hammdo

Interesting they call it a ‘Piper Mooney’… hate to hear he perished… -Don

lol… I hear ya! Don

nice! I might want to add the gray to the 1 like the 2 or 0 has… optics ;o) -Don

Out the door, ~$23k for labor, RnR, IRAN and new items. The case/crank etc was certified 800 hours ago. Discussed with a few A&Ps, IRAN was my best option - took 3 weeks vs 6 months of down time. Also, no metal in previous filter checks, this one showed up and oil analysis showed it went up a lot. Decided I didn’t want to fly with more metal being made… Still breaking it in… -Don

I just went through this: what I found in the filter: what it came from: did an IRAN with new cam, DLC lifters, cylinders, bearings etc… -Don

Got a loaner from the shop - seems this is not unusual for the GTX 327. Mine lasted 4 years since the last Garmin repair. This one totally died…Auto Pilot is gonna have to wait a bit… Got to fly a couple of hours so more engine break in. In 6 hours total so far, added 1 quart so it’s stabilizing… -Don

Transponder went out again. Not the best of luck for sure but when it rains sometimes it pours… hoping to get a working 327 while mine is repaired again by garmin… this repair lasted just over 4 years… -Don

Yep, GDL 82 is bricked, nothing is recognizable. Gonna bypass the unit so at least the transponder can be tested. Really curious why it bricked… shop is checking with Garmin, shop hasn't seen this before… -Don

Antenna was hooked up. Ran the GDL 8X program on my PC, all settings lost in the GDL 82. Checked with the shop before doing anything. We’re going to see if a factory reset will get it ready to reconfigure but, that appears to be why I lost ADS-B and transponder transmissions. -Don

Nice! I need 2 of them! Called JD and left a message… -Don

Yep, gonna pull the one piece and check it… Appreciate the idea to check… -Don

McFarlane:

Alternator fixed! Did another break in flight today - getting closer. It appears the transponder is not squawking (ATC said noting is showing up). I’m guessing the antenna cable popped off or the connector is having issues. Talked to the shop and I’ll be bringing it in for diagnostics. -Don

Pics…

Another break in flight today - almost 2 hours - lost the alternator due to broken connector so cut it short. Found the broken connector and will fix it tomorrow. Gotta figure this will happen since all the removal/installing of the older connectors. Takeoff, cylinders 1 and 4 were hottest but once I got moving they tamed down well. Had to add a quart of mineral oil and will be monitoring that. Planning on flight tomorrow after fixing the broken connector. -Don

It was fast, having most of the new parts already helped too. Most accessories were either overhauled/IRAN already, did the new mechanical fuel pump (bleed-off is real slow now) while the engine was off. With all the new stuff, she should be in great shape. I’m still scheduled for AutoPilot in April - that will pretty much finish off the avionics. I have 3 other things I want to do, the controls in the aft section of the tail, prop balance, and fuel tanks - once the AutoPilot is done. I’ll put some hours on the engine for a while before launching out or doing anything else… -Don

Shes back and broke in! Ran strong, had to fix EGT on #4, gear warning needs adjustment but that was it. Flew her back to Mesquite after 3 hours of breakin run. 2 more hours and I’ll change the oil. 2600 RPM, touch of carb heat, cowl flaps closed…

Where the huck bolts are looks like corrosion… -Don

Like my Camaro on e85 - I need 30% more fuel to run - on cold days I have it set for even more to kick it off. I would find it hard to use without some form of computer/ecm. Cooler running and more power - its even hooked on ‘meth’anol ;o) -Don

The dye works great… clean then fly in pattern once… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002M4G24U/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8 -Don

She’s alive! Shop was able to prime and then start her up today! Shop noted right mag needs timing adjustment but all else came out great. Now, waiting for a good weather day to break her in… -Don

https://lasar.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=418263be1d9c7a7f755f64da3&id=a9c67e4e18&e=0a44abd565 got this email an hour ago…

Got this email today from Lasar:

Shop is close to startup! Here are the expected costs: ~$9800 for 4 new Millennium cylinder kits, piston pins/caps, new cam, DLC lifters, gasket kit, new alternator belt, quick drain(I bought and supplied) ~$2700 for all main and rod bearings, 8 new plungers (lifters), 8 new tappet sockets (plungers), 8 new rod bolts, 8 new rod bolt nuts, 4 new pushrods, 2 new lower engine mount bushings, oil and filter, new spark plug wire, incidentals/shop supplies ~$10,500 labor for annual, remove/reinstall engine ($3250), IRAN engine ($5000), IFR certification ($425), R-N-R electric step, flush oil cooler/lines, running /final engine configurations tax ~$220 Total so far is ~$23,220 for this year’s ‘annual’. Give or take a couple hundred more. Hoping that is it for now but that is an approximate cost based on shops current estimate. Once initial run is completed I’ll know for sure. -Don

SWTA still owns the STC but JD bought the company from the previous owners. They are not making STC kits. Sometimes they can fix/replace items (I had my windshield replaced by them). -Don