MisfitSELF

Performance. I had just installed a surefly and instead of making everything better, it seemed everything got worse. Harder starts, more not less fuel burn, less power not more power etc. It happened that this plug was one of the four ignited by the Surefly. I'm still digging through some issues but one of the steps was inspect and clean and regap the plugs and that's when I discovered this plug was bad.

For whatever reason I'm just picking up on this thread and the other thread from back in 2018-2020 about this issue. Just two months ago, I discoved that one of my Tempest Fine wires lost it's center plug. I just thought, at the time, it's just goes with the territory. Now I'm glad I've held on to the plug. I've emailed John at Tempest to see if they have any guidance for me. Bruce

It's been about four years since I've been to Furnace Creek and the runway was in awful shape, washboarded with lots of cracks. I was thankful to get out of there without collapsing my landing gear. I understand there's a better half or a portion of the runway that is in better shape, but I'm not bringing my bird back unless they repair it. Here are some remarks from the current "AFD" in Foreflight: Runway 15/33: Up to 4 inch salt heave and runway cracks. could dmg aircraft with wheel fairings or cause a potential to blow out a tire. pavement heaving, extremely rough surface. potential for dmg to aircraft using this runway. That's gonna be a no from me dawg...

The Lycoming SSP-1776-5 shows 35 in-lbs for silicon gaskets. Not sure if this applies to your engine. Lesson I've personally learned. If you get the gaskets that are a buck or two cheaper from aircraft spruce (the one that don't say if they are PMA'ed) then the bolt holes will be too big and it will leak oil through the bolt holes. Make sure you get the ones the seal up against the bolts. In other words, the gasket bolt hole diameters should be snug against the bolt as you screw them in. But don't over torque! Bruce

I've read (probably on Mooneyspace) that the Lycoming IO-360 injectors are already very well balanced and likely will not gain much with GAMI's. For instance my M20J has a "GAMI spread" of about 0.2gph with the stock injectors. Bruce

Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo both have marker beacons on their ILS. A few month ago, I flew the one at KSMX in actual conditions and got to hear the beacon. This with my dual garmin 275 + GTN 750 set-up! My MB antenna, however, is inside my belly panel so it doesn't stick out. Bruce

Out of curiosity, would the engine probes (CHT, EGT) for an Insight G4 work if hooked up to a Garmin GI-275 EIS? A follow-on question: if they did work, with the addition of Tach, Oil P, Oil T, Fuel Flow, Fuel Pressure, and quantity --> could this replace the certify gauges? A little bit of back story: about 4 years ago, I upgraded my Insight GEM 602 to a G4 because I wanted to be able to download my data and want the flasher display - AND - I didn't want to go through the trouble and expense of replacing all my gauges. Now a few years later, I regret that I didn't bite the bullet and get a certified EIS that could replace my legacy gauges. I'm thinking that sometime in the next couple of years I may do this and am trying to figure out my options. Bruce Edit: Here's what the Garmin site says about using non Garmin probes: Due to the variety of sensors used in aircraft engines, each individual sensor must be evaluated. For advice on which EIS sensors are approved for the GI-275, please contact your local authorized Garmin Dealer.

Somewhat related. I had my Surefly installed at Top Gun back in May and had an Insight G4 and the legacy (analog needle but uses pulses off the mag) Tach in my 1984 M20J. I purchased the Tach2 because I suspected I'd need it. However, Mark tried and tried and could get the Tach signal to work on either device from the Surefly with or without the Tach2. He tried the different signal outputs from the Tach2 and a variety of resisters working with the Surefly folks. In the end everyone was stumped. We ended up not using the Tach2 and having to purchase and install an EI Tach to replace the legacy Tach and wiring the right mag to the Insight G4. The EI Tach (which I really don't like the looks of) does pick up the Tach signal from the Surefly without using the Tach2. Bruce

Mine uses cables as well. 1984 M20J but the speed brakes were installed in 1990 or 1991. They are precise flite and they are totally mechanical. No vacuum and no electric required. I'd also be interested in a source for the cables. I've contacted preciseflight a couple of years ago and was told "well pass the message to our expert on those and get back with you" -- of course I never heard back. I should nag them again...

