1980Mooney

T82. Not TX82. It’s 5,002 ft X 75 ft asphalt.

Except that he departed from San Marcos and geared it up about 85 miles away at T82 -Fredericksburg. Other than the Hangar Hotel, there isn’t much at T82.

Texas Air Salvage has a 40-87 nose wheel off of a Beech Duchess https://www.texasairsalvage.com/main_view.php?editid1=296470

It looks like Texas Air Salvage has a pair of the Lasar Comb- tiedown/jack points that actually came off of an M20E… https://www.texasairsalvage.com/main_view.php?editid1=296005

Here is a pragmatic article on the Manual (Johnson bar) gear from KNR Shoptalk https://www.knr-inc.com/shoptalk-articles.html?view=article&id=41&catid=25

I have used these for 25+ years. I leave them on. The space for a tie down chain is tighter than the standard rings but I like it. https://lasar.com/tie-downs/tie-down-jack-point-combo-ss-tie-down-wing Standard jack pads/points https://lasar.com/tie-downs/jack-point-010000-000

Manual or electric (Dukes actuator) landing gear?

Oops….that was the title of the topic. My bad.

I can’t answer the question regarding the roll tendency Since you are the new to Mooney A&P, Are you aware that there is a downloads section that has most of the service Manuals, parts, catalogs, POH’s and sometimes other documents in the “Downloads Section“? https://mooneyspace.com/files/ You didn’t mention the year of the J that you’re working on. That can be helpful when you’re asking for advice here. My J model does not have a trim tab on the rudder. Be really careful about bending the trailing edges of any of the flight control surfaces – never use pliers or vice grips. I found that I can adjust the trim on my rudder by simply flexing the trailing edges with my thumb a little bit.

Carbon particulates from combustion byproducts in oil can be very abrasive especially as they clump together.

KITPLANES Magazine May 2025 oil filter testing showed that Challenger and K&P are not effective.

Great oil filter analysis conducted by KITPLANES Magizine. It shows that the reusable screen oil filters by Challenger and K&P are shockingly ineffective and cumulatively blind much more easily than traditional disposable pleated filters. Challenger claims 22 microns and K&P claims 35 microns effective removal however neither removed even 1% of particles in the 20-40 micron range. Examination by mesh calibration labs of the stainless-steel wire cloth in both screen filters showed that it is recognized as having only a 60 micron effective removal range within the process industry. The results show that they stop only the largest particles and that they blind off more easily In terms of effectiveness, they remind me of the old oil screens in the vintage VW air cooled Beetle engines. Oil Filter Testing - KITPLANES

