Jsno

I just had mine repaired by Consolidate Instruments in Teterboro, NJ. You can have it repaired as opposed to overhauled for less money. Took a couple of weeks for them to get to it but then they fixed it in a day.

It will be a big job to replace, but to repair will require removal of the wing anyway.

I hve used the plasti red and orange scrapers. They dull very quickly. Plexiglass wi mar the Alclad and Alidine. I have just bought a couple of nylon scrapers fro Aircraft Spruce and they are working well and keep the edge longer. Probably only six more weeks of scraping...

My mistake it was Irmin and it was the secondary spar. BAS Parts Sales has a wing for M20c for $5k. I think that is the way that I would go as opposed to a repair.

That will depend on many factors: How much is the plane worth? Are you doing the work or paying a shop? There is a blog on here where someone just replaced it, Could check that out. I believe it was Alan Fox.

There are blogs with photos on Mooneyspace showing how to do this. I followed the instructions and it worked just fine.

Working with plexiglass is not that difficult. You can cut it with a coping saw and the heat it with a heat gun until it is soft. Then use the old piece as a form and drop it on top while still soft and it will form the contour. There are drill bits for plexiglass so that you will not craze the glass around the holes. If you mess up, just cut out another piece. Could cut it a little large and sand it to size.Waar gloves and a dust mask and sand the edges with fine sand paper so the it will not be sharp. Good luck!

One more thought on scraping sealant. If you scratch the metal be sure to etch and alodine the area or you will get corrosion under the sealant.

I have just started a fun reseal in one of my tanks. I tried patching areas but leaks kept developing. This is a very tedious job and will probably take me one to two months part time. I have found through discussing with professional aircraft fuel cel mechanics and an engineer at work that heat is what damaged the sealant. So if fuel is not covering the sealant, the heat will cause it to deteriorate. That is probably why your tank leaks above the tabs. Most folks don't keep their tanks absolutely full. It is probably an area far outboard or the upper spar. I have found a six inch area where the sealant was completely missing on the upper front spar on mine. Another problem is that my tank has Buna slosh coating over the sealant. Apparently it was done a second time as well to attempt to seal the leaks. It did no good. It makes removal much more difficult as Polygone does not touch it unless it gets on the sealant underneath. I actually use a pick to lift as much as I can off before scraping. I think you should open up the tank and look for areas on the upper spar, and outbid and see if that solves your problem before a full reseal. If you are considering bladders, I have found that they are expensive, add weight, and the tops will also dry out if not kept full so I have opted for sealant. I think most Monney owners do not keep the tanks full because it will cut into your useful load. Like stated above, make some plexiglass panels, apply about ten lbs of vacuum and look for bubbles.

Castleberry Instruments and Avionics

I replaced my ram air cable with bowden cable that I bought from Spruce. It sells by the foot and works great. I replaced my door seal with Aircraft Door Seal, then I closed it a warm hangar for a day. I had to push from the outside and carefully check that it did not get folded under while closing. Two days later it works great. Door Seal, Entry Door. Mooney M20 Series. ADS-M1201 $149.95

I have done both and found that the hangar was a better option. It takes time to tie down, install covers, block holes to prevent birds and mice from nesting in it and less chance of insects getting into places that they don't belong. Lube on external areas last longer. The drive will be less time than doing the above. Plus you can control moisture issues in a hangar.

Also, do not use high temp thread lock on the pipe threaded plugs and fittings, you will not be able to remove them in the future.

For the areas that you can get to I would use acf50. It dries hard. Corrosion X needs to be misted on using the proper spray equipment. It keeps flowing and wi drip out of every crack and crevice. I have used corrosion X and found that it keeps flowing throughout it's life and ends up in all of the low areas and not on the upper and vertical surfaces. Makes a gummy mess. If you spray it with a spray bottle it will be too heavy.

Correction. I meant to say the bolts are one time use.

I use the thread and sealant method of sealing the case and have no problems. The sealant is just to hold the silk thread in place. It will fill any minute voids in the surface. Take plenty of photos as you assemble so that if you don't remember if you positioned something correctly(gears), and safetied, it will be a good record. I use moly grease on the cam and tappet faces. I spray molycoat on the inside of the tappets, gears, cam face, and after it dries i lube the gears and cam. Watch those cylinders and the hollow crank. They will rust very quickly on the inside if left dry. Use dehydrate plugs on all openings if left to sit. Be very careful assembling the two halves together That front bearing will shift ever so slightly and set you back time and money. You will have to grind down the end of the socket to fit on the rod bearings without the socket rubbing the rod end cut out to get a correct torque. I had a machinist do this on a lathe on an impact socket. Your IA may have this. Be sure to install the rods with the numbers up. This will be with two rods extended and two retracted on the crankshaft. Not all extend or two will be upside down. Lycoming told me this is for proper balance. Using proper lube and torques are critical. If you flub a stretch bolt, do not reuse it. They are on time use. Install the lower mount bolts before you install the mount on the airframe. The will not fit with the mount on the airframe. You will then spend an incredible amount of time reinstalling hoses, lines and hook ups when it is on the airplane. Any questions on the manual, write Lycoming and get an answer before proceeding. This will save grief later. I learned everything above the hard way. Good luck and take your time.

I have taken courses on aircraft safety and have found that headrests and shoulder belts do prevent people dying. During the initial impact, you will fly forward. If your seat belt is adjusted wrong you can submarine under it and obtain serious abdominal injuries. If you wear a lap belt and no shoulder harness, you will be thrown forward and down striking anything in front of you, resulting in lacerations, broken bones=, concussions and broken neck. Your body will then bounce back, and without a head rest your spine and neck will be bent over the back of the seat. There is a video of a Mooney crash on take off in 2016 on you tube. The person in back, without a headrest or shoulder harness, died of a broken neck from this bounce back. Just watch videos of crash test dummies and you will see how wild it gets..

I have used a plastic welder but have been more successful with the MEK mix.

MEK is still available in home improvement stores. It's the real stuffthough I have been told that it is recycled and not virgin.

I mix ABS plastic chips with MEK in a jar and put the lid on overnight. It will make a paste that you can use to repair the plastic. Once it hardens, sand it smooth. If the plastic is warped, I use a heat gun to warm up the plastic until pliable and shape it. You can get the chips on Amazon. Be careful of the fumes.

I had issues with the teflon hose with fire sleeve making the bend from the transducer to the fuel pump. I remedied it by using 701 hose instead of teflon. The hose can be bent with a tighter radius. Just have to replace it on condition in the future.

I had an engine with low compression,50/80. The exhaust valve had considerable wobble and would not seat correctly. Since it wasn't seating it was showing signs of being burned on one part of the edge. So through my limited experience I believe that a wobbling valve can cause low compression and lead to valve burning/failure.

The travel board is a good starting point. The Mooney I have had been rigged with the flaps rigged to roll one way and the ailerons to roll the other way. This creates unneeded drag. If you can locate some boards I would start there.

Royco 27 or aeroshell 33 meets the spec.

Keyboards error. I joined Mooneyspace to communicate with other owners. I guess I'll just not comment on Mooneyspace anymore.