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/audioathaik.php?clickkey=8962 It says it's "Mil spec" wiring -- do you think they wouldn't use the same wire for the in-line fuse? It looked like the same wire to me. And, no, another connector couldn't fit in the stock GPU door opening and still give you the same accessibility for a 1984 M20J.

The avionics shop I go to has a "sheet metal guy" who removed the door and drilled out the back plate and remade a new door using the existing spring mechanism. They even did the crease for where you use your fingernail to open the door by using a vice to pinch it against other blocks of aluminum. The work looks like "factory Mooney" but larger. The paint is a bit off, but I told them up front that wasn't very important as my bird needs a repaint sometime in the future. Here's some of the "sausage making"

Same for my '84J. That's why I had the door and hole enlarged. Not sure how John Berda above thinks another connecter could be fit into the stock door even if it were smaller. The stock external GPU plug takes up nearly the entire area of the stock GPU door.

OP here. I went ahead and purchased the 0.08 AMU kit from Aircraft Spruce about a month or so ago and then I got to talking to my avionics guy about how to approach the installation. I showed him pictures from this site and the example installations from Spruce's website. Well we got to talking while looking over my airplane and one thing led to another... Two days later...

Check out "Knots2U" for the wingtip lens: https://www.knots2u.net/search.php?search_query=Mooney+wing+tip+lens

Well if I were doing this myself, I'd try to reuse the existing brackets as much as possible. Especially the ones for the aileron servo -- that must have been a b**ch to install if done after wing close out. I figure they just built the wing around the autopilot when the original KAP autopilot was installed.

Where'd did you you have it done?

I would consider it, thanks. Wichita KS, right?

My 275's do indeed talk to my KAP150 and it works surprisingly well. However, I'm getting an annoying pitch bobble (that existed before I installed the 275's) that is being attributed to a pitch servo or an encoder that is related. Either way it will cost 2-3 AMU to fix so I was considering on just springing for the GFC. And indeed, I am getting a bit of the "we don't want this job" vibe from this shop. They do good work but they are now doing a lot of work for the "big boys"

To clarify: the rough order of magnitude quote wasn't "$10k per servo" for the hardware only. It was meant to represent the labor and hardware for each axis or servo string in the autopilot system -- so to reiterate, the out the door price would be about $40k from this installer.

If any of you guys have have done this recently, and if you're willing, can you post approximately how much it cost for part and labor for your autopilot upgrade? I've been thinking seriously about having my KAP-150 autopilot removed and a GFC-500 autopilot installed in my M20J. So serious I walked in my favorite avionics shop today to get an estimate and talk schedule. However the cost estimate he gave me was on the very high side (at least to me). These guys have done good work for me in the past so I trust them, but as a former President once said: "trust but get multiple quotes...." (or was that "trust but verify"?) I already have 2 garmin 275's installed so I don't need that part. I'd like to get the 2 axis plus Yaw Damper as I've heard a lot of good things about that set up in the Mooney. My avionics guy said it would cost ~$10k per servo when all was said and done and I would need 4 total servo's. It doesn't seem like very hard math but $40k for this job seems quite steep and I was also surprised that it would take 4 servos rather than 3. His explanation was that both the pitch and trim servos would have to be replaced. If you guys think this may be incorrect or have a "take your A/C to XYZ place, instead and it'll save your gobs of money and they're the best" kind of recommendation, please let me know. Bruce Wilder

On the Mooney Pilots Facebook group, also watch out for guys who just joined that day or the day prior trying to sell a bunch of avionics. Also suspicious is when you look at their profile, it doesn't go very far back or it's nothing but a bunch of random aircraft photos (that that by itself isn't a bad thing...).

Of the pictures I've seen, this installation is the one I like the best. Can you provide me the info on the brackets, back plates, and covers you used?

Yes, please -- approximately how much for the kit and labor? And does the labor have to be done at a specific shop?

Any Mooniacs install one of those battery minder interfaces like the one in this link? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/elpages/audioathaik.php If so, how did it work out for you and can you supply pictures of your installation? Thanks, Bruce

How much did you have to pay for that one? I own a shirt I paid $12,000 for (avionics shop gave me one of their shirts after an upgrade)