mike20papa

I've heard the story of a Mooney taking off of a wet, slushy runway, climbing up into freezing temps, the gear icing up, locking up that pilot had no choice but to belly land.

Looking at that photo ..I would be asking myself what the heck is going on to cause that dimensioning of tubing wall on the fuel line.

Wing and airframe zero value?! What the hell kind of statement is that? Just this past year, on this site, there are metal wing C Mooneys that have gone "belly/tits up" due to corrosion than wood wings disintegrating due to ... well you tell me, rot, ignorance I don't know?! Making blanket statements regarding the airframe value of every M18, M20 & M20A being equal to "zero" is unfounded. Make that statement about your own airplane, but leave it at that.

I bet that fuel line is some off spec material. Absolutely weird. 5052 is highly corrosion resistant. Especially weird considering the condition of the surrounding airframe. Would make me wonder what the rest of my fuel system looked like. Did someone fill the tanks with ?? pickle juice ??

Why don't we have an informal (exclusive wood wing) fly-in. Say KERV Kerville or T82 Fredericksburg this fall. I'll print up the T Shirts. '59 A model N8335E.

Is this what your looking for? I've got one made by SWTexas. I replaced the entire lower cowling with a composite piece that incorporated the cowling enclosure. Submitted/blessed with a 337.

I once used that 3M black nightmare sh*t that comes in strips. For god''s sakes never, ever "engage" that sh*t. Like Br'r Rabbit and the Tar Baby once tangled up in the briar patch you will wish for life in another time & place. Used it to install a windshield long time ago, could never, ever get it wiped clean, ready for paint. Took out the windshield, and a gallon of Varsol & a bushel basket of rags later finally rid my MOONEY of that 3M crap. Seal your panel access with the material I've mentioned in previous posts. Modern EPDM self adhesive strip "weather striping" and move on .. The sealant I use on "glass" is simple butyl rubber. Flexible and so far superior to the original lin seed oil and clay "putty". Remember .. plastic & aluminum have wildly different coefficients of thermal expansion. Also, plastic yields before aluminum. Believe me .. or find out the hard way. Okay, I'm done.

Find the serial number. on my A model it is an embossed metal tag of the aft face of the spar. Don't know about the metal wing AC.

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/appages/orings.php?clickkey=3008697 This should help.

On my A model I removed shafts & yokes. Re-bushed the yokes & carefully fit, silver soldered (hard brazed - 90ksi material) a piece of 4130 tubing in the shaft end to rebush/reinforce the hole and shaft end. Reassembled, drilled & reamed holes. No slop and that repair is close to 10 yrs. ago. Yes, it is a way less than desirable original design.

Have been utilizing a 149NL for 10 yrs and no regrets.

Great info! I am sure lots of mechanics torque the hell out of the screws thinking the cap will eventually mate. This quote I find interesting, "These harnesses are manufactured and distributed under PMA approval without TCM knowledge or approval." So, anybody .. does TCM/Bendix sell a harness that does "fit".

Ask https://www.aircraftmagnetoservice.net They are super to deal with.

"A" suffix means there is NO hole drilled in the shank (or the head, either) Now, that means you have to use a stop nut vs. a castellated nut (no cotter pin). The next decision is what kind of stop nut. AN365-428 is an elastic stop nut (nylon insert vs all metal)

When were you there, did you know Bill Wheat? I own a '59 A model and think no certificated AC does more with 180 hp. Congrats - being on a winning team. Yes, I can imagine annualling an early model pre cordless screw driver days!?

An inherent baffle seal problem with 180 hp Mooneys - especially if they are equipped with a light weight starter and alternator upgrade - is shown in this photo. The seal around the oil feed line for the prop governor especially challenging. Yes, the photo loaded inverted.