Per KNR Shop Talk, they all roll to the left some eventually - the question is how quickly. "The Wing Level Test: Now, using the rudder to keep the ball centered (if not already centered), release the control wheel and begin counting seconds. A properly rigged Mooney will start a very slow bank in about 5-8 seconds. This bank should not start as soon as you release the controls! Record the direction, time counted and severity of roll. Repeat this wing level test a few times to get a trend." Before your "new Mooney owner" friend or his likely "new to Mooney" A&P starts diddling with any flight control rigging make sure that all the gear doors are closed up tight when retracted - nothing dragging or slightly in the windstream. All our planes are old and flight control surfaces may have suffered damaging forces over time. These may be in the logs as repairs if severe enough. Others may be forces that twisted flight surfaces. A common one is the right flap slightly bent near the fuselage from people stepping on it by accident for example. See the comments below from KNR about "steps not in the maintenance manual" to verify that the inboard and outboard angles of all flight control surfaces are proper and symmetrical. The KNR Shop Talk articles on flight control rigging are great. 201407 Control Rigging 200010 Fight Control Rigging Straighten Up & Fly Right Flight Control Rigging July 2014 This month’s ShopTalk will educate the reader on aircraft flight control rigging. We will show the reader how to evaluate their aircraft and verify the flight controls are properly rigged and how to correct most discrepancies. This ShopTalk is focused on Mooney airplanes, but much is applicable to Pipers. Both utilize engine mount offsets to compensate for engine torque and propeller wash and P‑factor. Cessnas utilize elevator and rudder offsets to balance these forces. Technically and legally speaking, your plane was not certified by the FAA to be out-of-rig and there are no optional documents from any aircraft builder allowing you to fly that airplane in that condition. As we all know, during an annual, when your IA mechanic signs his or her name and certificate number in the airframe log book, that aircraft meets its type certificate data all the way back to when it was manufactured. This includes all supplemental data (STCs), and all optional approved items that may have been installed over the years (337s). To be able to correctly do this job some special tools are required: airplane jacks, a digital level, Mooney rudder and aileron/flap travel boards, a straight three-foot bar to tape to the bottom of the control wheels and a ten-inch straight bar along with two C-clamps to clamp this bar across the pilot's rudder pedals and, of course, the correct maintenance manual for this aircraft. Please study the maintenance manual as the first step in this process. Some of the procedures mentioned in this articles are detailed in the manual. For instance, where do you measure that the airplane is level? By the way, most of this work must be done by an FAA certified airframe mechanic. The Flight Test is a simple one but must be done in a specific order, one step at a time. This flight test must be done in an uncongested area, on a smooth day with equal fuel load in both wings. Any lateral imbalance in the fuel load or the cabin load will bias a roll towards the heavy side. If the plane is equipped with any Aerotrim trim tabs, before departure, visually verify the tabs are straight regardless of cockpit indicators. It requires straight and level cruise flight for 10 - 20 miles. The pilot will be concentrating on airplane operation so I strongly recommend utilizing a safety pilot to watch for traffic. The Ball Test: In straight and level flight, select your usual cruise power setting and and stabilize the airspeed. Turn off the auto pilot and disable the Positive Control system (pull the button out of the yoke). With feet flat on the floor, hold the control wheel so the wings are level with the horizon. If there is rudder trim (not Aero trim) set it to the center of the rudder trim scale. In the turn & bank instrument, record the position of the ball with respect to the hash marks. The Wing Level Test: Now, using the rudder to keep the ball centered (if not already centered), release the control wheel and begin counting seconds. A properly rigged Mooney will start a very slow bank in about 5-8 seconds. This bank should not start as soon as you release the controls! Record the direction, time counted and severity of roll. Repeat this wing level test a few times to get a trend. While straight and level, ball centered, note the trailing edge alignment of the ailerons with respect to the flaps. During landing, note the amount of elevator pitch trim and availability of elevator travel. This completes The Flight Test. Back at the hangar, review the flight test notes. If the ball was not centered during The Ball Test or the airplane's tendency is to roll positively to the same side during the wing level test then it is not properly rigged and it’s time to go up on jacks. Place the aircraft on jack stands with the nose wheel off the ground and free to move. Level the airplane for both axes. Elevator pitch trim and travel limit was noted during the test flight. This is important but will not cause an out-of-rig condition that we focused on during our test flight. Elevator travel limits and pitch trim adjustments require an elevator/trim travel board. I rarely see these limits out of tolerance, but if the pitch limits are suspect, the trim/elevator travel need to be verified as correct (especially with the long nosed Mooney M20K,M,S,R,TN). Adjustment procedures are beyond the scope of this article. Now that the airplane is up on jacks and level, the first item to look at is the turn and bank instrument. Is the ball centered between the hash marks? If not, then fix this first. If the airplane has an Electronic Flight Director, power it up and verify it is displaying level. A vacuum-driven horizon can be leveled if an external vacuum source is available. Never run the engine of an airplane while it is on jacks. Doing so could lead to an event that negates any efforts at rigging the flight controls, forever. If not able to calibrate a vacuum-driven horizon while on jacks, another leveling process will be addressed later in this article. Using