PT20J

Just ran across this: http://www.nar-associates.com/technical-flying/impossible/TurnbackValidation.htm Skip

That sounds right. There should be timing marks on the back of the ring gear at TDC, 20 BTDC and 25 BTDC. To set the crank angle, align the appropriate mark with a straight edge placed along the crankcase parting seam.

A 406 MHz ELT has no concept of N-number. When activated, it transmits a 15-character hexidecimal Unique Identification Number. You are supposed to register the ELT with the appropriate authority for the country where the airplane is registered, and that's what links the UIN to the aircraft registration number and your contact information within the registering agency's database. Here's the installation manual for a popular ELT. E-04-Manual-single-page.pdf Skip

With the crank pin positioned as shown, the piston would be half way between TDC and BDC. I would rotate the crankshaft to #1 TDC -- there's a mark on the back of the ring gear for that -- and then rotate the drawing 90 degrees CCW for reference. Skip

I seem to recall some saying that this joint can be failure prone. My 1994 M20J has heim bearings on both mixture and throttle. See Note 1

That's an odd installation. Normally, the fuel flow transducer goes between the fuel pump and the servo inlet. Also, there are not supposed to be 90 deg elbows at the transducer. Skip

Personally, I think some of us worry way too much about damage history. If it was fixed correctly and properly documented, why should anyone care? A museum I volunteer at has a P-51B that crashed in England during WW II and was resurrected from a bog fifteen years ago. About all that was serviceable was the data plate. It was rebuilt from scrounged parts and looks (and flies, I'm told) like new. The first Mooney I owned had a nose gear collapse during taxi and had a new prop and IRAN'd engine. I never thought twice about buying it and when I sold it seven years later the buyer didn't have an issue with it either. Skip

Back in 2018, I was considering the purchase of a M20J with a ding in the elevator. At the time a new elevator from Mooney (etched, alodined and ready to paint) was $4731. Skins were $385 each (need an upper and lower so $770). Prices have likely gone up some. @M20Doc, how many hours does it take you to reskin one? Skip

Well, I’d start there. Since the transmit lights on the radios work, the PTT and audio panel selector must be working. So, it must be a connection from the mic jack. Skip

There is a procedure for changing a N-number. The aircraft should have the number permanently affixed and a current registration and airworthiness certificate with matching registration number. I’d get the seller to clean this up before purchasing. https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/special_nnumbers/ Skip

See page 6-18. GTX 345 Installation Manual.pdf

I just put an Airtex carpet set in my J. The carpet panel goes between the metal piece and the seat rail. the metal piece adds stiffness at the bottom so the side panel doesn’t flex into the wing root. Skip

Thanks -- somehow I missed that note. Removing the governor is a pain on an IO-360-A3B6 on a M20J. When he hung the new engine, my A&P for some reason didn't put the governor on the engine before hanging it. I arrived at the hangar after he'd hung it and when we went to put the governor on we found that there wasn't enough clearance between the firewall and the mounting studs to mount it. We had to remove the bolts from the upper engine mounts and tip the engine forward to get enough room to slip it on. Skip

I had a similar situation. My governor was overhauled and installed in 2018 but the repair station that overhauled it did not use the McCauley bearing and supplied me with a copy of the work order showing the parts used. I was curious about how to document this so I called Tom Teplik who is the FAA engineer listed as the contact person in the AD. Tom said that the AD would apply since Applicability (2) reads: Models listed in table 2 of McCauley ASB273C, with any serial number, that have an installation date after January 31, 2017... He suggested that an A&P could sign off compliance without performing the inspection in the service bulletin if willing to accept the documentation from the repair station. Tom also said that I could not stamp a B on the unit unless the service bulletin had actually been performed. My IA and I agreed to the following logbook entry: Complied with AD 2020-19-06 by determining that McCauley governor P/N DC290D1-F/T22, S/N 990751 installed on 10/25/18 contains a SCE-59 bearing and not a BA-59 bearing per West Coast Governor Service work order 1101 dated 8/9/18. Skip

I think we've bounded it. Many have noted success in simulations from 1000' Don Maxwell proved by actual experience that a 180 is impossible at 600' (He made a 45 deg turn to another runway, caused the controllers in the tower hit the floor and extended the gear at the very last instant). Skip

Interesting. I've noticed that, too. Anyone else?

All I can add is that my factory-installed EDM 700 is on the avionics bus. Skip

Chrome is high and iron is high which indicates cylinder/ring wear. Without a history it’s hard to tell what’s up, but normally one looks at this in combination with compression tests and borescope exams. I don’t think it’s that uncommon for these engines to need a top overhaul on the way to TBO. And, I wouldn’t put too much stock in the time since overhaul because a lot depends on how long ago that was done and who did the overhaul and to what limits. If all the other checks are good and you like the airplane and can agree on a price then buy it unless you are going to lose sleep worrying about the engine in which case you might want to pass. But remember you are buying a used airplane, and an old one at that. It’s always best to go into such a deal with a hefty cash reserve on hand because there will be surprises the first year or two. Good luck, Skip

The section of the service and maintenance manual I posted specifies the limits for movement at the empennage attachments. If the issue is the elevator itself, I don't know of any limits. The left and right elevators are connected via tubes and rod ends and there will be some very slight movement noticed if one is held while you try to to deflect the other. The elevator is free to move up and down to the stops, but the trim bungees will rapidly add increasing force as you move away from the trimmed position. The low bungee force at the trim point that rapidly increases with deflection in either direction could feel like slop if you are comparing the feel to something like a C-172 that has no springs. Skip

Maybe. Dynon’s currently advertising first half 2021 for M20 autopilot approval. That means it might be available in 2022. I sure would want it to be out in the field with a bunch of installations to get all the bugs worked out before I installed it. Skip

Looks great. Good choice.

Bummer. That’s the problem with warrantees, though. They generally only cover replacing the parts but not the labor or damages. Skip

Executive Autopilots and Mid-Continent are also good for consulting. I had this problem years ago and it turned out that water had intruded into the static lines and into the pressure transducer. I pulled the circuit board out of the computer and shook out all the water and it worked fine after that. Skip