Are you running the STC'd cowling mod with the reduced opening size? I never knew Mooney made a model with fixed cowling flaps. With your cruise speed numbers - I would suspect you could open those fixed cowling flaps. "I have the fixed cowl flaps on a '68. I've thought about how much work it would be to convert them to adjustable. Talking to folks with adjustable ones seems to indicate that they have to open them almost fully to get perceptible cooling benefit, so I wouldn't want them fixed in that position." Sorry, I don't agree with this . "Thus far, it seems too much fuel for me- the engine surges and runs rough after climbing out from a 2600 MSL airport at summer temps. Leaning it immediately after takeoff to achieve smooth running is a chore and a little worrisome regarding the possibility of leaning it too much and losing some cyl head cooling, as the cyl temps don’t immediately change on the instrument- I’ll know I’m running too lean only after having run lean for about half a minute or so… And If I lean it out for takeoff instead, well, that has been a miserable experience for passengers, airport neighbors, and my nerves….I might be sending it back to have the flow reduced if carb performance doesn’t improve during colder temps. A carb that is too rich has you trying to figure out exactly where the mixture should be set for best power + extra fuel for cooling, but not so much fuel that it reduces take off performance. It’s a bit of a guessing game. I miss my old carb!" You thought about taking some additional flight training? Might go along way to easing some of the anxiety regarding your engine management.

How old are the plug wires and plugs? The fact that the Bendix mag is low time and the other is a Surefly is telling me something other than ignition source may be the problem. I run nothing but Tempest plugs and you can send your plug wires to Aircraft Magnito Service for testing. Also, a lean fuel mixture can exacerbate mag drops - and of course also mess with your CHT's. Try leaning the mixture when you do a mag check and see if the rpm drops immediately. You should be able to lean pretty aggressively before an additional rpm drop. On my o-360 I get barely 50 rpm drop, each mag, full rich. For me to get a 150 rpm mag drop I would have to lean the mixture pretty aggressively. (By the way John Deaken on Pelican's Perch use write about the benefits of doing lean run ups/mag checks.) I've had those buzz boxes act odd. Remember - they indicate a change in the coil induction rather than a simple breaking of the points. (and don't ask me what that means!) Good luck.

My "Johnson" bar is 1:1. Best stiffed armed when still in ground affect.

I use a self adhesive EPDM weather stripping. Yes, I can imagine the cork has little pliability or sealing ability. M-D Building Products All - Climate EPDM Rubber Weatherstrip P - Profile Blain # 039266 | Mfr # 02576 Today's Price $599 available just about anywhere. Will depend on how the aluminum panel fits as to how much of the sealing bulb you might need to trim. My alumn. panel cover is a "stretch to fit" so I trimmed away the bulb to fit.

Alan, I couldn't agree more! I think of how much time it takes to do any behind the panel work with that stupid 201 windshield in place vs the 20 seconds you might/might not have gained from from "A to B" flying. Like give me the 201 VAX - F'n go figure?! Michael Angelo sculpted "David" Are you like wise "in the mood"? If you have no talent with forming metal, wood, etc. " fo' get about it." The stock windshield is 3/16" ( i think I remember) the one piece is thicker - at least what I installed .. these airplanes are built to a very close tolerance. To fit the new windshield into the airframe requires a lot trial and ( no error) fitting. If you can imagine putting the windshield in place .. marking, trimming, replacing, marking, trimming, re fitting a dozen or so times then maybe you can get an idea of what's involved. Also, I dimpled the cabin roof alumn. and counter sunk the plastic because I just couldn't get enough... Research the sealant. I wouldn't "glue" the windshield in place. And No, I won't tell you what I used, because ... I hope this delves into the "what's involved" question.

Is it that the AC gear won't retract or the pilot's actuating mechanism has failed?

Most Mooneys have slop in these parts .. REALLY?! Slop belongs in the hog trough .. Not my Mooney.

Remove the two exhaust well covers either side of the nose wheel well. That will expose the rudder pedal bearings and interconnecting mechanism. IF the pedal bearings are worn an excessive amount of "push/pull" is required to take up the wear before a rotational movement is initiated. Looks to me that is what you have .. an excessive amount of "push/pull" before any pure rotational displacement is made at the base of the rudder pedals. At the 45 sec. you will notice a tube (mostly hidden) that runs horizontal that connects the pedals. I believe I see that tube moving forward and backward as well as rotating. I believe it should only be rotating. Also, can you move the top of the pedals right/left or slightly rotate them right/left?

If I read your post correctly you are describing a new, post maintenance issue with excessive nose wheel steering linkage play. All of those linkage pieces have a very short moment arm and are subject to high stress and any loose fitting components wear are amplified thru the longer travel of the rudder pedals. The castor angle is not going to effect the play in the steering linkage and neither will simply installing new donuts (if done correctly). Put the airplane up on jacks and grab the nose wheel and shake it right to left. You'll see it, hear it.