Piloto

The small hole is for the generator ventilation. A small duct hose is routed to the back side of the generator where a band with a hose nipple is attached for cooling of the commutator brushes. José

I have an M20 oil separator on my M20J and it works well. The trick for success is proper installation. 1. Have it located as high as possible. The inlet must be above the engine breather outlet. 2. Plug any holes within the breather tube that is inside the engine area. Some mechanics drilled holes on the tube as an alternate if the tube outlet freezes. The reality is that the tube never freezes due to the hot air coming thu the cowl flaps. These drilled holes reduces the breather venting performance causing oil to be forced by the piston rings thus increased oil burn (black burn stain on the belly). 3. Connect the M20 separator little discharge hose to the rear cylinder valve cover thru an elbow fitting. The separator will keep the breather tube dry but if the engine is burning oil the exhaust stain will be black instead of yellowish. The M20 will not significantly reduce the oil comsumption but eliminates the oil stains caused by the breather discharge. José

I had the same problem that started after I switched from manual towing to the Robotow. When I was manual towing the prop was set at 45 deg before compression to get a better grip when pulling by the prop. When using the Robotow the prop needs to be horizontal, just at the compression point. Just set the prop vertical to allow momentum build up to overcome the compression stroke. BTW this is a good indication of compression. José

Oxygen depravation could has been caused by something as simple as a kink or pinch on the oxygen line. This happens when the line is too long and get tangle with the pilots body. It also happens in hospitals. On Mooneys with overhead oxygen ports is not unusual to pull down on a tangle line when moving the seat. If your oxygen line is too long trim it down just enough to allow seat movement without getting tangle. At FL250 you will fall asleep within minutes of oxygen depravation. Periodically check your line routing to make shure it will not get kink, pinch or disconnected. José

I agree with Michael on preference for the M20J over M20F. Basically both planes share the same airframe but there are significant differences among them: 1. M20J electric gear 2. M20J electric flaps 3. M20J modern style instrument panels and yokes. Allows for easy upgrade of avionics 4. M20J windshield and cowling for faster speed. 5. M20J improved overhead ventilation. True that you can upgrade an M20F to an M20J but it would be cheaper to get an M20J vs modifying an M20F. Besides, no matter how much you put in an M20F the certificate will not change to an M20J. José

As per Mooney parts catalog: for M20J s/n 24-0764 thru 24-1028 use Parker Hannifin p/n(Mooney) 880029-501 for M20J s/n 24-1029 and on use Airight, Inc. p/n(Mooney) 88040-501 Check with Kevin at Lone Star Aero at http://www.lonestaraero.com/ they are the best for parts prices and availability. Before ordering verify there is no leaks from the brake master cylinders to the parking brake valve. Check if you have parking brake on one side but onot on the other. Verify that the there is fluid (no bubbles) in the line connecting the master cylinders with the parking valve. If the line has air the regular brakes will work but not the parking. It is rare for the the parking brake valve to fail. José

This is what I thought was a portable heater. José

Quote: Mooney13 Thanks for the info. Any idea why taping the starter worked every time (5 or 6 times straight)?

The classical clicking sound comes from either the battery relay or starter relay. It occurs when the battery voltage drops due to the starter load. When the voltage drops the relay opens due lower coil voltage. When the relay opens the voltage increases again causing the relay to close again. This cycle gets repeated causing the clicking sound. Possible causes are: 1, Battery is not getting fully charged. Check charging voltage. 2. Weak battery with high internal resistance. 3. Poor battery connection at the battery or relay terminals. 4. Wrong or defective starter relay. The starter relay coils operate at a lower battery voltage to prevent disconnection during crancking. Master relays coil operates at battery voltage. Make sure you have the proper starter relay. 5. Momentary shorted winding condition in the starter or its connection. José

In case of an A/P failure you can revert to the control yoke. José

I think it is a very good idea. I have the folding seats on my 82 M20J and when my son was in college I used it all the time we visited him. When visiting relatives in Christmas it is very handy for carrying gifts. I have been able to carry A 32" tv set in the box with no problem. Beware that the carrying space is greater than what you can fit on average rental car. Before you proceed with the mod i would suggest to get the Mooney parts manual to see how it is implemented. Keep in mind that on the bench seat the seat back is supported by a beam across the cabin width but on the folding seats the back is supported by a reclining mechanism at the back axle. On the factory reclining seats you have to remove the back and seat cushions before reclining down the back support. To get an FAA approval for the mod you may need to prove that the back will withstand the forces of a crash impact. Good luck. José

