PT20J

Besides the usual leak down compression test, there is the automotive style test where you put a gauge on the cylinder and run the starter a few cycles and record the maximum pressure. At the Lycoming factory class, it was said that this test is a useful measurement of the cylinder condition. The leak down test only measures leakage through the valves, and rings at TDC. But the automotive style test gives an indication of the condition of the cylinder walls since the rings won't seal as well resulting in lower pressure if the walls are worn. The example given for an IO-360 was that a new engine will be 155 psi or greater, decreasing to 140 at midlife. A worn out cylinder will read below 120 psi. I measured mine and got between 160 and 170 on a 500 hr. factory rebuilt engine.

If you want to be absolutely certain you can land with a particular crosswind, set up a forward slip early. If you cannot hold the airplane on the extended centerline with the nose aligned with the runway, the wind is too strong. It is, of course, possible to land in higher crosswinds. This is because the wind speed is much lower close to the runway due to ground friction. So, you can crab down close to the runway and convert to forward slip when very close to the ground. But this takes more skill because you don't have a lot of time to get it set up and you want to touch down on the upwind wheel, nose high, pointed straight and with no sideways drift.

There are other possibilities besides the o-ring being old. That fitting is used on Lycoming fuel pumps to allow clocking the connections. It uses a jam nut against a washer to compress the o-ring to make a seal. According to the Parker o-ring ehandbook, the o-ring is permanently deformed in this type of application and should not be reused. So, if the fitting was ever loosened or removed and reinstalled, the o-ring should have been replaced. According to Lycoming SSP-1776, a straight thread 0-ring boss fitting size 9/16-18 should have the jam nut torqued 23-24 foot-lbs. That's a lot of torque and it's possible that someone didn't tighten it enough.

As you can see from the above posts, there are a lot of ways to do this. The important point is that the maximum power available from a normally aspirated engine decreases with density altitude. If the DA is high enough to greatly affect performance, you're not going to hurt the engine by leaning it because it's not putting out enough power to need the extra fuel that full rich provides. Another point is that the power vs mixture curve is relatively flat when ROP so you don't have to be overly precise. I just open the throttle full and pull the mixture back until the power drops off and then push it back in until the power recovers. That's close enough and only takes about 5 seconds.

At that density altitude, full rich is too rich. The overly rich mixture burns slower than a best power mixture which is why the CHTs are lower and the power is lower. When you go to one mag, the mixture burns even slower because there is only one point of ignition. That causes a larger than normal power drop which shows up as lower rpm. It's a good practice to lean to max rpm for the mag check regardless of altitude in a NA engine because then you are always testing under the same conditions. At density altitudes above 5000 feet, I always do a full power run up and lean to max power for best takeoff and climb performance.

I installed a Guardian unit when I did my panel upgrade https://www.guardianavionics.com/guardian-aero-451-101-panel-co-detector-certified-norsee

You do all the rigging by the SMM first and bend metal afterwards to make small tweaks if necessary. Shoptalk - rigging.pdf

Normally, the Go Around switch is mounted on the panel near the throttle. It must comply with the STC:

Before I bought my first airplane many years ago, I consulted with a friend that had owned an airplane for several years. He told me that the best part of owning an airplane is that the flying is free. "Free?," I asked. "Yeah," he said. "After paying thousands a year for insurance, thousands a year for maintenance and annual inspection, thousands a year for a hangar, and thousands for upgrades, gas and oil for an hour of flying is essentially free." Of course, gas was cheaper, back then.

ABS pipe cement from the hardware store also works well to glue the interior pieces.

On mine, the rear panel had a lip on the front and the front panel had a lip on the rear and the lips were screwed together with #4 screws. The only way I could get to the screws was to take most of the screws out of the rear panel and lower the front at which point you might as well take it out to avoid damaging it. I think the two panels are designed to be removed and installed as a single unit. Maybe someone else has found a way to just remove the front panel, but I just took them both out since I was going to paint everything anyway. While I had them out, I backed up all the screws that just screw into plastic (like the panels that cover the dome lights) with Tinnermans so they wouldn't strip out.

Someone posted this schematic a while back. It sounds like a problem with the takeoff down limit switch. Flap switch logic.pdf

One more thing. The 2700/2800 studs can be used with two types of retainer washers. The star washer holds the stud firmly against the panel -- it's the type used on the tail cone access panel. The cowling uses the split washer that allows the studs to be pulled away from the sockets. Some people prefer not using any washers so that the studs can be removed like screws making the upper cowling easier to remove and install. The smaller studs can be installed without special tools but it is difficult to install the larger 4002 studs without a special pliers made for that purpose. Get one -- it's inexpensive and makes the job easy and avoids risk of slipping with makeshift tools and damaging the paint.

