Prior owner

I’m talking about the gap between the inter cylinder baffle (like the one in the pic you posted) and the bottom curved baffle pieces that are at the front of #1 & 2 cylinders and the rear of #3 & 4. The tie rods between the two curved pieces can be adjusted to open or close the gap on both sides of the intercylinder baffle. Fyi, the one in your pic is not for an O-360, it is probably for the IO-360. Essentially the same, though…

Dragging this thread up from the dead - Did anyone ever find a measurement for the lower intercylinder baffle gaps? I’m dealing with higher than normal CHT’s and would like to rule out any baffle issues… I believe that Tony Bingelis (Firewall Forward) had once said that 1.5-2.0 inches would be correct for the Lycomings… I know that too small a gap is as bad or worse than too large a gap. Any more info on setting these gaps?

If you are not an FAA certificated power plant mechanic, you are delving into things that are far outside the “preventive maintenance” that you are authorized to perform as an FAA certificated pilot…..it would be in your best interest, and in the interest of every person who might operate that plane in the future, to seek the services of an A&P who will, at the very least, supervise your work. It will keep you safe & legal….

My thoughts, as well…

Lycoming Service Instruction 1029

Where on earth did you get that torque value from? Those upper crankcase bolts are something like 96-106 inch lbs, not 300 inch lbs. if you’ve over torqued them, they should be replaced. Contact an A&P! Also, it is doubtful that’s messing with those bolts will affect any seeping at the crankcase halves….

We have two Tokyo’s that fit into the D with enough room for baggage for two people for a three day weekend. Your bikes are nicer, though- the larger wheels are a huge plus….the smaller wheels aren’t so bad on bumps, but they create a geometry that makes the bike almost impossible to use for any hill climbing, even with a 6 speed Shimano gear set.

This gives you some basic info on the different models that were manufactured: Mooney Buyer’s Guide

I was quoted $1800 by Lockhaven to overhaul the factory cluster gauge- because I have the older style cluster where the gauges cannot be removed individually. All I needed was the fuel gauges overhauled, and they said the entire cluster has to be done. So, for some of us, there is more than a couple hundred dollars involved with making the factory setup accurate again..

Hmm…I’m thinking the statute of limitations has probably run out on this one…2014?

IMHO there is no way to know the value of a vintage Mooney without getting some detailed history on it and doing a thorough pre-purchase inspection by an experienced Mooney A&P. Any value agreed upon is simply a necessary first step for an escrow to begin- the chance to take a closer look to see if the imagined value is even close to the real value (and with pre-J aircraft, it often is NOT). Have the IA’s who have been signing off annuals have been doing their duty? I’ll say your chances are less than 50/50 that the plane has had a proper annual done in the last 5 years… and you’ll never know until you peel everything back and take a look. All offers on these old planes made should be made with sanity; that is, contingent upon confirmation of stated condition and airworthiness. Perhaps a better way would be to take an A&P with you prior to even making an offer…. The number of people buying these planes without having a qualified person take a close look is astounding. Some do not even go see the plane themselves, prior to buying it! Insanity. Buyer beware!

Just my .02, but I’d say it needs nothing- beautiful plane...

Thanks Don, that is helpful!

Curious what others are showing for carb temp with 80F+ OAT? Any C or G owners out there? I’m trying to figure out whether my carb heat is leaking into the carb when it’s closed... I’m showing 83F Carb Temp at 80F OAT, 3500 MSL, 2600 RPM, and 24” MP.

Macfarland told me that they are still seeking certification of their throttle and prop cables for the Mooney.... the generic mixture cable is already certified for use in our planes...at least that is my understanding, per their website. The new design vernier throttle & prop cables without a push button are pretty slick- turn for vernier or just grab the knob and move in and out without having to unlock it.

Their mixture cable is a generic cable that can be fitted to many aircraft- you trim it to length. The original mixture Mooney cable had the firewall fitting swaged to it. The MacFarland cable had no fitting included, FYI.... so you need to source a firewall fitting for the mixture cable. Or did they forget to include one with mine?

What year and model aircraft do you have?

On my ‘64 there is quite a bit of room between the edge of the door and the edge of the door frame. Maybe 3/8” - 1/2”. One of the pics I posted shows the door nearly closed. It’s kind of hard to see the gap in between, but it is there.... the two bends in the arm are necessary because folding stay will not flex outwards to take up that space- it’s too rigid. You can easily make the bends with a hammer over the end of a work bench. Just be sure to drill the holes AFTER you bend the arm- the holes need to match up. Note that these things come in a package as a set of left and right- so compare them carefully to see whether one will fit better than the other. I just grabbed one and started cutting it to length. It probably doesn’t matter.... Nudging the door won’t disturb the locking support- if I were to grab the door and push and pull it violently, I would break the piano hinge on the bottom of the door, or break the screws that mount the folding support arms. Perhaps that is not a desirable feature...something to think about.

I was really impressed with it- you could push and pull the door all you wanted, but due it’s 180 design none of those forces are transmitted towards unlocking it.

I’m Reviving this thread, as I spied an interesting solution on an older model.... a 180 degree locking support hinge. Took me a while to find the source- it can be purchased at Hinge Outlet. Sold in a set of two for under $8.00 The beauty of this thing is that it isn’t an over center device- it locks at 180 degrees and stays locked until you release it, and it’s very stout. It is too long out of the box, so It has to be trimmed to length, then two slight bends made on one arm in a vice, then fold in half and match drill the new mounting holes. It’ll never collapse on you. You can buy it here: Hinge support

I went with the wingtip beacon because I’m a CB, and I also had some concern about the tailbeacon getting smacked in my tight hangar- it does stick out quite a bit. Has worked flawlessly for over 1.5 years.

Depends on a few things- how short your oil hoses, p-leads, CHT & EGT wiring, etc...is (will it have to be disconnected, or is there ample slack to move the engine out a few inches and tilt it down without risking breaking a wire?). Depends on whether or not the engine needs to be re-shimmed after the isolators are installed, whether or not you have an oil/air separator or other add-ones that typically get in the way and need to be unbolted. Typically, the lower cowl will come off (or at least moved forward) and if it’s fuel injected and the fuel lines have been run in front of the lower left isolator nut, then those will have to be R&R’d as well. Plan on 7-8 hrs labor. Perhaps a little more if the engine requires alignment after everything is torqued down. If there’s crappy stuff I there that’s been attached with zip-ties where it should be adel clamps, expect extra time to fix those when your mechanic discovers them...

Looks good. I didn’t realize that the IO360 mount doesn’t have isolator alignment pins like the O360 has. One less thing to worry about during install...

I’m going to take a swag at this... looking at your pic- it is possible that your lower forward engine mount indexing pin is not inside the locatiing hole of the isolator, causing the entire isolator to sit cock-eyed in the mount, and therefore not presenting a parallel surface to the engine flange. Look at the isolator in the mount- it looks not to be seated correctly. Possibly

Maybe split the question into 2 - what do you use during winter, what do you use during summer? I only run single weight oil during hot months...