cferr59

So I pulled the filter screen and drained the carb. There was a small amount of a similar looking material in the screen and some gritty material in the carb bowl. Unfortunately, my method of catching the contents of the carb bowl did not work as planned so there may have been a larger quantity of the gritty material.

Its not hard to check. On the C model, it is right under the fuel selector so you have to pull the panel and then there is just one bolt holding it together. Remove the bolt and the line connecting it to the fuel selector. You do need to disconnect the gear door linkage to get enough room to remove the panel. I don't have a J so I'm not sure how different it is.

I have only fueled with 100LL and I highly doubt the previous owner would have used something else. The brown coating at the bottom appears to be tank sealant. It looks like it was painted there intentionally, but I can't think of any reason that someone would do that. The tanks were resealed in 2018 by Wet Wingologists. I'm going to drain the carb bowl and check the carb filter tomorrow. I also have been in contact with a local A&P regarding the fuel system. I am really wondering what could cause the gasket to end up like that...

I can't find the screen on their site with that part number. I did find this one which looks similar and has a different part number: https://lasar.com/fuel-system-1/fuel-selector-screen-486-293?rq=screen However it is out of stock. Interestingly there is a Piper screen with the same part number that I can get from SkyGeek. @Vance Harral Were the edges of your screen sharp? Mine are and I am wondering if this is what shredded the gasket.

The last annual was done at a reputable MSC so I am hopeful it was checked. I'm hoping to do owner assisted in the future so I can become more familiar with the airplane.

@carusoam I just pulled the JPI logs and it looks like it was hitting about 6.1 - 6.2, but it did get up to 6.5. After looking at past data, I don't think the fuel pressure is actually higher and I was just being paranoid. The fuel pressure generally runs at about 7 on the ground and sets the alarm off. The nature of the debris is such that I don't think it could get past the screen, but I am starting to think it might be worth checking the carb screen for good measure. It looks like it will be nightmare to resafety wire, but I might do it anyway.

I have a 1965 Mooney M20C. The fuel pressure on the EDM-930 tends to alarm on the ground, but typically not in the air. I noticed that the fuel pressure was running a bit higher than normal and the EDM alarmed during cruise. I decided that it would be a good idea to check the gascolator and make sure there wasn't any debris. I have attached images of what I found. - Any thoughts on what happened? My guess is the gasket was rubbing against the sharp edges of the filter screen and got shredded. - Has this happened to anyone before? - Any idea what the part number is for the gasket? I checked the parts manual and can't quite tell... - Any idea of how to prevent this from happening in the future? - While I don't believe any of the debris got past the filter screen, is there anything else I should do to confirm that there is no contamination in the fuel system? - Does this seem likely to cause higher than normal fuel pressure?

There were 2 things I wanted to do now that I bought an airplane. Fly to OshKosh and fly to Burning Man. Both were unfortunately cancelled. Disappointing, but I don't think there was any other realistic choice.

I agree. Previous owner reweighed my plane and it gained 50 lbs. I don't know what it was eating...

Assuming no discharging loads, lead acid batteries lose about 5% of their charge per month increasing at higher temps. After 60 days, you are still at 90% capacity. That said, my Mooney, motorcycle, and RV are currently sitting on chargers when parked. I think it might be for my own peace of mind, but I feel like batteries last a lot longer when on a maintainer and I hope that the extends to the Mooney battery.

Most people probably just install the included ring connector like on any other vehicle, but if you are worried, this thing seems more "official" than the included ring connector: https://www.batteryminders.com/batteryminder-accessory-bm-aik2a-airframe-interface-kit-for-use-with-faa-certified-aircraft/

On my C, it is hard to fit anything under the filter, but I managed to get a plastic shopping bag around the filter and it contained most of the mess. I ended up with a small amount on the firewall and cleaned it off with kerosene. I'll try a ziplock bag next time.

I can't imagine it will last very long. I have seen this airplane in person when I picked mine up from AGL and it looks like it is brand new.

I think I have all of you beat. I had a Lance painted for our flight club and it took 6 months. The paint job is nice, but obviously I would never use that shop again.

My 1965 M20C has the stock engine which is a wide deck O-360, but it has flat tappets. The serial number ends in -36A. It was overhauled once after 40 years in service...

Took a social distancing flight.

@eman1200 If you find extra, let me know. I used my spare the other day. One of my wing servo's is starting to get a bit of dry rot and will not last another 55 years. I emailed Brittain and they said that they are working on getting production back online, but who knows when that will be...

I flew from Jakarta Indonesia to Philly on 3/15 and there was no screening at the airport. Qatar Airways gave me a health screening form to fill out, but no one ever looked at it...

They lost a second M20J off the coast of NJ last year as well. I tried to rent one for my transition training and they did not actually have one available in November.

Philly to Charlotte Monroe Executive and back. VFR on both ends, but I had to land in Charlottesville and file an IFR flight plan due to unexpected low ceilings enroute.

I flew for about 7 hours yesterday and didn't have an issue so I am hopeful it is resolved.

Thank you everyone for the advice. I inspected the lines as best I could and the aileron and rudder servos. I found that the forward rudder servo (the one with the red line) has a small tear in the boot. I am somewhat skeptical that this is the cause due to the intermittent nature of the issue, but it seems to me that this needs to be fixed before further troubleshooting. Fortunately, I have 2 spare rudder servos so that isn't a big issue. I'll report back once it is swapped and I have a chance to take a few flights and try to repro again.

Hello, I have a PC system in my M20C and had an issue with it on a few occasions. When I return to level from a banked turn, the system wants to turn left and I have to fight it or disengage it. This occurred after both a right and a left turn. After about a minute or so, it will stabilize and stay wings level. The AccuTrak and AccuFlite were both off when this happened. Last night, I took a flight performing a number of left and right turns with and without the disengage button pressed including a steep turns and I was not able to get this to happen again. It is an intermittent issue and I can overpower it or disconnect it with the button, but I am concerned this will happen in IMC where it could pose a larger problem. Any thoughts on what to check? Thanks, Chris

What is the outside temperature when you are starting? Is it early in the day and is the engine cold soaked from overnight? Also, 2 hours of pattern work is not really a way of determining average fuel consumption. Do you have a fuel flow meter?

I sent you a message. I am interested in one of each.