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pkellercfii

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Everything posted by pkellercfii

  1. As discussed in the engine monitors board, here, I spent last summer doing an owner-assisted annual which featured replacement of an old JPI EDM-800 with an EDM-900. After we thought we were done & ready to fly, in performing the post-maintenance engine runs we ran into a nasty oil leak from the base of the oil cooler. The oil cooler had been removed during this annual to facilitate the replacement of the OEM oil temperature sender with the JPI oil temperature probe. It turned out that the oil leak was the result of a change to the oil cooler gasket. That change took place sometime between when the engine was overhauled, in 2009-2010, and now. Continental made the gasket thinner. In the attached picture, the old gasket, the all-red, slightly torn up gasket on the left, is shown alongside a new gasket, and a dime for size & thickness reference. For most of the oil cooler attachment screws, the thinner gasket isn't a problem. Eight of the nine screw holes which secure the oil cooler to the engine crankcase are through holes with no bottoms for the oil cooler screws to bottom out on. The middle bottom screw hole, though, is different--it does have a bottom. As a result, the machine screw at that location was bottoming out in the hole, rather than on the oil cooler's base attachment flange. That created our oil leak. Our solution was to replace the single thin washer called for in the Continental IPC with two thick washers. That still left about seven or eight threads in the screw engaged in the crankcase fitting that the oil cooler is attached to. It also corrected the oil leak problem. Nasty "gocha" which someone pulling any bolt-on, gasketed oil cooler might want to know about. --Paul Keller 89K @ KTTA
  2. It’s a pain, but I’ve told by what should be a knowledgeable source, Greg Lehman at Advanced Aircraft Services at KTTD, that the trick is to remove the #2 alternator and the left mag, and then you can get the #1 alt out fairly easily. —Paul Keller
  3. Your shop both didn’t follow the Mooney service manual (MSM) procedure for weighing the aircraft & determining the resultant CG, and even for the lazy shortcut they took for finding the CG, they used the wrong arm distances. If I take your wheel weights & combine them with my airframe undercarriage distance measurements, then, using the proper MSM procedure for determining CG, I get 40.86” for your empty CG. That’s still mighty far forward, but, for some typical W&B cases I ran, still within the envelope. My Mooney is an ‘89 252, and so not much different from a 231. The undercarriage distance measurements shouldn’t vary much between airframes. You need to find an A&P who will at least recalculate your empty CG correctly. Decide for yourself if you want reuse the weights measured by a shop where the personnel apparently flunked out of elementary school and thus can’t read a service manual. The procedure for determining empty CG from the individual wheel weights & undercarriage distances is on p. 8-00-01 of the M20K service manual. —Paul Keller
  4. Last I heard, which was at least three years ago, from my AME at the time, Canada is not accepting basic med. That’s not a point I’d take any chances on if I were going to fly into Canada. I’m still maintaining my FAA 3rd class for occasional climbs into the flight levels, and, possibly, future international travel. —Paul Keller
  5. Agree with Don Muncy that a reasonably skilled hangar elf can readjust fuel cap tension to something more reasonable. It’s just a matter of loosening the nut at the bottom of the cap. You’ll need to replace the cotter pin on the nut afterwards. After purchasing my Mooney I had the same problem with the fuel caps being set too tight. A plastic bicycle tire lever will do a good job of unsecuring excessively tight fuel caps without marring the paint. I think I still keep one of those levers in my on-board tool kit. —Paul Keller
  6. Thanks for the replies. The background behind this project is that it's a part of an owner-assisted annual. A few hours after posting this question, the IA I'm working and I had a discussion on this topic, and we reached the same conclusion that Paul Kortopates suggested--it needs to go into the OEM oil temp sender location, IAW the engine type certificate. As mentioned above, that's not an easy location to get at. As sometimes happens in aircraft maintenance, some disassembly required. I spent a good part of my Saturday pulling the baffling piece off the above location, along with the oil cooler. Although pulling the oil cooler was perhaps not completely necessary, pulling the oil cooler wasn't real difficult, and it did make the process easier. Trashed a $10 oil cooler gasket in the process, but Spruce has those in stock, so that's not a big deal. Picture of the installed JPI oil temp probe, with oil cooler removed, is below. The screwdriver is pointing at the newly-installed JPI sensor. If anyone has to pull an oil temperature sender from around the oil cooler base of a TSIO-360, it appears to be accessible by simply pulling the piece of baffling between the oil cooler and the crankcase. For my engine, that baffling piece was secured by three screws--two at rear, and another at the front. That said, removing the oil cooler as well isn't difficult, it's secured by eight screws at its base. Removing the oil cooler makes the process much easier. --Paul Keller
