Matt Ward

Thanks @M20Doc QAA does them now. Any insight into how to identify a near end of life interav? I would like to stay on top of it with basic, routine maintenance but also wouldn’t mind upgrading it when it’s time to go.

Thanks for all your help @carusoam you’re really a value around here to folks with questions. If you ever get out to CO, I owe you a beer and a ride in my E!

Wouldn’t brushes and bearings be a part of a typical Mooney annual? The MM I have just says “inspect” the alternator so honestly I don’t know what all a 500 entails besides pulling the part off the plane. Is that documented somewhere I can find it? Thanks!

Marginal amount of IMC. Honestly try to avoid it but will punch through a fog layer to get on top! But 95% VFR for sure. Only one of everything. thanks for your feedback @carusoam sounds like your take is similar to mine...good to do, but maybe wait on some of it.

In 2004, about 1200 tach hours ago, my 1966 M20E had a factory overhaul of the IO-360-A1A. As part of that, a new alternator was installed, an interav 015-01237. I’ve been flying the plane and the alternator seems to be working as evidenced by my JPI EDM 700 showing a consistent 14v. During run up, I try to get a jump on the ammeter with lights and usually can detect a slight deflection. My new A&P is telling me to do a 500 hr inspection of the alternator as part of my first annual. Does these seem customary to you guys? I typically thought of alternators as needing to display some sort of adverse conditions before a major service event but maybe I’m just naive. What do you guys think? Anything else I can do before agreeing to the 500 or is this standard procedure? Thanks!

Thanks. I found the below in the MM. It says I need the plane on jacks. Were you guys thinking of another way?

Thanks @carusoam I saw those threads too. Those donuts appeared much worse! I’ll search out the MM as you suggested. The reco was from an A&P estimating my first annual.

Thanks for that. FWIW, I have manual gear and not electric. It seems like the gear retraction issue would be relevant to electrics, wouldn’t it? The leaky fuel tanks seems notable. That’s not a problem for me now but good to know! The article didn’t explicitly mention a way to measure these, any insight on that?

I'm just into owning my first Mooney and I'm hearing that I need to replace my donuts. The donuts appear to indicate a manufacturing date of April 1998 by the "4 98" on them. That would make sense as I have a logbook entry on 8/21/98 (2563 tach hours ago) that says "landing gear shock discs (all)". Before I spend a lot of money on doing this, are there conditions I should be aware of? I did a bit of searching on the donut replacement and it sound like old donuts are often accompanied by problems steering. I've not noticed that at all. There doesn't seem to be a lot of visible evidence (to me) of major cracking/wear. What condition should I be looking for as I consider replacing them? Or, is it simply a time-of-life issue? Thanks!

I’ve got the LR 17g aux tanks on my M20E and am noticing fueling flowing from the mains to the aux. Last Saturday I filled the mains to 26g while the aux appeared empty. I went out today and about 2 gallons moved “up” from the mains into the aux. I guess it’s normal but I don’t understand how that’s working. What is forcing fuel out of the mains? Anything to be concerned about? Thanks!

I'm a first time airplane owner (66 M20E) and new to maintaining an aircraft. While I don't have any desire to actually turn a wrench, I would like to know more about maintenance, and especially, spotting potential issues. I've read a bit in the MAPA PPP about the Mooney specific systems but I'm looking for a more elementary understanding. Is there anything like the Sportys "How to Fly" courses available for maintenance? Or, any books you'd recommend as a good introduction? Thanks!

On the topic of AP, my opinion is that it's a little more nuanced than an AP or not an AP. Yes, a dual axis AP with altitude select & capture is fantastic, but there are other shades of AP too. I used to fly a Mooney with just heading hold and it worked great for 90% of what I do. And I used it on almost every flight. Now I have GPSS + Heading Hold in an old Brittain and it's great. I have altitude hold in the same unit (B6) that is probably more trouble than it's worth. The plane trims out easy enough and while I've read the manual on the altitude hold plenty of times, I still don't know how to get it to settle in without a +500 foot deviation!

It looks good, right! I'm just waiting to confirm it's the right part number before I order it.

I've got those in PDF form, NCJW. If you want to send me your email, I can shoot them over. Looks like you need parts MAN00205 and MAN00106. If you need a POH, it looks like there was only one for the F in 1969 - POH1198 (serials 1 to 92). Let me know if you need that too.

You guys are amazing! Now I just need the snow to stop so I can get out to it. I am #994, BTW. Thanks for all this and I’ll let you know what I find.

Is there a Johnson bar chrome collar in there? Mine is rusted pretty badly and I’d love to find a shinier one!

Thanks for the reply! To be clear, the A&P pulled the access cover at the actual pitot tube - not in the panel. I didn't think that was something an owner could do but maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the FAR yet on that.

I'm the proud new owner of a 1966 M20E, my first plane! So far so good except for one issue I'm hoping you all can offer some insight on. During the pre-buy inspection, the pitot tube wouldn't heat up. The switch doesn't appear to be tripping, no fuse appears to be blowing, it just doesn't get hot. At the inspection, the A&P pulled the access plate, disconnected the wires & reconnected them (I think) and suddenly it heated up perfectly! The entire fix took less than five minutes. After flying the plane for about 10 hours since, it's back to not working. Before I take it to my new mechanic, I was wondering if you guys might have any leads on what the problem is. Thanks for anything! -Matt