KSMooniac

After checking with the engine off, you might remove the audio panel from the rack, spray a little contact cleaner on the pins, and re-insert. A 3/32 hex key should unlock it from the tray.

An engine analyzer is a must-have and a very high bang-for-the-buck purchase compared to how expensive everything else seems to be with planes. With a little education, it will help you manage the operation of your engine properly, drastically increase the chances of getting to TBO or beyond, and quickly diagnose any troubles that can save you shop time, keep you from getting stranded, or even save your life. Get a modern monitor and learn how to use it!

I'm a happy XeVision customer and have no experience with the LoPresti product.

In my case my Lycoming steel cylinders were re-honed. I got new guides, pistons/rings, and 1 new exhaust valve.

I had all of my cylinders IRAN'd last year and followed the procedures developed and honed by the GAMI/Tornado Alley Turbo folks with great results. The idea is to keep the power level high and the CHTs cool by flying hi-power LOP settings. First flight should be 30-45 minutes followed by a landing and inspection to check for leaks, tighten any hoses, etc. Second flight should be 3-4 hours at hi-power LOP, cowl flaps open, and by then everything should be broken-in with stabilized CHT and oil consumption. They also recommend using regular oil that you intend to run, but not something with the additives like A/S 15W-50 nor mineral oil. I used Aeroshell W80 since I did that work in March last year. Since I'm non-turbo, I flew low (like 3500') at ~80% power LOP since that was all I could generate. With your K, you could of course fly higher and keep the power up. I added about half a quart after my first flight, and the rest after the 4 hour flight, and that was it. My consumption now 150+ hours later is about 1 qt in 15 hours or so. You can search up articles from Mike Busch or John Deakin on Avweb, or posts from Walter Atkinson on the AOPA Forum for more discussion. I trust their experience and recommendations much, much more than anything published by TCM and especially Lycoming.

STEC was purchased by Cobham, and they've really been running it into the ground in addition to raising prices dramatically. That explains the price increase for the autopilots. Talk to any avionics shop about dealing with STEC since the purchase and it will open your eyes. For the OP, you need to find another shop. On the email list, Tim Mathison (706) 638-7921 gets rave reviews for Aspen/Autopilot work with Mooneys and has owners flying across the country to his shop. A couple years ago I was quoted ~$12k for an Aspen Pro installed and integrated with my STEC-30, and that was before all the rebates and discounts. I've since heard of people getting out-the-door for MSRP.

My J senses off the throttle position using a bump to close a microswitch. Not sure if yours will be similar, but it should be easy to check visually after you contort yourself under the panel. Perhaps your microswitch failed?

Beautiful! Enjoy it, after doing your homework of course.

I've had to do it for real in my J, and the panel annunciator light does still work with the gear act. breaker pulled. It just so happened my electric motor failed as I was on my way to Willmar for fuel tank work in 2008. It picked a good place to die! Bruce said I was fortunate that the backup system worked because it is easy for the spline drive to be mis-rigged and get chewed up from normal operation, and then fail to engage when you really need it! He has lots of pictures and stories to back it up, too. For that reason, I only check mine at annual, and make doubly-sure the drive disengages completely, and then "feel" the crank mechanism while running the electric motor to make sure there is no input to it.

I heard at OSH this year that JPI is indeed pursuing TSO approval for the 830! That is great news IMO...no timetable for completion, though.

The really good planes don't sit on the market for very long. It would be nice to if it sold for $60k or something else... For those that are shopping, figure out what you want as well as a sliding scale of "wants" versus "must-haves" and assign a value to each so you can quickly judge a candidate plane. Ones that are turn-key or very close to it will not wait around for you to waffle, so you need to be prepared to pounce with a deposit and purchase agreement that calls for a PPI with a Mooney-savvy mechanic. Also have cash and/or financing ready to go...

I met Aerobat95 and showed him my J plus my friend's E the day before he deployed. We can definitely get him a ride to Paola!