  7. I'm wondering if anyone has ever installed an EDM 900 or 930 in any K model, powered by any TSIO-360 engine. If so, where is/was the oil temperature instrument installed? I'm in the process of an EDM-900 install in my '89 K model, which I'd characterize as a factory-vanilla 252. It's powered by a TSIO-360MB engine. I'm stumped on where JPI's 5/8" NPT oil temperature sensor can be installed on the TSIO-360. This oil temperature sensor for the EDM-900/930 is different from what is supplied with JPI supplementary engine monitors and is apparently intended to be installed in a different place. I don't think it will fit in the location where the OEM oil temperature sensor is located, which is at the base of the oil cooler. JPI's tech support has not been helpful on this. --Paul Keller '89 K@KTTA
  8. I'd agree that O2 bottles, even for built-in systems, at least in the US, are mostly regulated by DOT and not the FAA. The regulations governing their hydro test and replacement frequency are DOT regulations, and not the FARs. These are mostly kevlar bottles for built-in systems, which have a specified lifetime since manufacture. As a result, saving $100 on a bottle that's a year older is a false economy. Yes, I know about the oxygen lady, and that Spruce is also listing them. Conveniently, Spruce also provides the size & weight of the various bottles they're selling. The Mooney IPC provides for either a 77 or 115 cf bottle, as a result either is a legal replacement. The size I'm interested in is still TBD. We're waiting until the old bottle is out to make a decision. It isn't clear that the retention brackets can handle the larger bottle, in spite of the IPC not specifying any hardware differences for the smaller or larger bottles. The expiring bottle is a 77 cf bottle. --Paul Keller
  9. My K model is currently in annual, with a timed out O2 bottle that's in need of replacement. In searching for a replacement on the 'net, it appears that the OEM bottles listed in the IPC are no longer available. Have the part numbers for these changed, and, if so, is there any AC which provides a cross reference between old and new part numbers? Having said all of this, it appears that PMA'd bottles are again widely available. Anyone have any recent experience with lead times on these? --Paul Keller
  10. +1 for a pair of cowl plugs for outside parking . I have a pair from Bruce’s Aircraft Covers which I’m happy with. I mostly bought them for winter preheating with an installed Reiff preheater, but they do do a good job of keeping critters out, too. If you’re not already using a pitot tube cover, I’d suggest that, too, even inside a hangar. For the spring bird nesting season, you might consider a tail cone cover to keep birds out of the tail cone. Those are on Bruce’s list of covers they manufacture for Mooneys. At least where I am now in N. Carolina, for some reason, black birds LOVE to build their nests in the tail cones of Mooneys in spring. I cleaned one bird nest out of my Mooney tail while I was outside & on the waiting list for a hangar at my then-new base of KTTA last spring. I’ve also cleaned two or three bird nests out of the tails of my flying club’s J model Mooneys. If your fuel caps are properly maintained and adjusted, water ingress into the fuel tanks shouldn’t be a problem. I had no water problems in ten months on the ramp at my now current home base of KTTA, even through several heavy SE USA rainstorms. —Paul Keller ’89 K@KTTA
  11. My JPI oil temp probe, which feeds an EDM-800, is in the crankcase nose. —Paul Keller
  12. The low fuel lights in my ‘89 K seem to work pretty well and consistently. One comes on at about three gallons usable remaining, the other closer to five gallons remaining. Both of those results I obtained in carefully controlled tests in which I ran a tank completely out of usable fuel while circling an airport. That’s a test that I highly recommend to other aircraft owners. You don’t know what your usable fuel really is without performing that test, and then topping the emptied tank afterward. I’d also suggest performing the same test yourself on your own A/C before making any assumptions about how much fuel remains when the low fuel lights activate. I’m in agreement with those opposed to running fuel tanks completely out of usable fuel as a routine operational practice. Knowing that I have 3-5 gallons usable remaining when the low fuel light(s)activate, I am willing to burn one or two gallons beyond the low fuel light activation before switching fuel tanks, but no more. I’ve done that several times with no ill affects. —Paul Keller
  13. For my standard-tank K model, it’s about five gallons. A standard tank J model should be very similar, since my understanding is that the J vs K fuel tank difference is outboard of the fuel caps. —Paul K
  14. The only certain way to tell a 430 from a 430W is from the splash screen that is displayed on startup. —Paul Keller
  15. Two spare spark plugs & all the tools I need to pull the engine cowl & install one or both. —Paul K
  16. I, too, own & fly a turbo Mooney in the US Intermountain West, and agree with all of the reasons Paul Steen stated for maintaining a built in O2 system. Having O2 always available can be an important safety issue. The weather in the mountains can change mighty fast. O2 refills are also far easier near & west of the Front Range of the Rockies. The FBO at my relatively small, untowered home base in WA state can refill a built in O2 bottle. Ease of refills out west goes even farther than just availability: Out east, refilling an O2 bottle frequently requires one of the FBO's A&Ps. In the west, that's something line personnel are frequently trained to handle. The refill is then priced accordingly. --Paul Keller
  17. Earliest convenience after topping 25 hours or four months, whichever comes first. Phillips XC20/50 all year around in my mild, four season climate. There is some evidence that Aeroshell 15/50 is not good for Continental starter/adapters. —Paul
