EricJ

Yes, reclocking a governor in the field is fairly routine. It didn't need to be sent out for that.

Exactly. Without an overriding STC the TCDS drives what can be installed. Sounds like you're on top of it. I used to fly to Rapid City pretty regularly (it was my home town), and may start doing it again before too long. I'm kinda losing faith in West Jet from this, not that it was that high to start with.

Do you know what propeller you have? I was assuming a McCauley, but that will matter, too. If you have a propeller installed via an STC, the STC will list approved governors.

The TCDS lists the governors that are approved for the M20J, and include the C290D5F/T17, DC290D1/T22, and DC290D1/T5. I think the last character before the '/' may be the revision, which would explain why it keeps getting bumped to a higher character in sequence. I've no idea what's up with the confusion you're seeing, but I'd be a bit concerned when things get that crazy, unless it is finally working now and you're happy with it, in which case I'd be tempted to just move on.

Agreed that it's not required, but it's not a bad idea to do the runup to verify no leaks, though, especially if any hoses or anything other than the drain plug and filter have been touched. A runup during an annual including static rpm check is required per 43.15(c)2.

Generally database updates are Preventive Maintenance but software/firmware updates are a bit different. Usually software/firmware updates are considered maintenance rather than Preventive Maintenance and require an A&P or somebody in a repair station with an appropriate repairman certificate. If the ICA or update instruction documentation from the manufacturer say otherwise, then you're good to go, but this is rarely the case. AC 43.216A Par 8.2.4 says only trained maintenance personnel should install software, and 8.6 details recording the update like a new part installation.

If it's installed with an STC, like a Scimitar or something like that, the part number for the spinner and plate will be in the STC.

It's just a piece of U-channel rubber. Look at another Mooney, or along the wing on a Bonanza or something. You can slide a new one one, but it can be kind of a pain sometimes.

If the test is actived by a test button or test procedure, the signal transmitted by the 406 MHz modulator will (should, anyway), indicate that the signal is a test. This should be done within five minutes after the top of any hour, which is when ELT tests are supposed to be performed. If you do it this way the chances of a getting a call from a Space Force Sergeant go way down. You don't need to whack the ELT to "test" the crash sensor unless the manual or ICA says to do it and has a procedure for doing it. Otherwise you're guessing on how to test the unit. Many manuals just outline the self-test procedure which includes an internal self-test of everything the manufacturer determined needed to be done. Going beyond that without a procedure from the manufacturer is not required, and I'd opine may be a Bad Idea. The old gravity-bar switches on ancient ELTs were easy to manually whack-test because you could physically see the activation and test it and reset it as part of an inspection. A modern unit with an internal accelerometer is often better tested with just the self-test unless there is an additional procedure in the manual.

Many/most have a test button. Listen for the warble on 121.5 when you activate the test and check the manual for any test faults indicated. Not many people have a means to listen to the proper 406MHz channel, but if you do, it just sounds like brrt for a little less than a second. Bottom line is do whatever the manual for the unit says to do.

I have one similar to this. Very handy. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D41K8RWT Usually for the glareshield I just use a stubby philips head screwdriver, though.

Anything alkaline will corrode aluminum. Dawn soap is mildly alkaline, i.e., pH = ~8.7-9.3. If you do use Dawn soap, rinse everything very thoroughly after and you'll probably be fine. Otherwise, stick to appropriate cleaners and compounds that are neutral or slightly acidic. If you're not sure, just rinse it thoroughly afterward.

My 77 is not like that at all. There's just a block of phenolic material attached to the cage, and the little cover plate screws into that. Yours looks like it has been reworked quite a bit for whatever reasons, but that's pretty normal these days.

Given the evidence that sales are so low, the difference between pulling it off the market and not seems negligible.

I saw him speak at the Buckeye Air Fair two years ago, and at that time he was saying, "Don't get it on your paint." He was indicating that it'd damage the paint if you spilled it. So he at least knew about that. Whether he knew about the o-ring/seal/tank/materials issues is another question. If he knew about that, I'd agree that's even worse.

Hubris, imho.

There are a lot of easier things to check before $ending it to La$ar. What year or SN is your M20J? Do you know if you have a Duke's or Eaton or other actuator? They are all a bit different in what might be up with it. Is the green down/locked light on before trying to retract the gear? Easier things to check: Did you push the bypass button to get the gear to retract? (Have to ask that.) Check the relays and up/dn limit switches? The easiest first step to that is checking that there is power at the actuator motor. If there is power at the motor and it isn't doing anything, check the brushes.

Nicely done, and thanks much for doing it! It is genuinely helpful.

There has been no follow-up or additional clarification of which I'm aware. The Coleal letter is still referenced frequently when discussing Preventive Maintenance, so if there has been a clarification or update it is essentially never referenced or cited.

That's so you can swing the gear at annual inspection without airspeed indicating.

It shouldn't have dropped pressure with four quarts in the sump, unless the oil was geting very hot. +1 to just keep running it but keep a close eye on trends, both consumption and metals. If you're handy with a wrench and don't mind spending some quality time with your engine, get a good borescope and take a peek at the cylinders yourself from time to time. You are allowed to do this as the owner. This way you can start seeing what's normal or not, and get a peek at the sparkplugs at the same time. One thing to watch when doing this is how much oil is pooling in the cylinder. You may be able to identify a particular cylinder that is using more oil this way. This way if it does get to where you need to change a cylinder (if oil consumption continues to get much worse), you don't have to change all of them, just the one(s) most likely to be causing trouble. Angle valve cylinders are very difficult to get right now, so if you do have to pull a cylinder you may have to send it off for overhaul. There's always a risk when you do that that something is past overhaul limits and you'll be grounded until you can find a replacement. So just run it with an eye on it until it is evident that you really need to do something.

MIL-G-81322 is superceded by MIL-PRF-81322. Mobile Grease 28 or Aeroshell 22 are compliant. So, yes, Aeroshell 22 is used for the landing gear zerks, and can be used for wheel bearings and the gear or flap actuator gearbox.

+1 that it's a standard part. It's also, imho, a minor modification and does not require a 337 even if the part is slightly different but functionally equivalent. It doesn't even really need to have the same taper (i.e., dimming profile) as the original, just the same resistance range, if you don't mind the difference in dimming profile. Likewise any resistor of the same resistance and wattage and form factor should be fine, as that's also a standard part. The pot should have at least the same power (Wattage) dissipation capability as the previous. The FSDO is often not a reliable source. You'll get the opinion of whoever you're talking to at the time, and the next time you call you may get a different opinion from somebody else. Unless the FSDO person you're talking to will be directly involved in your project and either personally inspecting or signing something off, your IA has the opinion that matters.

It's described in the weighing procedure in the SMM, which can probably be downloaded here if you don't have it already. On most Mooneys there's a sheetmetal seam above the avionics hatch that is used. In my experience with weighing Mooneys you will need to let the air out of the nosewheel tire and probably also have the main wheels on some spacers, e.g., 3/4" plywood squares or something similar. This is assuming that the CiES installation instructions need it to be "level" in the same sense as weighing the aircraft does. The installation instructions for the senders should specify what is needed.

It's not required for Part 91. The 406 MHz part of an ELT won't be able to transmit your location without a GPS source, but it will still transmit. This seriously degrades the ability of SAR to find you and can significantly increase the amount of time for location and rescure. It is not, however, required. A 406 MHz ELT is not even required if you have a 121.5MHz ELT, but it is a good idea, especially with a GPS source.