floridaflyer

The Mooney in question is a 1987 model.

Thanks Tom.

Thank you carusoam.

Thanks Vno this is very helpful.

The PC board is bad. To clarify, I'm not looking for troubleshooting tips, I'm trying to determine if inop low fuel warning is an A/W issue.

I'm being told the low fuel warning system on my M20K Rocket is not working correctly, it does not flash on the annunciator panel as it should with low fuel. The fuel gauges and FF meter are working fine and I have never flown with less than 2+ hrs reserve so was not aware of the issue. Is this issue sufficient to fail an annual inspection? I am not familiar with MMEL, limitations etc so any insights would be very helpful.

Running bare SkyBeacon without A&P sign off is indeed a frightening prospect...

SB doesn’t require much skills to install and FAA does not require proof the install was done by avionics shop/IA to allow the plane to fly after 1/1/20, just need to pass the check flight. So log book entry can wait until avionics shop start laying off.

Tech support told me don’t get hung up on the app if it doesn’t populate the squawk code, try the validation flight. Worked for me. I don’t plan on using the app unless I get notification from FAA there’s a problem with signal.

kawabob tell your A&P to remove the entire wingtip assembly from the wing makes it easier to put on a bench and work the lens.

Completed SkyBeacon installation and passed validation flight on the Mooney Rocket. When we configured the SB from the iPhone, the transponder sqwak code would not show up no matter threshold. uAvionics support said ignore, set to 34% and go do validation flight. It passed. So this could be an issue with the app, but the bottom line is it works. See pic attached the wingtip lens slot we cut leaves a small gap behind the SB antenna which will be covered with a piece of plexiglas using the available screw hole and nutplate + caulk around antenna. Total cost: SkyBeacon $1,849 4 hours @ $85 = $340 (he's a bit slow) Minus: $500 FAA rebate TOTAL $1,689

Update on SkyBeacon on Mooney M20K / Rocket: we completed the install. The SB strobe will not work unless the SB Nav light is powered (nav light on), which is not documented in the installation instructions. I'll post pictures of the wingtip lens modified to let the antenna through.

All good points, you’re basically describing what we’re doing although we’re going to hardwire so will skip the connectors. Gear down light is bright enough with nav lights on and I always check the floor gear indicator before landing anyways. Didn’t know some SB have only 2 wires mine has all 3 wires.

So we're installing the SkyBeacon on my Rocket. Hooking up the SB power input wires to the original nav light wires is a no brainer since I never fly without the nav lights on. The challenge is wiring the SB strobe input wire so that it turns on when the strobe light switch is on. It's not possible to use the existing wire coming from the Wheelen power supply unit to the strobe light as a fishing line (as was suggested in a prior post) to pull a new wire from the 24V supply to the SkyBeacon, because on my plane the wires are bundled and secured inside the wing so they don't want to be pulled. Instead, we're going to use one of the existing output wires from the Wheelen power supply. The wire is already in place and all we have to do is connect it to the 24V input on the Wheelen power supply side and connect it to the SB strobe input wire and voila, strobe light goes on when strobe switch is on. We'll disconnect the Wheelen unit as it's no longer needed. That's our plan at least.

squeaky did you find out anything about the Antenna cut out? I bought the SkyBeacon for my Rocket and it looks like there’s just enough room to cut a slot at the bottom rear of the plexiglas cover without cutting the wing fairing. I can’t think of any other option if using the original wingtip light location.

LOL you should see the sledgehammer I have in the back for stuck valves

I hear you, I put the AOS in thinking it would be the solution but post-top end, it became the problem!

So for what is --hopefully-- the final update on my original post, problem fixed. After top end, new prop seal, new oil filler seals and the turbo O/H just 1 year ago, the culprit was the Airwolf air/oil separator. After I removed it (see the lonely bracket left behind), zero oil loss after 4+ hrs flying at various altitudes. To be fair to Airwolf, the AOS probably didn't have enough downward slope for oil to return to the case via the modified pushrod. It's moot because no oil loss without it. Anybody looking for a lightly used AOS please PM me.

Drapo: This is a TSIO 520 with 12 qts capacity the oil loss last brought level down to 5 qts which is below minimum of 1/2 capacity per FAA. If it stopped at above 6 qts I would be fine with it although wouldn't have much margin.

Carusoam: All good points. Oil is clear with no smell as it should be given brand new cylinder assemblies and no blowby. I had the ASI hooked up before the top end and it was reading 120 mph instead of the 90 mph max specified in the TCM SB. We'll hook it up again and see what pressure we're getting.

Andy95W the post you referred to is different, he said: "Flew from Holland to Vienna a few weeks back and during cruise it hardly uses any oil." I lose 3 qts an hour in flight.

N201MKTurb and KSMooniac: Turbo was overhauled 1 year ago. There is no soot on exhaust pipe so I'm not burning any oil, the oil is lost out of the breather. I will ask IA to double check the turbo to make sure there is no air leaking from the turbo compressor side back into the engine through the turbo oil return line.

RobertGary1: Yes, all EGT's are within 30F of each other. So are CHTs.

UPDATE - IT AIN'T GOOD So... a year after my initial post and following a top end, zero oil loss in the first 5 hours, then the issue returned with a vengeance: 3 qts oil lost out of the coming out of the crankcase breather in 1 hour... New Millenium cylinder assemblies with all compressions in the mid to high 70's. 5 STOH. 1,400 SMOH. Rules out blowby. New prop seal. Rules out ram air leaking into the crankcase at speed. New oil filler cap seal. Ditto. New Airwolf air/oil separator. The two IA's who worked on the plane are stumped so I'm running out of options. Any suggestions on whom to talk to or take the plane to are appreciated. At this point, selling as-is is the only option I can think of.

I think its all about the mission profile. Not all Lancair models are created equal. I owned a Lancair II 2-seater with Lycoming 360 and Mark I rudder with notorious loss of authority at low speed. Flying coffin. Didn't find out until I tried to land on a 20-foot wide runway. At least I didn't have to sell it after that, finding a qualified buyer can be a problem with all Lancairs.