  18. The Aspen AD only applies to Aspen MAX 2000 and higher units which do not have independent ASI/altimeter and AI backup AND have not been upgraded to newer software which was released last March. As an owner on Aspen MAX 2000 system I feel that it pretty much just mandates the obvious—upgrade your software, which is available, or limit the units to day/VFR only. —Paul
  19. That’s the pressure sensing line for the manifold pressure gauge. —Paul
  20. A picture of my solution to this in action for the TSIO-360-MB which powers my M20K is attached. This solution should also work for TSIO-360-GB/LB installations as well. The oil deflector under the oil filter was hand made from a $20 piece of aluminum sheet from Lowe's. A piece of aircraft aluminum sheet metal would be easier to work with, although it might hold up as well. The Lowe's aluminum sheet was pretty thick & difficult to work with. The hole in the oil filter was punched with a scratch awl and hammer. Let it drain overnight and usually, albeit not quite always, and the oil filter adapter will be completely drained. Even it isn't completely drained, always pull the oil filter with the deflector still in place to catch any additional drainage. Never spilled a drop of oil with this arrangement. --Paul Keller '89K @ RLD
  21. Hello, and, again, welcome aboard. I have an '89K model over at RLD that I'd be happy to take you up in. PM me at the address below if you're interested. --Paul Keller paul.keller.cfi@gmail.com CFI-ASE-IA
  22. Ken Reed wrote: >With a turbo, you shouldn't lose any speed LOP I will because I can't run the power settings as high LOP as ROP due to TIT limitations. I limit my cruise TIT to 1600 F, which limits my power settings to 60-70% power, depending on altitude. >That's a result of running to rich, not too cool. >That's a result of running to rich, not too cool. Please provide your evidence and data to back up this claim. My evidence to support my claim that it's the result of running too cool is that I only see plug fouling in spring, after a winter's worth of low CHT flying. I typically pull & clean the plugs once or twice a year outside of the spring annual, and rarely see much of any lead fouling then. Same engine, set same way, run the same way. Only difference is flying in warmer weather, with resulting warmer CHTs. --Paul Keller
  23. For most general cross country cruise flight, my preference is LOP largely because I'm a CB. Well, sort of. It'd probably be more accurate to say I'm selective about how I spend money. Spending money enriching the oil companies for avgas isn't exactly my favorite way to spend money. Since I bought a Mooney, and the specific Mooney model I did buy, for altitude performance and economy, in that order, the minor speed loss associated with LOP operation isn't much of an issue. I lose about 15 KTAS out of 155-200 KTAS running LOP, in exchange for about a 3-4 gph reduction in FF, from 13+ down to around 10. That the engine runs cooler and cleaner are added bennies. That said, I sometimes do run ROP when I'm in a hurry, most often because I'm trying to get ahead of weather, and frequently run at peak TIT. I use peak TIT for what I think of as arrival terminal maneuvering, and for instrument practice, since, for my instrument flying, I'm Mr. Militant about staying instrument current & proficient. As a result, I spend a lot of flying time doing instrument practice with a safety pilot, since I'm located in a desert where there are few opportunities to get actual IMC practice. For that sort of flying, I'm typically running 20"/2300 RPM, which is about 50% power, at peak TIT. Peak TIT at that power level is harmless to the engine, and I've found it to be the most economic way of keeping the engine warm, which is a challenge at that low power setting. Contrary to what I've read in numerous places, my operational experience is that it possible to run an engine too cool, which I would define as CHTs below 300 F. Three years ago I was working hard on my CFII in my own Mooney, which meant lots instrument practice, and so lots of flying time at low altitude, and low power settings, during the winter, which resulted in CHTs always below 300 F. At the annual that spring, my bottom spark plugs came out badly lead fouled, which was something my Mooney expert A&P/IA and I got a bit of a giggle out of, coming out of a normally fire-breathing turbo Mooney. Although my understanding is that fouled plugs by themselves are just a nuisance, frequently fouled plugs can lead to valve guide problems. As a result, I don't run LOP down to touchdown, and, instead, once I'm down to 20" & cruise RPM on descent, I'm also up to peak TIT on the mixture to keep the engine warm. Under those conditions, at best I'll see CHTs in the low 300 F range. YMMV. --Paul Keller CFI-IA '89K@RLD
  24. Here's the antenna farm that supports dual GTNs, and Aspen 2000 system and an L-3 NGT-9000 on my Mooney. The two fuselage warts in the nearest foreground are the GTN antennae. The next two warts in the background are the Aspen RSMs. The far wart is the NGT-9000 antenna. The Aspen RSM, obviously, are over the hat rack. No problem with that--the shop simply had some interior disassembly & then reassembly to do. Yes, there are 14 rivets securing doublers under the RSMs,. Again, the #2 comm antenna was moved to the bottom, and, obviously, I have some paint touch up work to do. I only got this back from the avionics shop about six weeks ago. Your proposed position for an RSM, next to the dorsal fin, is just about where I have a 406 Mhz ELT antenna. Perhaps something to think about... --Paul Keller
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