bgpilot1

Just finished my 2nd annual with my 1967 M20F. Couple of thoughts for vintage mooney owners. I converted my generator to a Plane Power Alternator. Extremely happy with the results. The kit comes with a 70 amp pop out breaker and I have an additional pull out alternate bus bar breaker rated at 50 amps. I searched long and hard for a 70 amp pull out breaker. Mooney has one which I ordered through Laser but ended up not installing. The 70 amp is much bigger. So far I've flown 25 hours and have had no issues with the 50 amp. Don't think all my electronics will ever pull that much. I got a lot of opinions and so far the 50 amp is sufficient. The constant output of the alternator is just great. Very happy with the Champion Fine Wire sparks plugs. I had them on the bottom last year which eliminated engine fouling which seemed to occur frequently even when leaning on the ground. Replaced the top plugs this annual. The plane starts like a champ. Probably related to all this is the fact that the wiring, probably original, was replaced from the alternator to the buss bar to the breakers. The old wires which had a thick gauge the size of your cable tv wires and were frayed. I'll post pictures. The buss bar breaker showed significant wear. I had electrical deamons and went through 3 mechanical regulators and switched to the solid state but still had intermittent problems. Highly recommend checking the wiring if you have a vintage mooney. My nulites would not dim. Ordered a new rheostat from Laser. Solved the problem. Don't think you need 1 regular light to pull at least 1 amp for the nulights to dim which is what I had read. Installed the JPI EDM 830. Great functionality but it does not have the same angle viewing clarity if installed vertically vs horizontally. Called JPI. They confirmed. This is not in their literature, of course. Their customer service is ok. Long wait times on the phone 50% of the time. They sent the wrong RPM sensor and replaced but it took some time. My fuel pressure is not displaying properly so still troubleshooting. Since it is not primary for anything, have the backups. Setup is painful since there are only 2 buttons and you have to cycle through the entire interface to program. Of course, once everything is setup you are ok. You will need to order several additional fittings and hoses to install. Will try LOP this week and report. For some unknown reason my ground wire from the battery to the airframe was grounded at that cross section bar behind the batter but the rest of the plane was not showing a good ground. Very odd since the piece is rivoted to the airplane. Don't know if the process of painting and all the particulates that got everywhere had anything to do with this. Ran new ground wire to second shelf behind the battery and everything shows a ground. Original rotating beacon would rotate but not light up. Just replaced with strobe. Have fun climbing into the tail section to hold the nuts secure. Replaced master relay which was corroded. Also replaced master switch which had 2 loose screws. Did I mention electrical deamons? Two more items to check. Replaced door seal with the one that attaches to the airframe rather than the door. Great for soundproofing but the thing tears easily. The one that attaches to the door was not available. Replaced mechanical tach with Mitchell. Its ok. TGH Aviation recommended one from Superior Labs. I would go that route if it was my only primary. Since I have the EDM 830 I can view the RPM from the mags so its no big deal but the quality of the Mitchell is probably not as good - that is why TGH switched so they told me. So I finally feel comfortable flying long distances which is why we own Mooneys. Learned a lot through the owner assisted annaul. Hope this info helps the next guy or gal. Barry

Another great article from the Piper forum which applys to us vintage, 14 volt Mooney pilots. Having gone through several voltage regulators, switched to a solid state, and now replaced my generator for a plane power alternator, I sure wonder if the 2 loose wires connected to the master switch in my M20F was causing all the problems. Symptoms displayed at different times - overvoltage, undervoltage, fluctuating voltage, avionics resetting, etc. 2 of the 4 wires connected to the master required a couple of screw turns to fully tighten. Of course, none of the 3 mechanics who replaced the regulators regarded this as a factor. And that is why I read this board! http://www.piperowner.com/Charging.htm Barry

Found this online. Someone may have a need. The Owners Manual to the M20D. http://www.scribd.com/doc/38373595/Mooney-Master-M20D-Owner-s-Manual Barry

I have a friend with an experimental who had his exhaust thermal coated. I can't remember the exact company name but I believe there are several out there who can do this and it decreases the temperatures and potentially increases horsepower. He had his entire exhaust done for under 300 dollars. Anyone else heard of this? Here is one website I found. http://www.finishlinecoatings.com/faq.htm Barry

I'm in the process of installing the JPI EDM 830 in my M20F right now. I believe it can replace the CHT and EGT.

