MBDiagMan

The fuel system was gone through and AD’s caught up with at the time of the cylinder honing and ring replacement about 85 hours ago. The engine was an overhaul about 1100 hours ago. The original engine went a few hundred hours past TBO. Don’t have the logs here for exact numbers. IMHO, the cam lobe began wearing as a result of sitting. Maybe had corrosion that led to flaking. Lycoming cams are at the top. Over a period of sitting the oil film goes away. Cam to lifter pressure, due to the microscopic area involved result in a tremendous load as measured in PSI. Flat tapped cam and lifters live a really stressed life.

At last annual, 15 Hrs tach time ago, my IO360A1A had metal in the filter. It was running great with great oil pressure and temperature and good compressions. After oil and filter I flew it fifteen hours without having to add oil, and running like a Swiss watch holding 81 PSI oil pressure and 179 degree oil temperature very steadily. I stayed very close to home while doing this flying. Within glide distance of the field most of the time. At that point we drained a sample and cut the filter to find metal again. It had been running so well that I was suspecting the prop Governor. We sent the oil sample which took almost a month to reach the lab (thank you USPS,) and it came back with high iron which indicated a cylinder or rotating shaft. We started pulling cylinders and they all looked really good. With cylinders off, we found the problem. The second cam lobe from the front is severely worn down and that lifter looks as if someone has been practicing their use of a hammer and chisel. Our plan is to IRAN the cylinders and replace the cam and lifters and probably main bearings hopefully nothing further is found when we split it. BTW, this is an 1100 hour engine that had a few years of setting still. After setting still it had cylinders removed, everything inspected, cylinders honed and new rings then put back in service. I would have to check my logs, but I think it has run about 85 hours since that point.

Pierce and Strait in Tulsa did a wonderful job on mine.

.... because the analog gauges lacked the accuracy and resolution to detect it.

The prop Governor needs adjustment.

Is this still available?

Maybe I could turn the tail around backwards and tell them it’s a Cherokee. in September or October of 2018, the TruTrak sales guy sat across the table, looked straight into my eyes and told me that it would be available for a Mooney next month. I completely understand that they are not in control of the certification process, but doesn’t this sound disingenuous?

If that happens, I guess we all will owe you a vote of thanks.

I admire the optimism of some of the posters in this thread, I really do, and I hate to be a naysayer, but we all need to face reality. We are kicking a dead horse.

Whether an engine is mid time,TBO or past TBO, it’s a matter of watching its vital signs and caring for it properly. The engine condition is more important than how much time it has been run, although engine time is one piece of important data to include in the formula.

Exactly correct. Statistically you are much safer in a high time properly operating engine than flying behind an engine within about the first 250 hours.

I don’t understand. It’s running good, good compressions. Does it have low oil pressure? If it does have good oil pressure and the other things are good and it isn’t making metal, why in the world would you overhaul it?

Yes, my insurance skyrocketed last year, but trading planes due to insurance cost seems to me a bit of a radical move.

Wow! I didn’t know they have an inertia reel. That said, what I like about the hookers in my 140 is that I am solidly held in place. If I’m going from one inertia reel to another, I’m not sure it’s worth the change. Thanks for pointing it out though.

As much as I love the Hooker harness in my Cessna, I am hesitant to use it in the Mooney because of only one reason. I would not be able to reach my fuel valve while wearing it. In the Cessna I can reach every control in the cockpit except the pilot side wing root air vent. Not being able to reach the fuel valve seems like a show stopper for me. I’ve never made the fuel valve tool that I have seen talked about here, but depending on being able to reach that tool or possibly losing it from reach is a concern. In my reel harness I can reach and operate the fuel valve with no trouble. Just call me over cautious.

Load test the battery.

I got to know Jack Hooker at Cessna 120-140 national events and have a wonderful set of his harnesses in my 140. Jack himself is an impressive fellow, and his harnesses are also impressive. I asked him at dinner one evening what led him into the business and the story is quite remarkable. While in college he took up skydiving, met his forever lady, married and then decided that as a Family Man, maybe it wasn’t the right hobby for him. In the course of his skydiving he had earned a parachute rigger certification. From that the opportunity came along to build restraints for a race car, then that led back to aviation. I had his restraints in my 140 when I bough it and absolutely love them. My current Mooney had reel type harnesses that I don’t have much confidence in. If I can put in Hookers for $200 a side, I will be doing it before I get in the new engine. I wonder if you have to pull the headliner to install them.

Great responses guys. Thank you very much. if I were to do the DTL process, how would I go about it? Ask this of the rebuilder? Have it done then send parts to rebuilder?

It looks as if my engine may be getting a new lease on life at a premature age. Is it possible and/or practical to modify for roller lifters at overhaul time?

Does the OP’s plane not have 32 gallon tanks? My 67 F does.

Well, it appears that I’m a little older than you. The Champ I flew was $25 wet and $15 for the instructor. Yes the Champ and the J3 are a hoot to fly, but they are pricey considering what it is and the 65’s and 85’s are getting harder and harde to get pars for, thus the engines are getting more expensive to operate.

Never flown a J3, but I learned to fly in an Aeronca Champ which is very similar. Great planes to fly, but they will cost a good bit more than a 140.

That’s good!

That beautiful A model is still setting outside. I took this picture about 10 days ago. So sad to see.