INA201

Haha, Hopefully no thread drift here, but I’m keeping my eye on the whole autopilot shakedown!

I bought a 1978J. I had the same dilemma knowing that the return on investment didn’t exist from a business perspective. I do feel that with a solid J airframe you can make the economics work a little better. If your heart is attached to the F then that’s where I would stay for sure. This is a hobby and we need to feel good about our decisions. I spent close to 50k on this panel and will probably only see 30k in improved value. I pulled all of the plastic and redid it myself as well. Who knows though, value is very subjective and it takes a lot of time to get these projects done. Some folks would pay for not having the inconvenience and down time if they really like what you’ve done. I love flying, working on the plane, and learning everything I can about it. It’s all a ton of fun!! Almost illegal how much fun aviation is. If there is a knot in your stomach about upgrading the F then you might need to make a change. Jimmy Garrison may could help too like another MS member mentioned above.

Congratulations on getting back in the game!

Here’s the Bonanza pic for those who couldn’t see it.

No issues with my 900 fwiw.

What about a battery powered blower to just blow off as much as possible?

I’m pretty satisfied with my plane but there is always something to push for. If I could do new paint, windows, interior, and LEDs for the 30k It would be a go. Dang, there is also the GFC500 and maybe paint too. Always fun to have a wishlist and move forward.

A lot of folks here highly recommend All American. Give these folks a call and let them know what you are looking for. If nothing else you will develop a relationship with a well respected Mooney sales operation. http://m.allamericanaircraft.com/

Let’s have some fun and debate. You’ve got a problem. You have been given $30,000 or 30AMU and you have to spend it on your plane or in the purchase of a plane. You are limited to just 30k and can’t add to this amount nor spend any more on the plane this year other than routine maintenance. It is a one time deal. The catch is that it has to all be spent in 6 months or less or you lose the dough. If you mess up and exceed the amount through improper planning you risk losing it all as well(kinda like The Price Is Right). You can spend less than the amount however. Who’s first?

I’d say 37 from what I recall.

Thanks guys! Does my voltage regulator need to be raised to 14.2? It sounds like I should be showing at least 12.2 and probably higher especially after a flight or when fully charged. I haven’t had any issues starting or whatnot just noticing the voltage on the JPI 900 was 12.2 most days and 11.8 when I turned on the master to changed the GPS cards out.

I’ve got a six month old sealed Concorde 35axc battery and am curious about static voltage. Usually the voltage before start up has been 12.2 volts. Today I went to update my GPS and the voltage was 11.8. My return voltage during flight is 13.7 to the battery. My reason for this concern is that the mechanic who installed the battery hit it with a high amp charger(I’m pretty sure) and some electrolyte May have come out. Anyone have any thoughts on this or what you guys see prior to flight? Thank you for the help.

I place this Stanley heater under the left cowl flap and turn on low. I put a cowl plug on the left and plug half of the right side and the right cowl flap remains open as does the left of course. The engine compartment and engine temp remains at a minimum of twenty degrees higher than ambient temperature. On the cool misty zero temperature dew point spread days there is no condensation on the engine or components. I would assume that the dew point inside the crank case also stays high enough to avoid condensation. I guess I could test this theory by putting water inside a bare steel tube and keep one warm and one ambient and the rust would show pretty quickly. I’m too lazy to test it out.

Just pulled this. Looks like Midwest is seeing a drop! We are still at $4.60

http://www.engravers.net/kn62-kn62a-kn64.html

Correct, but I seem to have your issue as well. Just wanted to post the other option. Is it true that there are no components between the oil pump and the pressure regulator other than the oil pressure sensor? Why do folks say things like,”the bearing tolerances may have shifted contributing to lower oil pressure.”

What do you guys think about preheating thoroughly so the oil quickly flows to all the parts, especially after extended sitting? I preheat as a normal rule below 40.

I concur. Mine sat for a few months during an avionics upgrade. I flew it twenty hours then switched to Cam Guard and Phillips. You just gotta do your best when you can. Unfortunate sitting events are going to occur periodically throughout a planes life. There are a lot of planes that sit forever all over the place which I think skews the stats and increases a true caretaker’s fear of certain failures.

I have a 1978J and this is what I ordered. I researched out the parts but not 100% sure they are correct as I haven’t installed them yet. The type of pressure regulator I have is the long one as opposed to short one(confusing I know)that sits on the top rear of the engine and is safety wired in place. Mine allows for washers to be placed in it to help with raising the pressure. Adding washers alone will help but I wanted to start with a fresh spring and ball then go from there.

I was planning to try and raise the normal operating pressure to 75 or so by making these changes. This would be separate from the low oil pressure with low oil capacity anomaly.

I had this same exact issue. The oil pressure would drop when I was 5 1/2 quarts or below. I went as far as thinking that carbon may have built up around the screen so I had it pulled and inspected. The screen was clear. 60 PSI is the minimum for the J and I typically see between 65-70 PSI under normal conditions. The pressure would run as low as 59 with less than 5 1/2 quarts. I bought a new spring and ball for the relief valve but haven't installed them yet.

You do. I recall them saying that they really improved the ram air over the original design.

Would it make a difference round or square? Ultimately it would be the design that is the most streamlined and produces the highest pressure in the top of the cowl. Just my two cents but I’m not an aeronautical engineeer.