jaylw314

Ah, okay, the M20J POH is 200+ pages in a binder. I'm glad your noggin will be safe!

I don't know how I'd feel about leaving the POH in the hat rack. If you hit something, a 2 pound weight is going to come flying forward right at head level. I just stick it in the pocket on the back of the front seats...

I know it's mean, but that made me laugh my butt off. I do apologize!

Holy old thread bumping, Batman! I also have a similar effect on the #4 cylinder. IMO, some of it might be from the way the induction system works, but some of it might be from weak spark. As you lean, the mixture gets harder to fire, and if one of your plugs fails to ignite, the EGT looks like a mag check (higher EGT), making it look like you have a double-peak. If it happens intermittently, it can end up looking like one spread-out peak. When I switched my left-mag spark plugs to fine-wires, it seemed to improve this problem, and I now get a more well-defined peak on #4. Later, I found out my left mag needed it's e-gap timing redone, so that would seem to match. Upshot is, try fine-wire plugs on that cylinder. If not, bench-checking your magnetos.

This conversation is making me very anxious I feel the need to run over to the hangar tonight...

Does it look like one of these? https://goo.gl/images/t1cPco There's a whole series of AN743 brackets, I used them in my RV project to attach the Adel clamps for wire runs through rib holes.

Would it not make more sense to contact Lycoming for warranty work since their repair work is out of limits?

Heck, I'd say just make the offer contingent on the PPI, and that you can walk away for ANY reason within a certain number of days. Just plan to renegotiate the price after the PPI. There's little sense trying to prearrange who pays for what squawks, since you're going to be arguing about what's an airworthiness item and what's not anyway. If you can't come to terms, you walk before the time limit without penalty. Pretty similar to buying a house. The seller should not squabble since he knows you've invested money in the PPI. When I bought from All-American, I put in the offer I had 3 business days after the PPI to walk out, and they didn't bat an eye. There was plenty of time after I got the PPI report to renegotiate some minor squawks, and that was that. For the OP, the purpose of the PPI needs to be clear ahead of time. People seem to have asked for any one of the following for PPI's: An independent actual annual inspection, with disassembly of necessary parts of the airframe and engine An unofficial independent inspection that is to the level of an annual An unofficial inspection that does not involve disassembly of parts other than parts intended to be removed (inspection panels, cowling, etc) An unofficial inspection that does not involve any disassembly of any type. Personally, I think #3 is the appropriate one, but others disagree. #3 would involve you paying a flat fee for an unofficial inspection. Since it is not an actual inspection, the PPI mechanic cannot "ground" the aircraft or require repairs to be made. Likewise, since disassembly is minimal, the risk of damage to the aircraft is minimal. Both of these would be reasonable concerns of the seller if he thought you were asking for #1 or #2. The comment from the one seller to "bring your checkbook" might imply he thinks that's what you are looking for. TL;DR--decide what kind of PPI you actually want, and make sure the sellers understand that. It might keep you from missing a possible deal (or they just still might be completely unreasonable). Incidentally, both PPI's I did at MSC's were about $900-950 (at CrownAir and Dugosh).

What am I looking for?

I discovered the previous owner had disconnected the cabin lights entirely. Really the only thing they missed on the pre-purchase inspection that I've found. You could, of course, semi-illegally replace the cabin light bulbs with LED's. I forget the bulb size, but they are common in automotive lighting. Then your battery would survive longer with the lights left on...

Eww. Was that visible in the heater valve in front of the firewall? I wonder if some previous owner figured they'd never use the cabin heater and stuffed the heater box with insulation.

Thanks for the comments! In retrospect, I still have this safety-blanket sense of "if I'm IFR, someone's watching me in case I have an emergency." Of course, staying IFR almost got me into an emergency, and I could keep VFR flight following anyway, but it's all psychological. I had plenty of room and space to go under or around if I made the decision earlier.

I don't think it's worth adjusting. If you have your regulator at the lower summer voltage, it will still charge the battery to 90% or more during the winter during flight. Then just use a battery charger to get it to 100% once every month or two (or leave it on a float charger all year). Having an AGM battery at 90% isn't going to cause problems in the short term, and you'd much rather ensure they don't get overcharged during a long flight. And while starting the plane might take a lot of current, the total charge used is very small, since you only crank for 5-10 seconds.

In terms of financing, the bank I used suggested they would not be concerned financing an aircraft with damage history in the past 7 years, and if it was less they would still review it.

"your city may name a day in your honor with this one in your hangar" Sheesh I'd agree on all, although I don't think terribly overpriced.

Ah. I was not familiar with the Stratus ESGi, I assumed it was for experimental aircraft only based on the OP's post. I see it's actually an approved transponder with an AML and STC for some aircraft, in which case you are very correct, it can be done and the FAA has made a point of facilitating it. Never mind me!

I'm kind of annoyed that they focused much of the walkaround and tour on the aftermarket avionics and instruments. I'd wager the vast majority of M20J's out there do not have an all-glass cockpit or Aspens installed, so somebody interested in buying an M20J really doesn't get a representative look at what they'd be getting into. Of course, I suppose that makes sense if the video makers are in the business of moving premium aircraft rather than average aircraft.

They might solve the car-hitting-pedestrian problem, but what will they do to solve the subsequent carjacking/robbery-by-standing-in-front-of-car-to-keep-it-from-moving problem, or the vandalize-by-spray-painting-the-hood-while-standing-in-front-of-car-to-keep-it-from-moving problem? So far, the one thing technology has not been able to solve so far is the fact that there is never a shortage of criminals and assholes in the world.

AFAIK, possible? Yes. Common? No

That would not apply to people who get a normal overhaul or convert to the IO-360A3B6, right? Since they're all under the original M20 TCDS, they would still go by the POH limits?

Hey, sorry I missed you, hope your trip back from annual was safe! A trick my instructor showed me for oil changes was taking a used plastic shopping bag (with no holes in it!), and pulling one of the edges of it under the lip of the oil filter pad. Then you tape the handles of the bag somewhere above it on the engine mount, and you have something to hold all the oil that comes spilling out. A 1" ratcheting closed end wrench makes removing the oil filter MUCH easier in the tight space, just get a cheap one at Harbor Freight or on Amazon. Then when you're done, you can either lift out the filter, or just drop the filter into the oil-filled bag and lift the whole thing out, being careful not to tear it on anything as you pull it up. After a bit of practice, it keeps your nose gear nice and clean. I looked at some of the oil-filter tools that punch a hole in the side and allow it to drain, but I'm not sure there's room to use them behind an IO-360... Congratulations on the new family member, and try to keep up on sleep!

The M20J POH has fuel pressure 14-30 in the Limitations section, though, and the aircraft POH supercedes the Lycoming POH, right?

Smooth! Hope she doesn't follow MS herself

Here's the quote from Don Maxwell on what the three tubes do: “J” models have the breather/ vent, mechanical pump “weep” drain and induction drain all located in the left cowl flap area.

Thanks, I think if my wife had heard my internal chant of "you idiot, you idiot, you idiot" that probably would not have helped...