sleeper-319

I did, and it seemed to make a difference. I didn’t fly it and get it hot for a hot start check though. I have a suspicion that’s something else, but one thing at a time I guess.

Yes, I did confirm it was leaking before I started the thread. I took it out to clean it. The ball moves freely, and sucks back to the seat when vacuum is applied, but it just doesn’t seal very well. And to reiterate, I know that part isn’t working right, but I have no idea how much that one thing is contributing to the overall problem. Thanks for the heads up re the LASAR vs Lycoming part.

Interesting idea. I’ll give it a try. The one I have is a 90 degree valve that looks like the one on the LASAR website. There isn’t any extra room between the muffler and intake plenum for a different type. It’s a tight squeeze there. Edit: I’ll also say… I don’t know that this is my only problem, but it is a problem; I know it’s leaking air back into the intake. I installed a SureFly several months ago, and for the first 2 weeks, the cold starting was improved, and the hot starting was about the same. But then about 2 weeks after the install, both hot and cold starting began getting progressively worse, and it was accompanied by needing a richer mixture to idle properly (without popping & stumbling). Hot starts went from pretty easy to being an absolute bitch. I don’t know if any of this has anything to do with the surefly (it doesn’t seem like it, and surefly doesn’t think so). In any case, I’ll take care of this and see where it goes. The plane flies and runs fine apart from starting and idle.

I have a mountain high O2D2 system and a D bottle. It works pretty well. I leave the engine full throttle and 2400 or 2500 RPM. I frequently fly over 10k because you gotta get up there time you leave California (and sometimes even to go SoCal to NorCal). But I don’t fly above 12.5 all that often; maybe a handful of times per year. For longer trips that are more than a couple hours at >= 10k, using O2 is great for reducing fatigue even when I’m not at altitudes that require O2. I’ve experimented enough that I know my symptoms of decreasing O2 sat pretty well (I start to yawn a lot when it dips below 90). Even without supplemental O2, I can keep the level above 90 with focused, intentional breathing. The cannula takes a little getting used to, I have to pay attention to my breathing to make sure I’m inhaling through the nose, and not taking shallow breaths. The system works well but I might buy a concentrator if I were doing it again.

Hey all, I have an 87 M20J 201. The check valve between the intake plenum and muffler is not closing when running, so it’s creating a small induction leak via that drain tube. I’ve read a bunch of threads, and I think this is what everyone calls the “sniffle valve.” But there seems to be some variability over the years, and I am not entirely clear what’s on the J. I have a PowerFlow exhaust if that changes anything. Does cleaning the valve generally work, or does it often need replacing? Is the one that LASAR sells the proper replacement? Any wisdom or advice y’all have to offer is appreciated. :-)

Yep. I have everything labeled as it was when I took it off, so I just re-routed my current ones, and there's not way they'll work routed the way you describe. It's not even close for 1&3 bottom; they're like 10+ inches short routed that way. The ones coming from Spruce are little bit shorter on those particular leads, so if the ones I have don't work routed that way, the replacements probably won't either, but I'll check when they arrive to be sure.

I was able to get the lead lengths from Spruce, and the M-2508 kit should work. Interestingly, both harnesses (installed and one the slick application guide calls for) are way too short to be routed this way. 1 & 3 bottoms are like 10+ inches too short. Anyhow, with luck, I should be back in business soon.

I was in your situation a few years ago. I bought an 87 J, and have owned it just about 3 years now. In other words, I’m at the noob end of the spectrum, not the expert end. The J is a wonderful plane. As mine is equipped now, it comes pretty close to ticking the boxes. I’ve got 940 useful. I’m in the SF Bay Area, but I have flown in and over the Rockies a handful of times, and over the Sierras and Los Padres a lot. My dispatch rate has been good, and I’ve got awesome A&P/IA that encourages me to do maintenance and repair work under their supervision. So all in all I’ve got a great plane, costs have been manageable, and the communities (here and at my field) have been supportive and amazingly helpful. My only real gripe with the J is that climb performance isn’t that great. Where you are, I’d bet that cruising over 10k feet will be super common, and over 15k might even be often enough that you’ll want the performance of a turbo even if you don’t want a turbo for other reasons. That said, I can do 150 true at 14k on under 9GPH, and I carry 64gallons. That’s pretty solidly good range. And everybody says that your pax and bladders will want shorter flights, but you never know. I’ve done a handful of 5 hour flights, and while we’ve planned a pit stop at 3, we look at each other and say I’m good, let’s keep going. My longest nonstop was GXY to LVK. So… I J certainly can work in your area, but even where I am, at sea level, there are plenty of times I wish I had a turbo (or similar ability to get into the upper teens) because going anywhere usually means going over mountains. All that said, If I were in your shoes and doing it again, I’d probably look for: An Eagle that has all the power/prop STCs: the ones I’ve seen had impressive useful load and range. An RV-10 (then install A/C). A TN’d Mooney

I had a similar issue on mine (an 87, but also with an A3B6 and a powerflow). In my case, the lower linkage that connects to the right side cowl flap was close enough to the exhaust that in cruise flight, it would bind up enough to prevent the cowl flaps from closing. You could sorta force it closed, but it would pop right back into trail. A very minor adjustment of the exhaust and all was fine again. You'd swear by looking at it there's no way that tiny bit of interference could have caused it, but it did. Might not be the same issue, but it's easy to spot and fix if it is.

