Grant_Waite

Recently I had to remove my AeroTrim servo and rudder trim tab on my 77J. The head unit had gone bad, then the servo went bad. I was trying to fly a plane that wasn’t trimmed correctly and the trim tab made it especially dangerous on landings and takeoffs. It would get squirly a bit and didn’t fly straight in cruise worth a flip. After taking the tab off, it flys a lot straighter in cruise but I still need about 5 pounds of right rudder to keep the ball centered. My Stec55x will fight it in cruise with the yokes moving left and right unless I get the ball centered. The plane doesn’t roll at all so I think the aileron rigging is fine. My question is how have some of y’all done the rigging on the rudder? I’ve read the service manual on the steps. Looks like it’s C clamps on the pedals and turning 2 rod ends, one under the pedals themselves and another back under the elevator inspection panel. Then there’s another one on the right side of the rudder. What tips or advice does anyone have for doing this? A travel board isn’t needed to rig the rudder right?

I bought a Klein Inclinometer thinking I’d need it, but the guys that timed it said that’s only for Continentals. So that 50 dollar inclinometer wasn’t a waste then. Might have it rechecked before I send the mags off using the inclinometer. This is the one I got. It comes with a nice base that’s magnetic and straps to hold it to the prop. https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-935DAA-Digital-Electronic/dp/B0CSH23J3V/ref=mp_s_a_1_8_sspa?crid=15KLWBKS07ORW&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.i6aACVH5TXpMP850RfAtruoHeT4cfxmVur7Ap2EZVf6XmyXdgyydoAQWAonkmb9bRJVFHKQl3hLUAaq9_Nw6CEE-c275Ye13Aw5ItzaExhCFo38_qfKAkcNBdP5dp4VWJCW_euDpOlNjAy4BzxX3BXiWATiDbO8WtDCiBakcolxHYypJMb1yo8mBqZn0MpfKCYEydrD-3DoMGjrZ26sxxg.CCh1BqlcrVWcT9IWs201iJCMoKcOR8eTf0BlkGaB12g&dib_tag=se&keywords=klein%2Binclinometer&qid=1736225837&sprefix=klein%2Binc%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-8-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfbXRm&psc=1&th=1

That’s what I thought too, is that fine wires weren’t supposed to be gapped because you can mess them up. I have taken them out and they did make spark when we put them in the tester but I didn’t check to measure the gap. I read the log entry after this so I didn’t know they were taken and gapped at annual

I already got new seals from Airforms, since I had to buy a new baffle. My one on the left side had a nice crack in it so it wasn’t working too well. But that didn’t fix the temps either. I think it’s most likely a mag thing since they have just about 500 or a littler over.

Yeah, you’re telling me. It could definitely use all new scat tubing from you. Didn’t realize all the stuff you made for aircraft. Lots and lots of hacksmith stuff going on in the engine

My mechanics used a wrench to line up the marks to the case halves which not sure how accurate that was or wasn’t. The one who will remove the mag is a different mechanic that worked on the plane for the previous owner

I watch my mechanics time it after the idiots at annual said they checked it. They used an electronic timer and found it was a half degree advanced. The only things I haven’t changed are spark plugs so I’m hoping maybe it could be that. All the baffles will get replaced when the mag gets sent off.

The baffles all lay flat except the 2 back ones in 2 spots. I’m going to have all the baffles replaced whenever I send the mag out this month or next month. The baffles around the chin are original and need replacing badly. The one baffle on the right is new since this picture was taken.

The mag was overhauled in 2019 so I don’t think it needs it but it does need the 500hr done. I’m sending to Aero Accessories in Van Nuys but I’ve yet to call since they’ve been closed for Christmas

I have a 1977M20J with the IO360 A3B6D.Ever since I got my plane back from a 3 month annual, the temps on all my cylinders have gone up 20-30°. The 2 things the shop fucked with were claiming they cleaned the fuel injectors, no way they did. Just cleaned them last week and they were quite dirty but not clogged. They also cleaned, and regapped all 8 of my champion fine wire plugs. My plane use to run perfectly fine in the 360s on the hottest, which was usually #4. I did have a baffle that was cracked and replaced it with a brand new one from Airforms. It didn’t change anything either. I had the timing checked on the mag and it was a half degree advanced, so I had it set back to 25°. They did say the internal timing was about a half degree off. It is almost time for me to send my mag out for the 500hr. I’m getting that nothing is wrong or different from my mechanics but something changed from annual that’s casing it to run at 390+ when it’s 40° or less out. If sending the mags out and replacing all my baffle seals, doesn’t fix it then idk what else to do. I bought 4 tempest massives to put in #3 and #4 to see if the champions plugs are trashed. Champion is definitely not a champion company… previous owner loved Champion hence the plugs. I can’t justify putting in fine wires if there not going to solve the issue so the massives will have to do for testing. The plane was missing pretty good today when I was taxing it was just after getting fuel so the engine was hot. It’s always kinda missed and stumbled since I’ve owner it but today it definitely seemed worse. Everything else runs like a top and starts just fine, but it does seem to have more vibrations to me in flight.