I found that the best way to keep your oil clean when changing it is by: 1. Drain the oil one week after the last shut down. This will insure drainage of all the oil in the upper parts of the engine. 2. Close drain valve 3. Add one gallon of AVGAS into the oil pan thru the filler neck. This will liquify oil residues in the pan. 4. Replace oil filter. 5. After 15 min. open drain valve and drain completly the AVGAS/oil mix. 6. Close drain valve and fill-up pan with oil. You will notice that after several hours run-up the oil will still be clear (semitransparent). This is good but makes it difficult to determine the oil level unless you have good light. José

Quote: skyking Piloto: As for the Pee bottles, try a thing called a "piddle pack". I used it for the grandkids. russ

You should also get the complementary pee bottle needed with the cup holders. José

Yes the Ovation is smoother. This due in part that the IO-550 is 6 cylinder vs 4 and the 3 blade prop vs. 2, also the engine is mounted further foward on the Ovation. I would recommend ear plugs in addition to headphones. These http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/earplugs3.php are very good and you would be able to hear the radio thru the headsets. José

Quote: Mooney13 I have the Monroy long range tanks (M20J) and they are nice for (real) long range, but I typically do not need them and I find it tough to keep track of the accurate fuel level when the fuel equalizes between tanks. Maybe there is something I am missing???

As your brain got older you put cooking oil in it by mistake. José

No big deal. I don't even bother to remove them. Just tape the area around, sand them to remove corrosion and spray paint. José

Check the water level on the battery. If above the bottom edge of the cut-out ring it will spill out when charging. Also make sure the top battery box vent opening on the fuselage is facing forward and the bottom one is facing down. Check the battery for shorted cell by measuring the voltage at the battery terminal with master off. If the voltage is below 11 volts it has a shorted cell that will cause overcharge on the other cells, it will still crank the engine. José

It could have been either O&N bladders (64 gallons) or the Monroy tanks (88 gallons total). On my M20J I have 100+ gallons total with the Monroy tanks. That gives me 1,500nm range with reserve. I also have the bladder 2 gallons range extender. José

I am not aware of any panel tilt angle on the M20J or later models. Instrument pitch angle tilt can be adjusted by adding washers at the mounting screws. For roll angle tilt you can enlarge the panel mounting holes slightly and adjust the instrument. José

Quote: Mooney13 Does anyone know where to locate the actual servo motor on the Mooney...I cleaned the contacts on the controller and now it seems to be working better on the "brain" side of things...(looking for headings), but it is over correcting and it just seems to get worse the longer you leave it on..I was told the servo likely needs to be rebuilt and I would like to just take a quick look at it before bringing it in. From what I was told the motor rebuild alone is in the 2K range without any labor... I know...it's a plane Thanks

Check with Kevin at http://www.lonestaraero.com/. They are the best. José

A friend of mine that has a Mooney M20E bought the Zaon XRX just to find out that it would not fit on top of the panel because the glareshield area is too small for the unit. He returned the unit and instead installed in the panel a Monroy ATD-300. He is very happy with it. José

There are four causes for altitude encoder errors: 1. Encoder connection to the static port is incomplete or leaks. 2. Encoder internal malfuction. Usually related to the internal heater. 3. Encoder wiring to the transponder. The encoder conveys the altitude data to the transponder via a 12 wire connection. If one of the wires is disconnected you will get altitude errors at some altitudes but not at others. On many occasions the disconnect happens at the transponder tray contacts. Remove the transponder from its tray and spray contact cleaner on the contacts. Reinsert transponder and give it a try. Newer transponder/encoders use 2 data wires only. 4. One of the transponder encoder inputs is defective. To assure that the problem is fix a biennial transponder check is the best way to go. Check the transponder altitude readout on the test set while increasing the altitude with the test pump connected to the static port. Verify there is no more than 100 feet error at all the altitudes tested. If you have a Monroy ATD-300 you can read the transponder altitude directly while climbing. José