistons, if necessary). I currently have 1950 hours on the engine - so I'm inclined to overhaul they cylinders rather than replace them with new ones. I'd be grateful for any thoughts from the group here - particularly on the following questions: 1. I'm have a flight planned from Chicago to the east coast next week. My understanding is that this condition isn't really a safety issue as long as I can ensure that I maintain enough oil in the engine - so I'm inclined to take this flight (the cylinder repair will probably be late Sept or early October) - but I'd like to pressure-test this notion with the group. 2. My engine is high-time (over 1900 hours) and so I'm inclined to overhaul my existing cylinders (quoted btwn $5,200 and $8K depending on whether or not I need new pistons), rather than buy factory new cylinders. Again - I'd be grateful for any thoughts on that decision. Thanks in advance for all responses! -Howard

As a follow-up, I took the plane to the shop for the timing adjustment yesterday. They made the adjustment without removing the mag - but what they explained was that they would need to remove the mag in order to reduce the split - but they could move the timing on both mags in sync without removing. Essentially - my split was 1 degree (which, they told me is within permitted tolerances) - and was firing early at 27.5 and 28.5 degrees, respectively. They moved the timing to 24.5 and 25.5 (therefore within a half degree of book timing) - but that they would need to remove the mag to adjust them separately and eliminate the split (so that they would both fire at 25 degrees BTDC). I don't understand why the split can't be eliminated without removing the mag - but certainly they weren't trying to squeeze me for more $, since they told me that the 0.5 degree discrepancy was fine and that there was no need to remove the mag. Separately, I asked them to inspect my cylinders since my oil consumption has increased significantly recently (probably about a quart every 2.5 hours now). They showed me that all 4 cylinders were glazed and that I need a full Top Overhaul (quoted me btwn $5K and $8K to overhaul my existing cylinders - I think that the higher end of the range would be for replacing the pistons, if necessary). I currently have 1950 hours on the engine - so I'm inclined to overhaul they cylinders rather than replace them with new ones. Happy to listen to any thoughts/suggestions regarding the Top Overhaul. I understand that it's unwise to replace all 4 cylinders where the diagnosis is only one or two bad cylinders, but here it looks like all 4 legitimately need to be overhauled. I plan to start a new topic on this as well (so that it won't fall under the label 'mag timing') .