hammdo

Tonight, I did the scraping, cleaning, alumiprep/alodine, then sealing of the rivets. Pics below but looks like I got all those exposed rivets.... Will test out Friday or Saturday to see if I need to do any touchups -- then, I'll do the wing-walk... -Don

Flew her tonight to get the fuel down. Started the stripping of the rivets. The plan is to do all rivets on both rows to ensure I get a good seal on those. I'll do the same process as the last rivets. Once I'm sure those are sealed well, I'll strip the rest and do a new wing-walk. BTW, I did put down 3M aluminum tape on the areas where I don't want the stripper (like next to the white paint and the area closes to the fuselage. -Don

Went out tonight and filled the plane -- happy to report 0 leaks from the rivets I sealed but did find 3 more that are just slightly seeping. I'll strip that area tomorrow and do the whole row just to cover my bases: Still, not bad for a quick seal job... -Don

Probably due to no radar at the airport I would guess… -Don

Good for the airport and city… -Don

Ditto, many straight ins…

RV folks use this for those also. Most use seal-all thinned down since it’s clear or the green loctite. -Don

Np! I figure if it works for the RV guys (some use a good sealer but others use loctite) it’s worth a go. Many have had great success doing this approach.., -Don

The syringe. The bottom is opened up to cover the rivet. Once filled and placed over the rivet, I used the red palm handle on the plunger and pushed down . With the palm handle, it applies 25 lbs of pressure around the rivet head. The palm handle is the red part in the pic. So, it’s not a gravity fill but pressure applied around the rivet head. I can do a video next time I’m out to the hanger…. RV folks use green loctite 290 to fill those rivet heads. I can imagine the reaction I’d get here if I tried that ;o) -Don

I’m trying something different. I went to a shop that has patched before. Big leak fixed, exiting small seps still there. Ok, so now I’m trying an approach that the RV folks have used for decades. Worth a shot. The patch is just a stop gap. I’m sure a full reseal is needed at some point - just not now. I can sure do the internal patch but no A&P around to review so, I’m doing something else. To me, worth the try. I don’t want to go back, pay an additional flat fee. If the first patch didn’t get it, next one probably won’t either. This is just a stop gap.. I haven’t found anywhere on MooneySpace where anyone tried this so…I’m going for it…. -Don

Cover plate is good, just the rivets.. seeped right after I filled it up when I got back. The big leak though was fixed - no more dripping in the wheel well.. -Don

This is leaking from the side Maxwell just completed. No guarantee I was told. I guess I could ask them… I’m pretty sure they didn’t fill the tank. Total time from final strip to sealing the rivets was 25 minutes. -Don

This is how I prepped the area while doing the treatment. Helped keep the Permatex from spreading: -Don

Flew the plane last night (didn't add fuel). Went out tonight to see how the curing is doing -- looks really good. I took a pic to show how the 'pressure' approach works -- filled in the rivets nicely... I'll do a fill-up this weekend to see if I need to do another treatment... -Don

FYI: "While ECI maintains that the new CermiNil process will work on any engine and any engine model, theres enough feedback in the field to support the idea that the coating is not recommended in Mooney aircraft, particularly the Lycoming-powered versions. But that has proven true for Mooneys with any chrome process, not just ECIs. With the exception of ECI, most shops we’ve talked to agree that Mooneys should be topped only with steel barrels. Some also recommend that owners of the Piper Saratoga and Navajo should also avoid using CermiNil. The jury is still out on this, however, because not all agree that these engines are problematic." From the article… -Don

I can certainly wait more time. I’ve used it on screws also but usually waited until the next weekend to fly. The red palm handle allowed me to put good pressure on the surface so I’ll be interested to see how well it worked. Did the process 3 times on each rivet. -Don

Completed sealing the rivets. Letting it cure overnight and will give it a test tomorrow. I’ll fly it a bit, fill it again and let it sit. If all looks good, may do a full strip and redo the full wing walk. Probably use prekote vs alumiprep and alodine. -Don

Totally NOT FAIR to withhold name ;o) Yep, glad some places know what CS is… -Don

Insurance will be a killer first year, may want to consider getting the private first (using all the fixed costs of ownership to do that), but it all about what you can do and possibly having down time. I will say, I did the owner thing (Warrior) in the 90s due to the rental issues (plane in 100 hour, rented or down for repair). That also factors but, insurance was cheaper then… -Don

Following up on a couple of things: StormScope had intermittent errors with antenna so I check the connector end -- found the issue with the pins. Corrected those and she is working fine now! Also, the rivets seeping. The RV folks have a process to seal those up so I'm following that guide. Remove the wing walk in my case to get access to the rivets (CitriStrip). Clean area after scraping all the old wing walk off: MEK, RED ScotchBright Then Alumiprep and Alodine to prepare the surface. The RV guys have a kit to do this so, to support a fellow builder, I order the kit. I'm using Permatex #3 aviation and I'll dilute it with some denatured alcohol to thin it a bit (this will help it seep into the rivets better). Tank is low on fuel so I don't expect any issues. Will be applying that over the weekend -- I'll take more pics. I know -- why not do all of the wing walk? I want to be sure this rivet approach works before I do that. I'll patch it in the mean time with 3M tape and fly it a bit before taking on that full project.

I followed Jaeger's pdf when I did mine. Flexible materials, patching etc are well documented. Just something to review -- and the type of paint to use also... -Don

My plane was wired up for a TruTrac by David. Maybe waiting is good for me now… Where these ordered from BK themselves or Duncan? -Don

Each one can be removed in the Mitchell stack.. -Don

Besides our first names in common, my Mooney CFI @ the PPP I attended was also Jerry Johnson! You both have a lot of Mooney teaching behind you! Great day indeed.. we’re all the better for it.. -Don

Lol, it’s all in fun. I just feel I’m from another planet with all the competing statistics… -Don