Ethan

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.

Try Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/196439200252?_nkw=mooney+boost+pump+rocker+switch&epid=738013237&itmmeta=01J5VFCCY0RSW5RWPWQNFTM1KE&hash=item2dbcb051fc:g:uQQAAOSwbMBmaHqu&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmyV%2BziRR6JhU8CBVUVjT45wOZbSc5JcMP%2FQCAiCHZjgqW6jRsg89eBSxsWtjosNaLrQpOa4pi4wnXGIhVV4mSzG%2Bku8FHky5kHcnfG3T7VYomL5I8FYdRDs1yra%2FJLI9lnYLGVZb5tLRMwghXfChm3dJfOiJgKHp8%2B2S%2Bul8F4toi8UZWLO2bPyvaWNLUuJMQLw6ykr%2BsowFKb%2BJkv6rEQ3j0ojjKBu18BZ28tY3AQayJBFzkULOTdOQge3B1nmkGLjxXaoglNJWHBLlrg8Fn1|tkp%3ABk9SR4zPse-uZA

Well, for me it is. Without belaboring the same three points over and over. I live in the west. The MEAs can be really high. I fly a ton of Angel Flights to and from high airports. When the weather is bad, I can climb above it. For example, I have flown twice this year at FL230 to top weather in the mountains. That said, if I lived and flew in say, Minnesota, I would choose a J model.

I agree, a 231 isn't a four people hauler - or any Mooney for that matter. That said, a turbo is indispensable and I wouldn't want an airplane without one. That's why a better four people hauler would be a T182, T206, T210, or Turbo Saratoga.

The Jolly Kone is magical. I also just love the soft serve ice cream.

I pulled out the vacuum system (and an electric backup pump), Installed to G5s, a GFC 500 in the place of the Century 31.

I use my 1981 Mooney 231 as a family hauler. I have a 1,000 pound useful load but that's barely enough with 4 160 pound people and their bags. I just returned from a vacation to Bridgeport, California in the Eastern Sierras (I am based at KHIO). The field elevation of Bridgeport (057) is 6,500 feet. The runway is 3800 feet long. Though the airplane gets in and out with aplomb (if you leave early when the air is cool), I find that I am constantly harping on my family to pack light and leave things at home. This isn't always easy with teenagers and people who want to do a full toilette on vacation. When we go shopping I am always putting the kibosh on any "heavy purchases" and telling people not to eat dessert. When my wife wanted to buy 25 pounds of meat to bring home, I asked her to mail it. At times, I find myself wishing for a turbo 182, 206, 210 or a turbo Saratoga so I don't have to worry so much about useful load. That said, I cruised home this Saturday LOP at 27.6 inches of MP, 2450 RPM, 1550 TIT, burning 7.9 GPH at 140 KTAS. We had a nice tailwind and were making about 170 kts groundspeed for most of the flight with the cowl flaps closed. I love this efficiency and the cylinder heads were really cool.

Could it be the draw on your system of the strobes (LED or Xenon)? My ammeter twitches each time my LED strobes fire.

I have a Mooney 231 (K) model with the LB1B engine, the Merlyn upper deck pressure controller (waste gate controller) but no intercooler. I live in Portland, Oregon and have flown it about 1300 hours over 9 years. It's the only airplane I have owned and I fly it in high country frequently. I really like the options the turbo gives me. It allows me to fly with my family at the high MEAs out here. It takes some of the stress out of high density altitude departures. It allows me to top weather when I would otherwise have to plow through it and pick up whatever it decides to throw at me (ice, turbulence, hail). I've had a good experience with the engine and have not had any major problems with it. The last engine we had made it to 2400 hours (1000 hour top). It was running strong when we decided to buy a reman and I regret the decision because it was running smooth as silk and felt great. The engine I now have is a factory reman with about 600 hours on it. I had to refurb a cylinder the last annual because it only made 15/80. That wasn't the biggest deal in the world and wasn't all that costly. You could probably make a 201 work for you but I suspect you won't regret the 231 or 252. You might want to look hard at 231s because they are cheaper and have better useful loads than 252s. Mine is 1000 pounds. Also, most 231s have the newer LB1B engines (instead of the GB engines) many of the 252 upgrades including the Merlyn waste gate controller and intercoolers.

My problem with my alternator has not been charging power but that it just failed. Once some internal electrical connections came loose and it stopped charging. Twice, the polymer in the alternator-engine coupling pooped-out way too soon. Another time, a Woodruff key fell out of the coupling and the gear was just spinning on the shaft. Finally, some oil plug gave way and coated the alternator with oil causing it to fail.

I went through the Portland, OR FSDO. It is strange how one FSDO varies so much from another. Do you have an IA/A&P with a good relationship with the Houston FSDO, that may help.

Folks, I recently won a field approval to install a B & C standby alternator for my 1981 M20K (231) late last year. I just completed the installation and, though I have only flown once with it, it works as advertised. The 20 amp alternator mounts to the empty vacuum pad on the back of my TSIO-360-LB1B. I am very happy about this because of all things on my airplane, the gear driven alternator - with its finicky coupling - is the weak link. I started this process right here where someone pointed me to an existing field approval for a slightly different airplane - one with the -MB engine. I got a copy of that 337 and called the installer at LASAR and he gave me a rundown on the install and the process to obtain the field approval. I then emailed a copy to my mechanic and enlisted his help - he was willing. I then emailed my FSDO’s Principal Avionics Inspector who seemed immediately positive about the prospect of a field approval. The inspector had me edit the 337 form here and there, and had me draft an AFM Supplement. I think the FSDO was so easy to work with primarily because the B & C system is such a well-known quantity. TJ at B & C was an excellent resource and helped me immensely with technical questions along the way. B & C has its own technical publication section available on its website that was very helpful as well, with line-drawings and installation instructions for the PA-32 and the Bonanza. If anyone wants help, I have compiled quite a trove of documents I used to prove that the install would 1) work on my airframe, 2) work on my electrical system. Ethan

Sometimes, one bleed isn't good enough, it may take more than one. Second, if the brake lines offer any flex or give at all, they can make an airtight system seem spongy. I have stainless braided brake cables because my mechanic was fighting with soft lines before figuring out they were causing the spongy brakes and replacing them.

Go with a K, you'll love the turbo. It gives you oodles of options; it gets you out of ice, lets you climb to smoother air, lets you get off the ground and climb out of high density altitude airports. I'm sure the M20J is awesome, efficient, cheaper to own and operate and is probably even nicer to fly because the nose is lighter, but I just love the options the turbo offers.

I've never flown a TLS, just my trusty Mooney 231. I mostly do approaches with full flaps, trim all they way nose up, over the fence at about 70 kgs, round out at about 65 kts. Makes for nice short landings and saves on tires and brakes.

How can I get a blower motor in my M20K. The worst thing for me is shoe-horning four people in the airplane on an cold and early morning, than constantly wiping the inside of the windshield so I can see out. My defrost has no blower, it just uses airspeed and ram-air pressure but I sure would love to have a defrost motor!