Thats why I added the "IMO" George. Aerobat95 is a new serious Mooney shopper and likely hasn't read the last couple knock-down/drag-outs we've had on the subject...so we should let him know it is a point of debate and he can go search on the topic to get fully informed on the pros and cons. The ebay F could have 1000+ useful load and 64 gallons of capacity, but it doesn't. It likely doesn't leak either.

One more nice thing about that plane...it appears to have the removable rear seats instead of the fixed bench! That is very, very nice too for the older planes.

145 knots sounds about right on a modded F, and of course we have no idea what power setting, altitude, or temp yielded that speed. If that was a recent data point in the summer in the desert, then it might do 150 knots in cooler weather. Aside from the bladders, that looks like a very, very nice candidate to me. Johnson bar gear, great cosmetics, standard 6-pack, expensive autopilot, engine monitor, etc. It really needs a 430W to replace one of the nav/coms and then it would be well-suited to modern IFR XC work. The bladders are the biggest knock IMO especially since they reduced fuel capacity in this instance. The extra bags could be added to restore capacity to 64 gallons, but at a further hit on the useful load. Few airplanes are actually "sold" on ebay. ebay is a cheap/efficient way to advertise a plane to a wide audience, and if someone is silly enough to hit the buy button, well, it happens. More likely someone will see the listing, call, and start working a deal in a conventional manner. I fully expect the listing will just run out the clock... 67/80 isn't a huge deal on that cylinder as the compression readings will vary depending on who/how they are accomplished. Worst case, the jug can be reworked for a few hundred bucks if it is leaking past a valve or something, or replaced for $2k.

The 430 can be upgraded to a W for $3000 plus installation labor. A new antenna (included in the $3k to Garmin) must be installed, and new coax cable may or may not be required, which might cost a few hundred to install. Support for the non-WAAS will go away due to parts scarcity, so sooner or later one will be forced to upgrade if it needs to be serviced. I agree that the E does not have a 201 windshield. There are several 1-pc replacements with the original pre-J contour, and this plane appears to have one.

There is a thread on here somewhere trying to round up interest for a group-buy for ~$26k plus instl. You might call Don Maxwell and get his opinion on the kit first.

Congrats! You made the best choice. For those in TX (or elsewhere) contemplating flying west, heed Parker's advice about not flying at night w/o an instrument rating in the SW! I learned that lesson first-hand a long time ago on a trip from College Station to Phoenix. We left in the afternoon, fuel/dinner stop in Pecos, then finished the trip in the dark. Departing Pecos was an eye-opener as there is *nothing* there to give you a horizon reference after you leave the airport environment! Fortunately for me (and my pax!) I had just finished the IR a couple weeks prior and was proficient. After a few seconds of being baffled, I realized I needed to fly IFR and then we were fine... I shudder to think what would have happened w/o instrument skills. Even though it was perfectly legal, it might have ended badly ala JFK Jr.

Ariel and family, I too am very saddened to learn about Robert's passing! Hopefully he went with a smile on his face and happiness in his heart from a life well-lived! My dad had a '65 C model when I was growing up, and that is where my flying infection started...and I was very fortunate to be able to take him to OSH this year for his first visit. I'm glad your dad got to share some of his passion with you too.

I'm registered and am hoping we have a great turn-out!

I'm also a happy XeVision user for 3 years now in my J. Very nice upgrade. If choosing today, though, I would compare them against the newest LED products like I saw at OSH. AeroLED was the vendor that had some certified/STC options for landing lights and nav/strobes as well (I think that is who it was!).

Quote: KLRDMD Jimmy almost always comes up with a higher value than vRef.

That TN F looks nice, but has a panel full of unsupported hardware that would worry me...and thus I think it is priced a little too high because of that. Running it through Jimmy Garrison's pre-201 valuation spreadsheet would be better than using their V-REF guess.

Randy, you might see about horse-trading with Jason...he had a J that got totaled due to hail before he bought Rocket #1. He might entertain the thought.

You want Bob Bramble at Aerolab: www.aerolabaviation.com He is in Sarasota so you'll get quick shipping too.