sleeper-319

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?

Thanks for the info. I have dual slick mags, so the harness shouldn't be an issue. I'll ask my a&p about the EIS thing. Hopefully it's simple. Most of the time I'm cruising 7-11,000. I don't fly low all that much because of terrain. The engine runs well LOP as it is, and temps are indeed lower. I usually cruise at full throttle and 23 or 2400rpm, and it runs mid 330s rop and a good bit lower LOP. It starts fine (in that "you gotta know the process" way). So the timing advance is altitude driven?

What benefits are you seeing relative to the claims?

I'm at mag 500 hour... first time hitting this number for me as an owner, and wondering of the Surefly ignition is worth it. I've read a few threads, but they all kind drift into plane specific discussion. In general terms... are they worth the price? Are they as reliable as claimed? I have an 87 M20J with an IO-360 A3B6 (trophy 212 mod stc, so separate slick mags). What questions should I be asking? Any reason not to do the Surefly? Pireps? appreciate any wisdom y'all can share. Thanks. edit: forgot to mention I have Garmin EIS, and there's a surefly "does it work with Garmin EIS FAQ item that says: "Yes! You will need to have a magnetic pickup installed in the remaining magneto or install a TACH2 signal converter to make a SIM compatible. Please call SureFly to discuss the installation." I get what that means technically, but not in terms of price or installation time. Is installing a magnetic pickup trivial if I'm having the non-impule-coupled one overhauled at the same time?

I use mine on occasion for the same reason (Unlevel ground). It works fine. As kortopates says, they are really simple mechanically, and very easy to overhaul.

I’d give a little more critical thought to experimentals. For what you’re after, something like an RV7 could be an excellent option. Similar (if not better) performance and efficiency than an M20C/E, and while acquisition costs may be higher, operational costs will almost certainly be lower. If you have a local EAA chapter that’s active, go hang out there and start talking with some people before you decide “hard no” on the more mainstream experimentals.