the ten-inch bar and C-clamps, the pilot’s rudder pedals are aligned with each other and clamped. Next, tightly tape the three-foot bar to the bottom of the control wheels so they cannot move. Remove the belly panel and locate, under the pilot's floor near the fuel strainer, the aileron/rudder interconnect springs. These springs should be stretched to the same length (typically 4.9 inches). If they are different lengths, adjust them to be equal. Place the aileron/flap travel board across the wing at the correct wing station and verify that both ailerons are at the same degree of droop, 0 to 2 degrees. The ailerons will tend to rise during flight, so some droop is desirable. Adjust the ailerons to be equal and within tolerance. Verify that the outboard flap stops are limiting the flaps and that the outboard flap angle is the same for each flap on our travel board scale. Adjust this before going any farther. For the controls surfaces (flaps, ailerons, elevator, rudder) there is one aeronautical engineering standard you must achieve: any control surface must be straight within 1 degree along the control for the plane to fly hands off correctly; no twist, no bends. Now comes the part not in the maintenance manual. Using the digital protractor, measure all the outboard and inboard angles of the flaps and ailerons. Sight along the trailing edges to detect any bends and measure these also. Organize and record all measurements so they can be scrutinized from one wing tip to the other. Any flap or aileron that is twisted or otherwise bent more than 1 degree must be repaired. The flaps may be slightly lower than the ailerons as long as the flap angles (all four of them) are within1 degree of each other. If your Mooney flies slower than the book numbers it could be that full-up flaps are drooping and need to be adjusted up. I often observe, over the years, the inboard angle of the right flap is bent (twisted) down 2 to 4 degrees from people stepping on it. When your Mooney was manufactured, all of its control surfaces were built in jigs that were recalibrated after ever so many manufacturing cycles. These surfaces have the same angle on the inboard side as the outboard side and all the way through the center, all within 1 degree. This is the structural standard that meets the FAA type certificate. Another procedure not in the maintenance manual is to secure the elevators level using a clamp on the copilot's control shaft with the stabilizer trim in the takeoff position and measure the outboard and inboard angles on each elevator. As was done for the ailerons, verify that all four angles are within 1 degree of each other. Check that the rudder is at 1 degree right on your rudder travel board. Due to normal play in the rudder linkages, set the rudder so it is no less than ½ degree offset when pushed by hand to the left and no more than 2 degrees when pushed by hand to the right. This will get the rudder as close to 1 degree right as possible. If the rudder needs adjustment (and most do), now is the time to set it correctly. Unlike Cessnas with wing struts, Mooneys have no way to wash-in or wash-out the wing tips, so if the airplane wing has ever been pranged or re-skinned, it is imperative to verify that both wing tips have the same angle of attack at the end rib (not the fiberglass tip). Place your digital protractor at the same location from the leading edge on the outboard rib and verify that both wing tips are within 1 degree of each other. It is rare to see the wing end ribs out of rig, but a Mooney will not fly correctly if the ends of the wings are not within 1 degree of each other. Unfortunately, the only way to properly fix this is to re-skin the wing tip. The engine is the next item to be checked. Start by examining the engine mounts and shims for integrity - no sag. Engine sag is more common with Lycoming than Continental engines in Mooneys. Vertical and lateral engine offset varies among the Mooney model line, so matching the engine position with a properly installed cowling is a good way to verify alignment. If the cowling has been modified (improperly rebuilt), this easy method won't work. Accurately realigning an engine from scratch involves engineering drawings and plumb bobs - beyond the scope of this article and most airframe mechanics. Just how much 1 or 2 degrees of engine misalignment has on the overall rigging is probably negligible, but again, does the aircraft meet its type certificate? If the airplane has any fixed or movable tabs, make sure they are straight before the next flight test. So, why is the service manual missing all these items mentioned in this article? When the manual was written it was based on a low-time airplane, not a decades old, twice bent airplane with 3,000 hours on it. Even a well kept, no incident airplane can have a bent right flap from people stepping on it over the last twenty or so years. Remove all the clamps and locks and verify that the ailerons have the proper travel up and down. Verify that the aileron stops are hitting at the correct travel, reset them if necessary. Verify that the rudder has its full right and left travel and it is hitting the stops on the nose wheel truss before the stops in the tail cone. Adjust the stops as necessary to obtain the correct limits. Close up everything (except for the instrument panel, see next paragraph) and go over one more time all the things that were loosened. Make sure everything is tight. This is a good opportunity to inspect the landing gear components and operation. Before lowering the plane off jacks, retract the gear and verify that all the gear doors are tight and none are hanging out in the slip stream. A sagging gear door will cause the plane to yaw. Once you are satisfied with the gear door fit, lower the gear and take the plane off jacks. If the gyro horizon hasn't already been leveled, it will be done out on the ramp, with the engine running for vacuum pressure. Be sure to have the proper tools and have the plastic panel cover removed. Taxi to a spot on the ramp where the airplane is laterally level by observing the ball in the turn and bank instrument which has already been calibrated in an earlier step. Insure the vacuum pressure is adequate and steady during the adjustment. The last step before The Flight Test is to put the airplane back to an airworthy condition (instrument panel cover, inspection covers, control