I find it interesting that FP isn't pursueing their lawsuit with AOPA since the AOPA flight planning software is web based, draws a movable line on the map just as NavMonster once did. (big company, plenty of money to fight)

http://beta.navmonster.com/ http://blog.runwayfinder.com/ I am bummed that I can't use navmonster AND runwayfinder anymore. Great websites, free to us all, and I'm sure took a lot of someone's free time to develop. FlightPrep has some good lawyers, I'm sure. B

12 hours from Memphis to Billings, Montana - then 4 to Seattle Renton Field in a Cherokee 140 without AP. 9 hours from Memphis to Glacier National Park in Montana then 2.5 to Seattle Boeing Field in the Mooney M20F. I prefer the faster ride with autopilot and no electrical gremlins! Barry

I called Laser today to inquire about the visors for my 67 M20F. Seems they are all out of them and won't reorder for quite some time. Anyone know of any other options for pre 68 models? Barry

I have a list of every paint shop in the US which I can share with you. PM me your email. I've had experiences with all the shops in Mena, AR. AOG has a good reputation. Crider is ok as well. There are also a couple of reputable shops in Alabama and Mississippi. I've heard good things about a shop in Houston, MS. My best advice - typically you get what you pay for! Labor is cheaper in some places and the results are probably in line... Barry

I had the same issue in my 67 M20F. I got a new switch for the Nav and the problem went away. Could it be as simple as that? Barry

I have nulites installed for all my instruments but the overhead rheostat will only turn them completly on or off. I read the following: There is a readily available post for all things to be dimmed under the left side of the instrument panel. The dimmer switch is up in the ceiling, but the "wire to" position is only a short distance from your instruments. There should also be a single light bulb aimed at the fuel selector switch very near by this post. Of course, you should probably have your A&P / electrician helping you with this one. Overall it is very easy since most of the new lights that are avilable are LED and draw very little electricity. Remember that LED's do not draw enough current to dim with the old rheostat. To keep the old rheostat, you must either have a bulb somewhere in the circuit or a resistance to ground to draw enough current through the rheostat to setup the voltage gradiant. This definately requires a licensed individual to do the work. Has anyone fixed this issue? Best solutions? 1967 M20F Thanks, Barry

I was having fouled plug problems on the bottom ones until I replaced them with fine wire spark plugs. Haven't had any fouled plugs since. I will check them all this month during annual but they have certainly helped. I lean on the ground, and leave the mixture lean when landing as well. My suspicion is that it is set too rich to start.

Flew a short cross country a week ago and after the plane sat on the ground for 6 hours, it wouldn't start. Had it jumped and it started right up, flew home no problems. Generator charged fine. Battery tested fine. I did notice that the generator had gone offline during takeoff but when I backed off to 25 squared the yellow undercharge light went off an no other events. So I got to troubleshooting. Turns out there was a bit of corrosion on the negative ground wire going from the frame to the battery. Cleaned that off, recharged the battery fully and no problems. Lesson learned...and an easy one! Barry

Would anyone happen to have any basic guidelines or procedures to operating an Stec 60-2 autopilot with a Garmin 430W? You would think that Stec would update their manual to add these procedures since they have procedures for VOR, HSI, etc but this was the response I received from them. Sorry Barry, but there are just too many navigation systems available for us to try and address each and every one with relation to AP operation. Attached is basic POH for 60-2. Thank you for using Cobham/S-Tec products.