nfranz10

Thanks for all the replies. I'll point my A&P to the McMaster equipment. John - I'll definitely take you up on that when I'm in town. Best, Noah

John - thanks for the response. Apologies - I did not relay the story as best as possible, here's a recap: Original OEM Solenoid Failure Symptom: Dead battery after sitting Cause: Solenoid, due to age, was weakened and started engaging, therefore causing the battery to be drained Fix: Install new solenoid 1st SkyTec Solenoid Failure Symptom: Seemed like a dead battery after sitting... Initial Fix: Recharge battery overnight, and install back in plane Result: Nothing happens when master switch flips on, so it's not a dead battery problem True Cause: KFUL A&P diagnosed that solenoid was not working properly, that it had effectively failed and I should get a refund Second Fix: Ordered new solenoid Second Result: Everything appeared to work normally again, until... 2nd SkyTec Solenoid Failure Symptom(s): After being installed approximately one week, plane was receiving electrical power and starting, but when master switch is turned off, electricity was still being sent throughout the system. When plane was dropped off for annual, A&P got in it and tested out master and it was back to not working again. Initial Diagnosis: From the KLGB A&P performing the annual, says that he thinks its a SkyTec related issue, and we should try a different brand Follow-up: I will send him your notes John After googling a dead battery, I saw that the cabin light is a common cause, so that was the first thing I checked. Also - Lakefront is my favorite airport in the country and NOLA is my favorite city! I want to make French Quarter Festival in 2018...

Hey All, I wanted to relay some electrical issues more as an advisory note, less as a question. At first, we thought the battery was getting drained somehow. I would get in the plane and the master switch would do nothing. So we looked at the Alternator, Regulator, and recharging the battery. After those fixes, the problem would come back in a few weeks. The next thing I heard was possibly the field wire, but my A&P actually looked at the Solenoid, which was an original part from 1969. So we replaced it with a new SkyTec solenoid. Within two weeks, I had the same problem. Get in the plane, and master switch would do nothing. I took it to a different A&P located on my field (my regular A&P is located at another airport) and he said the brand-new solenoid was bust. So we replaced it with another SkyTec solenoid. With the 2nd new solenoid, I ended up flying over an hour to San Luis Obispo with another pilot. When we got up there, we then had the opposite problem, when I turned the master switch off, everything would stay on, JPI, Gear Indicator, etc. We went inside to ask for an A&P, they didn't have any, and when we returned to the plane, everything had turned off and seemed normal. But we decided to head home and drop it off at Long Beach with my regular A&P since my annual is due the end of this month anyways. That was on Friday, he gets in the plane on next Monday, and nothing happens when he turns master switch on. He has since got back to me and thinks its a SkyTec related issue, so we are going to try a different brand. I will let you know the results, but wanted to give fair warning, lest anyone has been encountering a similar problem or knows what's going on here. Thanks in advance. Best,

Great, thank you. Do you guys have a sense of how much just a metal panel will set me back? Thanks! -Noah

Thanks, Bennett. I checked out your panel and it looks awesome. I think I am all set on the avionics, but it would be nice to have a clean, fresh presentation. I'll look in to Executive Air.. Best, Noah

Hello all, I'm a new member, but have had a 1969 M20F since 2014. I'm based in KFUL in SoCal. I'm considering starting to spend some money refurbishing my mooney, and the two major things I need refurbished is the panel and the cabin interior (figured I'd start with the panel). I have a basic 6-pack IFR config right now, but some real lousy plastic molding for the panel that's starting to crack/fall apart. Can anyone recommend a good shop on the West Coast to get a custom panel built and possible clean up the layout? What can I expect out of costs? I've attached a picture that's not completely up to date, so I'll get a newer one up soon. Thank you in advance for the help and insight!