A brass wire brush on a drill takes about 30 min to clean off the old glue.
Make sure you tape off the cabin for this because it flings debris everywhere , a mask and goggles are highly recommended.
This is the most time consuming and difficult part of the job.
While taking off the interior door panel is good for removing the old seal, in my experience, you need the panel in place during install to prevent your seal from interfering with the panel.
The door does not need to be removed.
It is very difficult, on most planes, to properly seat the seal so that it contacts the jamb all the way around. What I have done is use strips of blue tape every 6-10” to hold the seal in place while I open and close the door. Then use a lead pencil to mark the edges of the seal prior to applying the gluing.
It’s best to try to do the entire seal in one shot so that you can open and close the door with a flashlight and move the seal around for best fit. Once it’s attained, close the door and let the glue dry.
I have changed this seal in 6 Mooney doors, and I have never gotten a factory seal to contact all the way around the door.
The inflatable seal is foolproof and works better than anyone would believe without riding in the plane.
I tried the first generation of geebee’s silicone door seal, it worked great on the baggage door but no matter where I placed it on the main door, it bound the door hinge.
They have since reworked the seal and I dont believe this is an issue any longer.
This would be my second choice behind the inflatable.
The factory seal is just inadequate in my opinion.
Disclaimer, my entire focus is on noise. My understanding is that the inflatable seal can be problematic on the ramp for water intrusion so if you don’t have a hangar it may not be a good idea. I hangar my plane 95% of the time and when I’m traveling and staying on a ramp I use blue tape to cover the gap.