Charles K

Reaching out to the community for some friendly advice on the level of concern and follow-on action. Background: 1981 M20J (IO-360) went in for annual service with some avionics upgrades early this year. Every item found on the report was approved for repair/fix. A/C flew from MX to home station, about a 4+30 flight with one stop for fuel. One item was a crankshaft seal leaking, removed and replaced the crankshaft seal and prop o-ring—common fix from what I can research, done. After arriving home, I noticed a few streaks on the passenger side windshield, which appeared lubricant-based. Noted and cleaned the windshield as the prop was dry. Fast forward two short flights later, followed by another 4+00 flight, the streaks appeared on the windshield again, prop still dry. Findings: The spinner was removed yesterday to check for any apparent issues. On removal, there was a random installation of long and short bolts on the spinner and the inner spinner assembly. The aft spinner bulkhead appears to be installed 180° out from the markings of a #1 and #2 on the assembly—minor streaks from the prop and engine crankshaft attachment point. Spinner had a small lubricant (grease) transfer relative to prop #2. Action: I cleaned streaks and the spinner transfer, reinstalled the proper bolt pattern, and will perform a ground run and flight, then recheck for streaks or lubricant transfers. Concern: The aft spinner bulkhead is the balancing attachment point for added weight. Can it be rotated 180° without removing the prop? Or does it even matter?

I'll just let it slide at this point; there was a tone in the conversation that I de-escalated to the point of me telling them I was not blaming, just inquiring how this would happen and me not seeing it.

Being told that this is common as the doors are not great in Mooney's. Funny thing is prior to the flight to shop I treated the door seal and noticed no damage. I did receive a picture of the seal with chaffing but did not 100% inspect the plane at dropping off. I'm over it, just want it fixed lol.

Not that I'm tracking, can't really stop by the shop as it's not close by so at the mercy of shop sending any updated pics.

Ok, so a few more things that weren't really tracking might just stick with what I have, but it would be cool to have an N-201 number.

How much of a pain is it to change the N-number? Is it as simple as changing the FAA paperwork and markings on the plane?

Correct, the damage is done, and I just want things corrected, there will be a flush patch applied, followed by some paint.

We shall see when the bill comes, as of now, there is no owning up, just repairs and continuing on with avionics updates.

The only reason I would say not in flight is there are paint flakes under the flap; the parasitic drag would have prevented that.

That was my first thought. I know things happen, and I am not trying to assign blame, but I do not want to pay for carelessness.

All, Thanks for the great response. I agree with some comments about how something like this could happen. I wanted to ensure I was not off base in my thoughts about this subject, and yes, it will be repaired. It reminds me of this annual event every time I take a flight. I will say that a shop should never underestimate the knowledge or experience of an Owner or the attention to detail he/she has about the plane owned.

Greetings, Posting several pics with the hope of understanding what and when this damage would have occurred. BLUF, 81 M20J departed for annual flying total of five hours in VMC conditions at 4,500 MSL. At departure from home station no damage was noted, after checking in for service I departed and two days later received the discrepancy list with damage noted. This location is the aft upper section of the main cabin door if it wasn't obvious, key reference is the antenna and big opening of door. My questions are: 1) Did this happen in flight? If not, would you conduct a flight with this issue? 2) What would have caused this? 3) Repair method / recommendation? Yes, I have my theory of what could have happened based of general observations and details of photos, but I don't want to sway a theory from this post. Thanks for the time and comments.

Just adding to the thread and provide a source document for the topic at hand, as I'm doing some trouble shooting. Referencing the Mooney M20 Series Service and Maintenance Manual, Manual Number 106, REV. D 8/1/81, pg. 9-167. If your looking for the SC628P it is still available from Mouser, I mention this because the dBA are different levels from a P and PR, reference below. They both still pulse "beep", just with a 12 dBA level (not that you maybe tell the difference).

Nice, just got my install quote back today, just for the group they said it would take 120 hours at $105 plus an additional $1K for misc. parts. At least I know how much it would cost if I run across another deal. I was able to find that system going for $20,900 new, so it was a nice deal.

What's the going install price for something like this in a 1981 J model? Asking for a friend,