goalstop

Offering an update here: + Fuel pump was just bad. Had started leaking a little bit, as evidenced by a few drips of fuel out the front tube after each flight. Finally went fully bad and stopped working + Gear issue entirely unrelated. Mechanical finger had slipped off the right positioning and wasn’t actuating otherwise good to go. Glad it happened at home!

Wow note taken, thank you

Super helpful. I did notice that when I went to push the throttle in for priming, I didn’t hear the typical ’click’ of the gear microswitch… would that be a mechanical (eg fell off the throttle cable) or an electrical issue with the switch? the green light did go on, so that switch is fine

Thank you! S/N is 381, 1964 M20E

Hi all! Looking for some wisdom from you all to hopefully point my mechanic in the right direction and expedite resolution of an issue… in short, my auxiliary fuel pump and gear warning stopped working on final approach last night. Details below: + 1 week ago the starting motor failed. Had been getting progressively slower for awhile in retrospect and finally gave up + we weren’t sure if it was a battery or starter issue so tried connecting battery to a Tug and jumping it, but didn’t work + Left the plane stranded and drove home. Mechanic replaced the starter with a fast-turning SkyTec. Started like butter on my flight to bring her home. No fuel pump issues. + Descending through 3000ft, I switch fuel pump on. Start smelling an acrid/plasticy smell a few moments later. Try to figure out what it is (hadn’t connected the dots) — check breakers, look for smoke, can’t figure it out. After a minute or so the smell goes away + Final approach - landing checklist - fuel pump on. Wait—why is the fuel pump off? I could’ve sworn I turned it on passing 3,000ft. Switch it on. Acrid smell again. Finally connect the dots. Go to hit the switch to turn it off, and it’s already switched off. + Throttle back to slow to approach speed… no gear warning. Pull throttle full idle. Still no gear warning. Put gear down and come in to land + Back at hangar. Ground testing gets nothing out of the fuel pump. Zero operation. Any wisdom on what the issue here is? The things that confuse me are: + Why both the gear horn and the fuel pump? Are the connected or coincidence? + Why did the pump magically start switching off? Is there a breaker integrated in the switch? + am I likely going to need a new fuel pump or does this sound like a wiring issue? + could it have anything to do with the new starter or attempts to jump the battery? thank you all for your help here!!

Found a new one for $800 or so

Hartzell. 835-20

Idk. think it’s been there awhile. Just took it for its 100hr and the prop shop didn’t say anything about it. Just some faded paint and tiny oil streaks

Thanks! If anyone has a lead on a spinner, I’d appreciate it!

Hi all! We just got out to our plane to find a gorgeous and substantial crack in our spinner. No, don’t worry - we’re not attempting to fly it. 3 questions: 1) Any chance of repair? 2) Does anyone have a serviceable one lying around? 3) Possible to get a new one? Thanks!

Also repping the LZU Mooney crew! Good to see others around

I am leaning toward this answer. There is a point at which cutting my losses and turning the other cheek is the right way to proceed. As much as I'm frustrated by this all, I don't need any more headache and potential of things backfiring. I'm planning to do whatever is needed to cooperate with the investigation against the mechanic himself, get any sort of support from Garmin that I can, and leave it at that. I can also admit when I don't have a recourse with the shop (with the GPS money paid to the crook employee) and let it go... no point bashing my head against a wall.

Same person. Sorry for lack of clarity

Thank you all for your encouragement. A quick update - I learned today (according to the shop owner) that the head of maintenance "Intentionally sabotaged my ignition" and "was likely not putting in orders and blocking my calls" to delay the install. I feel really violated and believe that a lot of the issues I experienced (and paid to fix) over the past year were intentional I also paid the shop owner for the GPS because I had no other option. But I'm now out $15k+ for a combination of repairs I didn't expect to have to make and paying for a GPS a second time. Feels really terrible.

Correct - Georgia

What type of attorney is the right one for something like this?

Thanks so much Kyle for anything you can help with! will reach out shortly over email

I'll make this story short, since writing a whole essay might make my blood boil and is probably unnecessary. For more details on all the other issues along the way, see this thread New issue now: + Purchased GTN650xi directly from the manager of avionics at this Garmin certified avionics shop (late 2021) + Manager of avionics said "I can get the unit directly for you from Garmin without going through the shop, so you can avoid the shop markup". This was the major reason I decided to go with him (markup would have been ~20%) + A year later, and many many many issues with the rest of the install later (broken parts, cut wires, forgetting to order long lead time parts), I find out that the avionics manager has been stealing from his own shop by doing deals like this (over $100K of stolen items in total) + Shop owner checked his records, and turns out the avionics manager invoiced my GTN directly to the shop instead of paying for it himself + Now, shop owner's insurance wants me to give the unit back to the shop since I'm "in possession of stolen property" So now, I haven't flown in almost a year, have a contested GPS unit, and feel like I have nobody to help me... not enough to justify getting a lawyer for this, but still a LOT of money to me... any suggestions on things to do would be greatly appreciated Thank you!

Also here’s the pic of my Airtex install ragedracer-those look sharp!

1964 M20E Volts were fluctuating from 14.5-15.1 while engine was operating. Led to nasty dimming of the lights on a 1-2 second interval Didn’t work: re-soldering transistor in dimmer panel, replacing corroded master contacter, replacing master switch Did work: cleaning contacts on voltage regulator ground & power wires Thought I’d leave this here for the next guy Check those contacts before doing expensive stuff!!

I don't have a pic, but I did an AirTex install on my E-model - full leather, lots of structure to the seats, fits perfectly like a glove. All-in (including install) was 5 AMU, and would have been 4 if I'd used fake leather or 2.5 if I'd installed myself (I'm not handy enough). Installer used some extra foam to make it fully structured I'd be very surprised if you could fit anything resembling a Porsche seat in an M20

Lol! All good questions transponder - there wasn’t room in the center stack because of a structural beam behind the top of the stack. Normally have a copilot to push the buttons anyway. That was the best spot for it to fit what’s behind the panel STEC is plenty easy to use and out of the way down there. Don’t think it requires a disconnect on the yoke (was never there to start). Adding it to the panel just would’ve crowded it and taken a space for a future gizmo circuit breaker - didn’t think of it. Whatever

...and because I can't resist at least posting an "almost" finished picture...

13 months and many AMUs into the panel overhaul + annual (10 of those months not flying at all), on the VERY DAY I'm supposed to take delivery and fly her... The master contactor relay is sticking open. It was just replaced. Battery is brand new. All the wiring in the plane is brand new... Mechanic does a thorough check for grounding issues. No issues in the wiring. Isolates the starter - turns out there's a failed ground inside my starter So now I'm replacing the starter for an ElectroAir, and putting a new lock on the door for a bit of safety Hopefully just a day's delay, not another month Posting in case anyone else comes across a similar issue Just another day... know not to keep my hopes up too much. Aircraft ownership has meant significantly less flight time vs renting for me...

The middle one I think if that helps? My mechanic did it… I forget exactly what he said