locks, etc.) Now it’s time for some fun. Verify that the fuel load is even and repeat The Flight Test. If rudder was needed to center the ball (The Ball Test), then the trailing edge of the rudder must be bent the opposite way the rudder was pushed. For instance, if right rudder was used to center the ball then bend the entire rudder trailing edge to the left, viewed from the back looking forward. This will push the rudder to the right in flight. The degree of bend should be small. From The Wings Level Test, if the plane tends to roll in one direction, an aileron trailing edge needs to be adjusted. For instance, rolls to the left are countered by bending the left aileron trailing edge up. This will push the left aileron down thus favoring a right roll. Yes, if the opposite aileron's trailing edge is already bent up a bit, it may be straightened (bent down) for the same effect. Always bend the entire trailing edge. A very small bend goes a long way, so do not be heavy handed with this adjustment. It may seem like bending a ¼ inch strip will be ineffective, but along the entire length of the control surface, that trailing edge is a huge trim tab. Obviously, these adjustments of flight surface trailing edges might not be the exact amount to get the airplane perfectly in trim. When your Mooney is rigged correctly it should fly like it is balancing on a ball. It will eventually roll one way or the other but never the same direction every time and never immediately after you release the controls. In flight, when checking the airplane rigging, follow The Flight Test steps - don't shortcut the process. Remember, balanced fuel and cabin load. Once the rigging is close, it is probably within the FARs for a pilot to make small trailing edge adjustments (once back on the ground). As always if you have any questions about this article, feel free to call my aircraft repair shop at 307-789-6866 or e-mail me at shoptalk@knr-inc.com. Archived ShopTalk articles may be found on our web site, www.knr-inc.com. Until the next ShopTalk, enjoy flying your Mooney. Flight Control Rigging ShopTalk - October 2000 In this month's Shoptalk, I will explain to pilots and owners my procedures for properly rigging the flight controls of your Mooney aircraft. I know there have been several articles in the Log concerning flight control rigging, but this one is going to explain systematically what you need to consider and why. You will be able to recognize any incorrect settings. Perhaps no other maintenance procedure requires the pilot's input as much as rigging the flight controls of an aircraft. Many mechanics are not pilots and probably no one knows your aircraft as you do. Knowledge will help make rigging your aircraft a cooperative venture between you and your mechanic. I might suggest that you discuss this article with him or her prior to beginning the project. Following these steps should be an easier way than following the service manual. Most of what is in the service manual are contained here, and it must be used as a cross-reference. At the end of this procedure, I will go into detail about the final flight tests and adjustments. This procedure applies to all metal Mooney airplanes. Before starting, you must have the following as well as standard tools: A set of appropriate jacks. The service manual for your aircraft. A digital protractor. The travel boards for your aircraft. Patience Read this article to the end and understand the entire procedure. Heed the hints mentioned at the end of the steps. STEP # Place airplane on jacks. Remove belly panels exposing aileron/rudder inter-connecting springs and mechanism. Level A/C on jacks. See your service manual for this procedure. On the turn and bank indicator, make sure the ball is centered between the hash marks. Reset the turn and bank indicator in the panel if this ball is not centered. If the ball cannot be properly centered by adjusting the instrument then replace the instrument panel shock mounts. These rubber mounts are probably sagging or broken. Do not go to step 5 until the ball is centered between the hash marks when the aircraft is properly leveled. Clamp the pilot's rudder pedals together. Be sure they are even. Install a straight bar across both control yokes to hold the yokes centered and together. Measure the aileron interconnect springs for their length. Most are stretched about 4.9" long, but the important consideration here is that they are exactly the same length when the rudder pedals and control wheels are clamped together evenly. See your service manual for the exact spring length and readjust the springs until they are at this length. Do not go on to step 7 until this is completed. Verify that the rudder is aligned straight and not deflected from the vertical fin centerline. If your airplane has rudder trim make sure it is set correctly as per your service manual before checking the rudder. On the TLS, the indicator is one notch to the left of the centerline when the rudder is actually straight. Readjust your rudder to centerline with rudder pedals clamped together. Install the aileron/flap travel board on the wing. See the service manual for the exact location of the travel board. Set both ailerons for 2° droop as measured on the travel board when the control wheels are clamped together and level. Set outboard flap limit bolts to 0° on the travel board for both flaps. Angles are the same for both flaps using a digital protractor and is the same as the inboard angle on each flap. Often, I find that they are not the same. If this is the case, then adjust the flap actuating rods to obtain the same angle inboard as outboard. This is very important; it is not discussed in any Mooney service manual I have ever seen. If the outboard angle is 15° but the inboard angle is 17° then the flap will cause extra lift on that wing and you will never get the airplane to fly straight. Do not go to step 12 until all four angles match within 1/2 degree. Remove aileron and rudder pedal locks and clamps. Using a wooden clamp, align and secure one side of the elevator with the horizontal stabilizer and verify that the other elevator is at the same angle using a digital protractor. This is the other area I frequently see out of rig. If one elevator is up 2° when the other is level, then the plane will want to roll because of the twist in the tail. Using the aileron travel