PT20J

DC-3 has a shear pin on the tailwheel. Boss tried to turn too tight with the tug and we got to replace the pin.

I believe the monkey wrench is also often referred to as a Ford wrench because they were supplied with model Ts and perhaps others back when drivers were expected to know how to maintain their vehicles. I have one that belonged to my grandfather. It’s the best wrench for wheel nuts.

X/C 20W-50 and Shell W100 Plus are both mineral oil based. X/C is thinner with viscosity index improvers (VII). Why would one coke exhaust valve guides more than the other? The Plus in the Shell oil signifies that it has the LW-16702 anti scuff additive mixed in so you don't have to add it. If you want that and desire the Phillips product, you can use Phillips Victory instead of X/C. Phillips claims that X/C improves oil consumption compared to straight weight oil. The theory is that the VII increase the viscosity well above 50 weight on the hot cylinder walls and reduce the amount of oil getting past the rings into the combustion chamber. My oil consumption on a rebuilt IO-360 with about 100 hours on it went from 8 hr/qt with 100W to 12 hr/qt with X/C.

My 1994 M20J was 28V at the cigar lighter. The battery is about 24V, the alternator puts out about 28V. Some stuff is labelled 24V; some 28V. It's the same thing -- just how you look at it. So something labelled 24V or 28V will work, assuming that the lighter is not stepped down to 12V as apparently some are. Just get a multimeter and measure it.

I believe that’s a Whelen part. Check with @OSUAV8TER

Well, they were located at the left wing root, so pretty hard to bump into

Assuming the F is wired like the J (and I'm pretty sure it is), the landing gear actuating and warning circuits are completely independent. If the actuator will not run in either direction, the problem lies in something common to both up and down actuating circuits such as the motor, wiring, circuit breaker or the gear switch.

Legally, aircraft instruments can only be repaired by a FAA certified instrument repair station.

I might call a couple of overhaulers - they must run into this often and may have some tricks.

It's pretty easy to double check the aileron and flap rigging. 1. Strap a bar across the bottom of the yokes to hold them in the neutral position. 2. Check that the ailerons are both deflected down about 2 deg. (This allows for the ailerons to drift up slightly in flight). 3. Place a long straight edge on the trailing edge of the wing and check that the flaps are aligned with the aft section of the wing at the ends and mid-point. (The surfaces don't line up perfectly -- you're just checking for any obvious deflection of the flap relative to the wing). 4. The flaps should either be aligned with the ailerons or be slightly higher than the ailerons (because the ailerons are set down 2 deg.) But they need to be the same on both sides.

If you are certain it is rigged correctly, it’s simple to make a fine adjustment following the procedure in the service manual.

My IA swears that for stuck parts where nothing else works he uses a 50-50 mix of Stoddard solvent and Dexron ATF and lets it soak overnight.

Mooney might have some of that in stock as it undoubtably bought it in bulk. But, I’ve often wondered how to install it since it looks like it’s applied before the empennage is mated to the tail. Maybe when it’s new it is soft enough to thread it around the leading edge.

The Decathlon I used to fly just had toggles and they weren’t even locking.

Well, that interpretation certainly makes sense. And, my IA may have had it wrong. IAs do seem to disagree a lot. When I was purchasing the airplane, Don Maxwell did the prepurchase inspection. He had done some work a while back on the plane replacing a wingtip, outboard wing skin and a rib due to a hangar door incident. I had another IA of about Don's years of experience review the logbooks. He said that the repair should have a 337. Don said it didn't need one because he just replaced some parts with new factory parts. I asked a third IA that is director of maintenance at a large Part 135 operation and he thought about it for a while and agreed with Don, but said he wouldn't find fault with someone who thought a 337 was warranted. I'm lucky to have two experienced IAs on my home base and if I don't like the answer I get from one, I go ask the other. Sometimes they agree; sometimes not. But then all the FSDOs don't agree with each other either. That's why you get an STC for Rosen sun visors and don't need one for GLAP windows. From GLAP FAQ: Q3: Why are your thicker side windows not STC'd? A: Our regional FAA has determined where STC's are to be applied. Keep in mind that not requiring an STC keeps the paperwork down and a 337 form is not necessary. We have been told by our regional FAA office that STC's have been overused for minor changes, thicker side windows are considered to be a minor change by our regional FAA office (Chicago).