All you need is time and financial resources. Getting a commercial certificate is a good thing because the training is structured and you have to meet a defined level of proficiency. But, you need to do it intensively which will also protect you, somewhat, from instructor turnover. When I was actively teaching (I'm a CFII SMEL), pilots that took forever and often quit were the ones that had busy schedules and could only fly a few times a month. Block off some time and get 'er done. A new to you 40+ year-old airplane can be expensive the first year or two of ownership and can spend a lot of down time in the shop. Most people that sell airplanes do not wake up one morning and decide to sell their meticulously maintained airplane. They have usually been thinking about it for some time and deferring maintenance during that time, perhaps because they really could not afford to own it. Or, they decide to sell when something expensive rears its head like tanks needing resealing. So, you want to pick your airplane very carefully which takes time. Even then there will be surprises. Insurance will be expensive the first year or two or three. Heck, I've got loads of time in all kinds of airplanes from a Piper Cub to a DC-3 and all kinds of ratings and no accidents and mine is still expensive. Probably the best thing you can do is fly a lot and get an instrument rating.

If there were good news, we’d hear about it. The fact that Jonny is silent means that there is no good news to share. Do you really need the details?

At the Lycoming factory class it was pointed out that higher is always better and anything below 100 psi (115 during start, warm up, takeoff) is fine. Lycoming considers 160 F to 210 F to be the normal range with 180 F nominal. The lubrication system will begin to drop pressure when the oil temperature reaches 220 F.

No, there is extra stiffening for the right wing walk. You can see it if you look in the right wheel well and compare it with the left.

The original fasteners are Camloc 2700 (small) and 4002 (large). Often, if you want the best fit, you have to try different lengths in different holes because the cowlings vary slightly in thickness. Camlocs are available in Cad plated steel or stainless steel. Skybolt makes identical parts in stainless and Skytanium (lightweight). The flange on the 2700 studs is 0.390" diameter. It works fine if the holes in the cowling are not augured out. Skybolt also makes a 2800 stud that has a 0.500" flange - not as finished looking but saves you if you have enlarged holes. (If you use the 2800 with a standard hole, you might have to ream it to 0.310 to get the flange to lay flat). The studs are all available in slot or Phillips head. Phillips is less likely to have a screwdriver slip and scratch the paint. Slot makes it easy to check alignment of the heads during preflight to make sure all are fully seated.

You might want to check around. When I bought mine last year, Mooney had them in stock. LASAR didn't but was willing to order it. I got it from a MSC closer to me at a significantly lower price than LASAR quoted. Mooney sells to all the MSCs at the same price, but each MSC sets its own markup. Since its latest move, I notice that LASAR has raised its parts prices. I'm not knocking them, but it may pay to shop around on an expensive part. Also, the part comes primed so it has to be painted. I ordered mine through a MSC and had it drop shipped to me and then had it painted at a local paint shop.

In general, it depends on the AD wording, the serial number of your airplane, and what has been previously done and logged. Specifically for AD 85-24-03, the text requires one time inspection and repair of fuel tanks on airplanes within a specific serial number range that may have left the factory with drain holes plugged with sealant. It also requires the same inspection and repair if the tanks have been resealed in the field. It further requires annual inspection of the Shaw fuel caps.

What I believe @cliffy was alluding to in the original post is that CG is only one parameter. Moment of inertia is also a consideration. A bowling ball and a bowling ball cut in half with each half mounted to opposite ends of a three foot pipe both have that same CG but very different moments of inertia. Once the second object begins spinning about it's CG, it will resist attempts to stop the spin.

I would take it to a place that does a lot of GFC 500 installs. Garmin copied the Bendix-King installation, so those shops have experience with the setup. I’m told a shop can replace a Garmin Mooney roll servo in less than a day, so I would think it should be the same for the KS-178. I just sold all my B-K autopilot parts to www.skymanavionics.com so you might check with him if you haven’t located a servo.

I just screwed a large plastic-coated hook in the wall and hang it from the drill handle so it hangs conveniently right side up.

According to the note STUD LENGTH MAY VARY WITH MATERIAL BUILDUP.