board, verify that the ailerons actually travel up and down the full and correct amount and that they hit the stops on each bell crank in each wing. Once you have set the stops properly and the ailerons are rigged at 2° droop (each aileron) you will find that the control yoke will turn the same amount from left to right. Verify that the flaps go down the proper amount using the flap travel board. Refer to the service manual again to determine the degrees of travel. Verify that the stabilizer trim travels the correct amount in the nose up and nose down positions using the correct travel board and figures from your particular service manual. This is critical on the TLS model. Verify the trim indicator is set properly for the tail position. Adjust the nose gear stop bolts for the correct rudder travel. Frequently these bolts are bottomed out and will not touch the stops. With the new style nose gear truss the bolts are, in fact, the rudder stops. The clamps and brackets in the tail are no longer utilized for this purpose. If there is a rudder position indicator, make sure it represents the position of the rudder. Verify that the elevator stops are set for the proper elevator travel. Readjust the clamps and brackets in the tail if there is insufficient elevator travel in either direction. Re-bend all rudder and aileron trailing edges to straight. Sight along the length of the trailing edge. Carefully bend the tabs or the trailing edge until completely straight. Verify on TLS models that the elevator tabs are bent down 7°. It is amazing how much extra nose up authority this little tab on the elevator gives the airplane. On all aircraft be sure left and right elevator tabs are the same. If different, a little roll force would be produced but worse, torsional stress would be induced in flight between left and right elevators. Now is a good time to adjust the nose gear steering. Check the steering horn for excessive play and that it is adequately greased. Steering horns that are worn (I out and/or improperly shimmed are common problems. This has become a very expensive part of all Mooneys but it is important, so make sure that it is correct before going on to step 23. You can readjust the linkage between the steering horn and the rudder pedal torque tubes and some adjustments may necessary once the aircraft is back on its wheels. Retract the landing gear and check the gear doors and fairings. Always take the opportunity when the aircraft is on jacks to observe a landing gear cycle. Misaligned gear doors cause excessive drag and can affect aircraft trim. These two items must be performed in the correct order. Lower the gear and remove the airplane from the jacks. Fuel tanks should be balanced. Testing time! Be sure to take notes while taxiing and in flight. Do some taxi tests. If the aircraft won't track straight with zero rudder deflection, you will experience excessive nose wheel tire wear and some directional control problems during landing. Crosswinds from one side will be more difficult to handle than from the other side (no, don't adjust the steering for your prevailing winds). At normal cruise power, 65 to 75%, in calm conditions, level the airplane out and allow the airspeed to stabilize. Level the wings with the autopilot or P/C system off. Put your feet flat on the floor and verify the tum and bank ball is centered. If it is centered, skip to STEP 27. Be sure the rudder trim is centered. If you must push the left rudder pedal to center the ball (remember "Step on the ball!"), the trailing edge of the rudder will have to be bent to the right. Remember to bend the tab from the NAV light all the way to the top of the rudder evenly. When the plane will fly with the ball centered, feet flat on the floor when the wings are level you can move on to step 27. Again; normal cruise power, calm conditions, P/C system or autopilot off, rudder trim centered. With feet flat on the floor verify that the ball is centered. Level the wings and release the control yoke. Observe the position of the ailerons with respect to the flaps. Take notes. If one aileron rides higher then the other, equalize them by doing the following. On the low aileron, bend the trailing edge down. That will raise that aileron. Typically, both ailerons should ride slightly above the flaps. The aircraft at this point should fly straight and level. Recheck the ball. Step 26 and then this step may have to be repeated for fine-tuning the trim. Some hints on bending the tabs: A little bend of 2 to 3 degrees goes a long way. Bend evenly the entire length of the trailing edge of the control surface. If you have an aftermarket Aerotrim system installed make sure the indicator pointer is centered and the trim tab is straight (faired). If the aircraft flies straight with autopilot or P/C systems off, don't re-rig the airplane. If when you engage the P/C system, the plane rolls (with the P/C knob centered) then check the P/C servo rubber cups. Replace the cups as necessary and try again. If the aircraft has a retractable step, have someone observe that the step retracts completely when the engine is running. If it does not retract, then the servo cup is not getting enough vacuum pressure or the cup is bad. Again, be patient. After some additional flights, you may want to revisit steps 25, 26, and 27. In conclusion, I will say that about every third airplane that comes into my shop is out of rig. When I ask an owner about it, a typical response would be, "It has always flown that way." That does not need to be. A little time, money and effort can put you back on the straight and level. Better fuel efficiency will offset the money spent. One final item: Is the engine properly shimmed in the engine mount? The Lycoming-engined Mooneys have two thicknesses of shims installed between the rubber engine mounts and the engine itself. An incorrectly shimmed engine will have an improper angle of thrust in relationship with the centerline of the fuselage. This is a very difficult item to resolve because every airplane was shimmed differently at the factory. Remember, all these planes are hand-built and no two are exactly alike. When referencing the Parts Book or Service Manual for the engine shim part number or location, you will only find, "AR" (as required). That's because Mooney uses an engine jig that is mounted on the firewall and the engine is shimmed to match the jig.