I just use the bottle adapter that screws into the oil filler neck, that comes with all 20w-50 oil cases. You get a new one every time you buy 12qts of oil. It’s specifically designed to hold the bottle so you can leave it and let all the oil drain out of the bottle. You just have to push the bottle into the funnel past the lip, it’s designed for that. Not sure why nobody knows how to use it or what it’s for. It’s the best funnel attachment I’ve ever used and it’s FREE

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it, but to me it looks more like something is rubbing. All my oil stains I ever get are much lighter even when the oil is used. The rubbing of any aluminum on aluminum will cause what some call “smoking” which creates a black very hard to clean up, wipe it and it smears type stuff. I know I’ve replaced the chafe tape in my gear doors like 3 times because of oil making the tape not stick. I got some tape from @Jetdriven and it sticks great but forgot what it was. I just did an oil change and got oil all over the place and it’s still sticking great. It almost looks like it’s coming from the piano hinges on the gear doors but mine doesn’t rub there. Just where the doors overlap on one another. I’d look in the nose wheel well and see what you can find. I’ve had crud come out of the lowest part of the bottom cowl, where the 2 camlocs go. If there’s no tape there, it can cause rubbing and airflow can make it blow on the doors and get all over the hinges.

Yeah, being in Maryland for a week spoiled me because Byron and Jack know how everything should be on a Mooney. Good thing she’s a fast J!

I think that’s what I’m going to do. According to the service manual you can adjust them by the rods, they connect to. I don’t think the silicone in the baffles is bad, but I’m going to do the flashlight technique to see how well they seal up.

Yeah, key word supposed to. It’s just held to intake manifold with zip ties through a clamp. Like I said there’s a lot you can’t see but can assume from the pictures. I’m going to fly my ass all the way to Maryland again next year, so Byron and Jack can sort all the riggetry out on it, at annual. There’s a lot that could be done better and the right way.

Those pictures are old, that was before I replaced the ring terminal. I turned the terminal around to the back side. I don’t believe there’s anything for those wires to really attach to. It’s a hard place to take complete pictures of.

My factory cht bounces all over the place, sometimes not reading at all momentarily. You can see it was in bad shape by those pictures. Yesterday it worked just fine the whole flight. It looks like the jpi has its piggyback underneath the probe. I replaced the connector and recrimmped the wire. I still need to tighten the tiny nut more though because you can move it left or right with your fingers

Is it true that the number 3 cht that’s piggybacked for the Jpi, reads low on my 830? Because it always is very similar in temps to #4 but I thought I heard somewhere that in reality the #3 is actually 30° higher than what the 830 will display.

I’m not entirely sure. In the closed position my cowl flaps are pretty much flush with the lower cowl. So flush that I get streaks from the aluminum of the cowl flaps, rubbing the lower cowl. I did have my cowl flap linkage come loose after a touch in go all the way in KPDK. I didn’t realize it until I got cruise and there was no force required to move the cowl flaps to the closed position. Turns out it was a nut that came loose but I’m assuming that’s how you change the position of them. The nut was on the left side linkage, where the linkage and cable enter the cabin. Since my plane doesn’t have infinitely adjustable cowl flaps, they stay open in cruise in position with the push pull control. If I pull the control aft of that position, the air pushes it the rest of the way back thus opening the cowl flaps. Is this how it’s supposed to function or is something wrong with it? Both of these pictures are old but just as a reference. Bottom one is from last year.

Yeah, she’s pretty darn fast when you put the fuel to her. The engine was overhauled in 2019, I bought it in December of last year. Not sure if they replaced the silicone baffles then or not. I also thought my oil temp was a bit high. I run it between 6-7 quarts depending on how long I’ll fly. I’m assuming a higher oil temp would correlate to more oil being used or is that a false assumption?

I don’t know what’s well past, because I never let it get hotter than 390° I’d imagine if I did nothing to stop it, it’d keep going well into the 400’s. For engine longevity I like to try and keep the hottest cylinder in the 360s. It just seems odd that it decides to creep well past 380° even if I’m lop. The topics of rop and lop are so opinionated, I’ve never settled on what’s myth and what’s fact about either.

Yeah, it was about 120° rop. I normally like to run it at 9.5gal or so but I can’t do it without both #3 and #4 chts creeping well past 380

I have a 1977 M20J with the IO360-A3B6D. I have a whole jpi830 monitor with all the options. For whatever reason my #3 and #4 cht won’t stay below 380 unless I’m right on edge of lop, or very very rop. I experimented today and the only way to run 50°rop or 75° rop or even 25°lop, was with my cowl flaps open a bit. I’m running wot and 2500rpm based off the recommendations I’ve seen by others here. I’ve played around with lower rpm and it doesn’t change the issue. I get normal mag drops and egt rises on run up, my mag will be due for the 500hr in about 30more hours. I do have a power flow exhaust and a challenger air filter. The temperature at 7500 today was around 50 to 60f, so quite warm for that altitude, but I’ve flown at 10k where it’s 40f outside and the same issue. Here’s some pictures of today’s flight. It could be baffles, mag timing, something else I’m not thinking of or completely normal. I just don’t seem to remember having any issue at all before my annual, about keeping temps down.

I had a very similar issue earlier this year. The gear wouldn’t come all the way up and the gear unsafe light would stay illuminated. The circuit breaker wouldn’t pop either. Turns out the emergency extension spine drive cable got jammed and was causing the issue. It wouldn’t happen every time just every few cycles. You can rule out if it’s the cable, by just trying the emergency extension on jacks. Mine wouldn’t come all the way down with the emergency extension. I just got back from Byron’s shop in Maryland, after having his guys put my new Eaton motor and newer style extension in.

The previous owner asked if he could have it back and I told him yeah. I believe it didn’t work either. He had it attached with Velcro and it wasn’t going anywhere. I use the built in Davtron that’s on the far left side, right above the rpm gauge. I start the timer on it as soon as the engine is started, I just built it into my after start flow. I use it to determine when to change tanks, and my old fuel gauges which seem to be quite accurate… so long as there’s more than 10gals a side left. I also got rid of the Garmin mounted gps thing on the yoke. Being only 5’5 5’6, I sit so close to the yoke so I can press the brakes fully. Rudder pedal extensions would be nice just a bit pricey for the 3in ones.