Ethan

Do you already own the airplane? If not, you might want to just get something newer and save yourself the time and the hassle it's going to take to get the airplane to the avionics shop, to the engine shop, to the upholstery shop, etc. I would just like to get a plane to fly it rather than spend months with it out of service. If you already own the airplane just do stuff as you need to do it and fly the crap out of it. A 1991 Mooney is new.

I had the same frustrating problem with my Mooney 231. To try and fix the problem, I cleaned the eyeball bushings lubricated them with triflow, silicone, etc. Nothing worked until I bought two new yoke shafts. The new ones are a slightly smaller diameter and have a different - non-chromed finish - it worked, no more sticking. It was expensive but worth it.

Once, my roll servo quit during flight, triggering the servo warranty repair. I had a GPS degradation (from CMEs) turn off my autopilot uncommanded. I had a failure where the autopilot would repeatedly activate the TOGA setting in cruise flight, pitching the nose up. I had to pull the A/P breaker for that failure and didn’t have electric trim for the entire flight. I love the GFC 500, but it’s not perfect. I like being a competent back-up when it fails.

I feel strongly that one MUST be able to hand-fly proficiently to step out into ifr (hard or light). Relying on the autopilot is dangerous and a dead autopilot while being a hassle, should never be an emergency. Autopilots fail. My GFC 500 has failed more than once. Single pilot IFR is hard, but practice makes it easy. If you feel you are “behind the airplane” every time you hand-fly, you need more practice. Scan, interpret, control, what do I need to do next? When I fly, I hand-fly the departures and approaches and use the autopilot for cruise. When I practice, I hand fly 90% of the approaches because when the automation quits, I want to be perfectly comfortable flying the airplane.

Danny, I am based in the Portland area at KHIO. I have owned my Mooney M20K (231) for more than 10 years. I don't have any deice equipment except for a hot prop and a heated Pitot tube yet I fly all year long. There have been days I don't go - mostly because of ice - but most days, I find are doable because the turbo opens up a huge altitude envelope. Heading south from Portland, the bad weather often clears out around Medford or Redding. Sometimes, it doesn't but mostly it does. The Columbia River Gorge is always tricky because it makes its own weather. When things look doable in the Willamette Valley, the gorge might have an icing surprise for you. As Richard Collins used to profess when writing about his fully weatherized P210 in Flying, he didn't do any more trips in his deiced bird than he would have done in one without it. I think that is the best philosophy. Plan wisely, fly most day, but stay home the days where you can't do it safely. As for the Mooney 231. The weak spot is the single alternator. On an IFR bird, two alternators are almost a requirement. I have lost my alternator three times so far and it's no fun when all your equipment is electric. The strong point of the 231s is their relatively higher useful load than some of the other long-body models and the 252. Mine is 1000 pounds even. Not great, but okay for most trips with two people. I have been very happy with my airplane, but I have only owned one airplane. If I had to do it again, I might get a 252 because most came with two alternators and the most advanced installation of the TSIO-360. I might also get a Cessna T182RG because they are really nice and they carry more, are bigger inside, and easier for passengers to get in and out of. Everything I have heard about the 252 makes me think it is the best of the models. Again, the problem with the 252 is the paltry useful load. If you put deicing equipment in it, the useful load just gets worse. The Encore is a newer version of the 252 with a higher useful load and is really sweet and worth getting if you can afford one. Happily, I got a field approval for a second alternator and installed it last year. I really like knowing if my big finicky alternator kicks the bucket - or its weird elastomer bonded drive gear shraps - that I won't lose my instruments. Good Luck, Mooneys are excellent airplanes. I wish people could still buy new ones.

I have a 231 with a Merlyn wastegate but no intercooler. I love it. Engine management is no problem. My useful load is 1000 pounds exactly, which is pretty good for any Mooney built after 1979, except for the Encore. Some 252s have far less (hundreds of pounds less) useful load. My full fuel useful load is 568 pounds, that leaves me with room for only 3 (smallish) people and scant luggage. That’s pretty pathetic. Most of the time, my limiting factor is almost always useful load so I am happy to have my 231 rather than a 252.

Well, I never once thought fuel icing would be an issue once cruising along at altitude. I’m glad AME LLC let us know and so many others chimed in. Does anyone have any idea at what temperature this becomes a problem? If so, I will add Heet or IPA anytime I plan to fly when the temperature at my cruising altitude is X or below.

Here I am cruising east and popping out of clouds over the dry land wheat country east of the Columbia river gorge. Picked up some trace ice.

Erik, Just some more follow ups. I was just flying my Mooney to Pendleton the two days after your trip and the weather was . . . iffy. When your engine quit were you in IMC? Were you flying in the cloud tops? Did the ALT AIR light come on before the engine quit? If so how long before it quit did it light up? Did you notice RPM rollback before it quit? If you had to do it over again, what would you have done differently? Thanks for your generosity with this information. I like flying high at times and want to know everything possible. My engine a TSIO-360 is a mini version of yours.

Nice work AME LLC. Putting that airplane down safely in rural Oregon between the Blue Mountains and the Wallowas is ripe for pitfalls. Thanks for letting us know what happened. Wow, the fuel froze in the flow divider, on top of a hot engine. Amazing, I never thought that could be a thing. I hope Continental can make it right. Not to push too much but, were you headed for KLGD (LaGrande) when you broke out and saw that nice straight road? Thanks again for sharing and wow! Excellent work.

A Mooney Acclaim (N40AU) made an emergency landing on a country road from FL210 because of an unspecified mechanical problem. The point of landing was only a handful of miles from the generously paved and well-equipped LaGrande Oregon Airport. After landing and getting some attention from the local sheriff's Department, the airplane flew to LaGrande. The next day - off to Texas. Does anyone know what happened? Oil cap come loose? Cowl screw? Door pop open? Anyone? https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/462556

I have been nicely surprised with the TSIO-360-LB. I have had two of them. The first made it to 2400 hours before overhaul and it could have gone way longer. It was topped at about 1000hours before I flew it. Then in 2018, I put a TCM remanufactured engine in the airplane and now have over 1000 hours on it. The only significant work on the engine was I refurbished the #2 cylinder because of really low compression. I run the airplane at conservative values: 31" x 2450 RPM and no more than 1500 TIT. I will run the airplane LOP if I have time to spare, but usually at 28" x 2500 rpm and I lean it to 1500 TIT - sometimes as high as 1560 - 1580 TIT.

Just had my prop resealed at Western Propeller. One day service. Similar charge. My propeller was losing grease mostly out of one blade and it made a huge mess on the cowl inlet, windscreen, antennas on the top of the plane etc.

My trick to starting the TSIO-360-LB engine cold is to follow the checklist. Most important, when the engine is cold, It is important to prime enough - 4 full seconds with the throttle full open and the mixture rich. After priming, I reduce the throttle so it's now about a quarter of the full travel - more open is good - then I start the engine. It usually fires off after two blades pass. If it still hesitates I thumb the primer while it's sputtering and it become happier.

I think that's a circuit-breaker switch. It could be that there's a short somewhere in the trim system.