I wonder if Thoma Bravo was aware that this was in the Garmin pipeline. This can't be good for ForeFlight. They will have to play catch up if they are able or just forfeit market share and price. Just one more step in which Garmin seamlessly integrates hardware and software to ease use and pilot load. But remember - this will just make us more dependent upon Garmin. I am sure it is a calculated step in Garmin's strategy towards creating a GA avionics monopoly at the end of the day.

This is off topic for the OP, but your outboard extended range filler cap does not look like it is installed per the Monroy instructions. My outboard filler cap, like yours, is also smaller than the factory OEM main tank cap, however the filler cap adapter ring should be mounted under the skin of the wing (inside the tank). Your adapter ring appears to be on top of the skin of the wing. I have the Monroy Installation manual and drawings. I can see how someone might misread the instructions, but the drawing is clear. Also, the hole will not be large enough for the outside of the taper on the adapter plate. I think that is why yours looks like it is not even flush with the outside skin of the wing. Here is a picture of the inside of the main filler adapter plate mounted on the inside of the tank. The adapter plate (ring) is clearly visible on the inside. It creates a cleaner, almost flush installation. Look at this other installation on a K. Outboard extended tank filler - notice that it is flush and the cap adapter ring is under the skin of the wing.

Bob Hoover shock cooled his engines every flight. He would go from full power to shut off and props feathered. He never cracked cylinders. “Hoover flew a precise deadstick (no-engine) maneuver with a loop, eight-point roll, a 180-degree turn to a touchdown with first one wheel and then the other wheel, landing, and taxi to air show center.”