I’ll take a look at the manual (but my service manuals probably are for the original A3B6D). When you say the six through the big hole in the baffle… do you mean the hole at the top rear near #4 cyl? So all the right side go through there, then the right bottoms go out the plastic clip on the right side of the baffle? Do you happen to have any photos of proper routing? (Edit: I’ve done some googling, and see some routed this way (but plenty routed the other wrong way too. Thanks for the tip. I’m still stuck on the “which harness do I need” question though. The M-4019 & M-4020 are not the right ones as far as I can tell). Also, the leads for the left side bottom are probably the longest. #2 bottom has the most excess, at maybe 10”. Do you know what harness is supposed to be installed in this application?

I went to Maggie first. Unfortunately they are having fulfillment problems, and the ETA went from 3 weeks to “no idea.” I didn’t start with that because with that because they seem like wonderful people who are experiencing some unfortunate supply issues at the moment. :-) Nevertheless, I’m AOG for a few weeks now and just want my plane to work, so if I can get a slick harness that works, that’s good enough.

Hey all, I’ve got a bad left ignition harness and need to replace it. Problem is I’m not exactly sure which one to buy. My plane has the ModWorks STC that replaces the IO-360-A3B6D with an A3B6 (two separate mags). The ignition harnesses that are installed M-4020 (RH) and M-2019 (LH) have fairly significant extra un-needed length on some plug leads (all the bottoms); as much as 7-10” of extra length. The top plugs have minimal extra length, if any at all. The slick application guide says an A3B6 should take M2506 (LH) and M-2507 (RH). Given how expensive these are, I want to get the right size. Is there any way to know the lead lengths on the 2506 & 2507 so I can be sure it’ll fit before I buy them? Or does anyone else with this same STC know exactly which one I should buy? The STC paperwork doesn’t mention anything about the harness. Thanks. Plane is an 87 M20J; IO-360-A3B6

Hey PT20J, how did the trip go? Any thoughts or recommendations you’d add to the thread? Thanks.

OK, that makes sense. Thanks.

Thanks Ragsf15e. One other oddity… the Champion Application guide shows that my engine IO-360 A3B6 should take harness part number M4006 (both), or M2983 (L) and M2984(R). But the ones installed on the plane are M4020 RH and M4019 LH. The application guide shows these as applicable a few other variants of the IO360, but not the A3B6. My engine is part of the ModWorks Trophy 212 STC, which replaced the IO-360 A3B6D with the A3B6. This STC included a new engine and new mags, but I don’t know what to make of the installed parts vs what’s listed in the application guide. Any ideas on that?

Hi all, I’ve got a bad wire, and figure it makes sense to replace both harnesses as they’re the same age. It seems like the Maggie harness is popular, but not clear why it over the Slick. Are Maggie priced better, better quality, or both? Also can’t seem to find any Maggie pricing. I’d call but they’re close til Monday. What they go for compared to Slick? It’s an ‘87 J, IO-360 A3B6 (one slick mag and one Surefly, but both use the slick harness). Thanks, and happy Saturday all! (Ps, I have searched and read the threads I could find, just no answers for these questions).

Thanks for the added info.

Thanks MikeOH, I tried in the original post to to make it clear I was looking for applicability information. I'm aware it's an easy check, and my A&P is awesome. But that's not why I posted. :-)

I’ve read the AD, and several threads here (like this one), and am still uncertain whether the applies to my specific aircraft’s switch. The IA that did my most recent annual flagged this as recurring (it wasn’t before). I’m not worried about compliance (it was inspected and passed); just trying to be diligent with records. The AD mentions: “Applies to all aircraft employing magnetos and using Bendix ignition switches listed in the table below except switches identified by four digit date code (new) adjacent to the model number or a white dot (modified) on the support plate adjacent to the Bendix logo.” My switch has some white paint near the Bendix logo on the back, and it is the superseding part number in SB-583. However it’s not clear to me which number is the date code. Because the number wraps around the switch, it’s hard to get a pic with the entire number in view. But it has 3 lines that read: 10-357210-9 A1 8642 FAA PMA So… any ideas? Does this actually apply to my switch? Is the white smudge a “white dot?“ Is the 8642 a date code? And why does the 2 look so janky? I appreciate any help y’all got.

Thanks for the responses so far! And I do have a decent survival kit. :-)

I’d like to fly my J from KLVK to KCOS this month. I’ve done this trip in Summer/fall, so I’m not new to flying over/around the Rockies, but I’ve not done it in Winter. I’m looking for any advice you all have to offer. Pilot and the plane are both IFR capable, and I have supplemental O2. I don’t mind IMC, but doing this trip in VMC seems prudent for a lot of reasons. And I do have plenty of time and flexibility to wait for favorable weather for both legs. Of course I’m fairly unfamiliar with winter weather patterns. And then on the ground… I’ve never parked in a snowy place. Do FBOs offer transient hangar rental? Is it OK to park outside there? If so, do I use my cover, or will it freeze to the airplane? Basically I’m looking for any advice to help inform (even if the advice is that’s stupid, don’t do it). Thanks. Oh, It doesn’t have to be COS, that’s just the closest to my destination. Prob even Denver’s area airports would be fine if there’s good reason to go there instead.

I've read similar advice, but it seems dated and a log of people are now OK with overhauling the slicks. But what I'd read seemed to be about procedures, not age of the original units. Mine are about 20 years & 1000 hrs since new, and were IRANd 500hrs ago. They're working fine. No issues. Just operating time. Is the age of the units an issue here, or is that just preference.

I don’t have a second power source.

I've got an 87 J with an A3B6 and slick mags. I'm going to replace one mag with a Surefly. For the other, what's the conventional wisdom? I've read a bunch of threads, and it seems like a bunch of people say to just replace slicks, and some folks say IRAN is fine if you send it to the right shop. What shops are people using with good results? Should I just send it to the shop in Missoula and call it done? Appreciate any pro tips on this one.

Thanks Marc_B. btw, I was just in GXY last week. Is your profile pic somewhere around Canyonlands/Arches?