Good point. Vle for the F is 120 mph. The J is 140 knots or 161 mph.

Alt Application Data That is the recommended Hartzell starter. See pdf above. New Starters From Hartzell Engine Tech | Aircraft Spruce ®

Agreed Everyone seems to think their engine is made out of crystal. We are talking about a Naturally Aspirated engine that isn't even making 60% of peak power at that altitude. I have been doing this for over 25 years in a mid-body with a 300HP IO-550 - and no speed brakes. - flying over the Sandia Mountains and then dropping right into KABQ. Look at the M20J Emergency Descent procedures from the 1996 POH revision. Gear Extended will give the same 2,000 fpm rate of descent as gear retracted only at a slower more controlled speed. Just reduce throttle and retard power - the only thing it says is to try to keep cylinders at 300 F.

Long ago I used Camguard and I did have the starter adapter fail. I stopped Camguard at that time when the new starter adapter was installed and have never used Camguard again. As stated above I now have 12 years on my starter adapter with no problems. Maybe a coincidence and maybe related.....

Love it! So true.

Yes it should. The starter adapter on my higher torque Cont. IO-550 has been going strong for 12 years. What starter do you have on your Continental? Is it a lightweight starter or factory original? Sorry to hear but the good news is that it failed at your home drome. If it had been at your destination or worse at an intermediate stop on the trip, you would be really screwed on a holiday weekend. - no flights/ if you do find some the price will be sky high. Then getting the plane repaired later remotely and logistics to fly it back would be a nightmare. Someone posted in the past an old aviation saying. It went something like : "Only when you have the luxury to take your time on a trip and don't have to be in a hurry to get anywhere, then that is the time to fly your own piston plane....."

Works perfect.

Personally I would be cautious in this case about advising to turn off the autopilot in the clouds and to slip in the clouds. @RescueMunchkin posted in late 2023 that he was looking for his first plane so it sounds like he is a fairly low time/low experience pilot. He is asking for advice on how to fly in his plane in clouds in a stressful environment where ATC is telling to expedite faster than he is used to or comfortable. It is just one more possible form of stress or possible disorientation. I agree with @PeteMc. There is way too much concern about shock cooling, pulling throttle and coasting against the engine and also too much concern in other posts about advancing the throttle too fast. Your engine and prop are overdesigned to handle stresses of sudden changes at SL making 200 HP. You said you are at 10.5 and 19.5 MP. You didn't say your RPM but even if you were wide open at 2,700 rpm you would only be making 120 HP (60%). @kortopates has lots of good advice to stay ahead of your plane when in busy ATC conditions. But if you need to pull the throttle, DO IT and don't obsess about hurting your engine or prop.