carusoam

Late to the party… I do have O360 gov experience… ours are all very similar, unless you fly a Rocket engineered machine… where the failure mode goes full coarse pitch… for best glide distance… our govs are a few sub systems in one… 1) they have their own gear pump to supply pressure to adjust the pitch…. No way to measure the actual oil pressure within the prop during flight… 2) control valve… the thing that actually controls the oil pressure in the prop… 3) fly weights… the spinning device that activates (opens more and closes more) the control valve based on the speed of rotation of the fly weights… 4) the control knob that sets the fly weights… 1600 hours is not a lot of time to wear out this system… a certain amount of oil pressure needs to be supplied to the gov to allow it to work… gear pumps are pretty robust and can handle a lot of air bubbles if necessary… my old challenge… the O360 has a hollow shaft with a plug at the cabin end… if this seal fails, the gov is unable to build the necessary pressure to adjust the prop… the fifty cent seal only costs a few amus to replace… prop comes off, faulty seal gets pulled out, new seal pressed in place… prop goes back on… lots of sludge collects in the prop… the oil slowly circulates, but not enough to flush the system… lots of mechanical moving parts inside, fly weights are on a greased path… control valve too, so any dirt inside can keep them from moving correctly… consider what is happening based on the data… fly weights sticking, control valve sticking, or oil pressures fluctuating… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic… best regards, -a-

Ross, in our NA world…. We get dense air while at 90%bhp… Our TC’d brethren can get lots of power up where the air is too thin to provide adequate cooling… done well, a tc’d engine can use a set of cylinders around the halfway point to MOH… not done well… the first TOH is before the half way point… the intake systems of the six cylinder Continental engines are nicely designed to easily run LOP… Best regards, -a-

All Mooney’s have two methods of operation… 1) keep the cylinders cool to get as close to 2k hrs as possible… 2) keep the TIT cool to keep the vanes from elongating into the turbo’s case… 3) Some use LOP for this… then there is full on flaming dragon mode… find the threads about operating the 231’s engine… find @jlunseth’s writing…. Best regards, -a-

sometimes it occurs at 7pm… Zumba! it even sounds fun… mothers and 20yr old daughters working together… with a few daring old guys mixed in. lots of family activity going on around here… remember to stay in your lane… the kids can run 6 minute miles… the dads have heart attacks chasing 7 minute miles… nothing gets in the way of your flying like a good myocardial infarction..! PP thoughts only, no medical background… best regards, -a-

+1 for following the guidance you are given… +1 for asking prior to doing something different… it can be un-fun at times… keep it up… you can get to where you want to be… for anyone that has crunchiness in their joints… this can be helpful as well… Still not therapist… Best regards, -a-

If for some reason… it feels like it will take 10 years for the full recovery to happen… just know in 10 years you will still be alive flying a Mooney… knowing it IS worth it… Best regards, -a-

Done properly… you can get all the joints working silky smoothly… build some muscle nice and evenly… over time… you can win medals in your age group at any 5K you want to enter… like getting the right Mooney cfi… get the right trainer… if you have extra… some time with their dietician is always fun… eat less starch. Drink less beer… and listen to all the conversations going on around you… mostly wacky ideas being discussed by the young guns… a few will discuss politics… and stock markets… Work on muscle memory… getting full motion… and some strength… Come away feeling better, physically and about yourself… PP thoughts only, not a physical therapist…

Way cool… I’m not the only one who got trained in how to walk again…. a casual day at the gym… you will find before work hours… lots of working people, in a rush to get through their routine… late morning… is all the blue hairs working all their joints… light weights, lots of reps… afternoons… all the teenagers trying to show how little they know about how muscles work… or how machines work… or how to be nice… afterwork… the crazy busy hours begin… After eight… you have the whole gym to yourself… best regards, -a-

Start the post timer… now! Start: 14.5k i hope your @N201MKTurbo recovery goes quickly… less work… more time for MS! best regards, -a-

I have seen pics of the stall vane and switch assembly around here before… probably has part numbers of the switch itself included in the discussion… and what was used to clean the switches. having a spark plug hole camera will probably be helpful to determining the best route of action… iirc… it’s a long way from the access panel to the leading edge area… Best regards, -a-

We have an interesting thread regarding the heated stall vanes… around here somewhere… this device becomes more important as ice changes the shape of the wing…. And the weight of the plane climbs into an unknown regime… where expected stall speeds may be higher than ever experienced before… Go FIKI! Best regards, -a-

When comparing stall vane locations… keep in mind we all fly the same wing… but, the higher MGTW of the mid and long bodies… may show a different location of the vane… the construction of the vane location definitely got a different mounting hole as aerodynamics became more importanter… if you make a few flights while adjusting the vane location… see if you can chart mm vs. Speed(alarm) may need to bracket a couple of speeds… Check the maintenance manual to see if there is a procedure for this??? Best regards, -a-

Before attempting to bend the vane… know that Mooney hardened it… expect it to break before it bends… also know that the vane pretty much marks where the split line occurs… at high AOA… the split line descends the face of the leading edge…. when the air going above the wing, includes the vane in its path... the vane trips the switch and sounds the alarm… The assembly has ordinary Honeywell micro switches in it… getting to the assembly is quite a hassle… ancient PP memories only… not a mechanic. testing the stall indicator prior to flight became part of my usual check list after I went months without hearing a peep from it. best regards, -a-

a decade ago… the local flight school used a garden sprayer and RV anti-freeze on the wings of their ifr training C172s… worked pretty well… at getting frost off the wings prior to flight… 20°F is a memorable temperature… above 20, the plane can be started with ample pre-start priming… (technically) below 20, preheating the intake system is the minimum requirement to get fuel to evaporate… if looking at physical properties of 100LL temperature vs evaporation / vapor pressure gets really low at and below 20°F… But… don’t use this minimal required heating method on an engine that you like… it’s enough to get the engine started, it does nothing for getting the oil warmed properly or melting any moisture that has collected in places like the oil cooler, fuel sep, or case vent… for engines that you like… 40°F is the common pre heat temp to reach prior to a regular start… A good engine heater heats the oil, block and cylinders… putting de-icer in the fuel tanks is covered in some POHs winter operations section… PP thoughts only, not a cfi or mechanic… Best regards, -a-

good news… find the threads regarding the microswitches that get actuated by the physical switch… swapping out the microswitches is a much lower cost. PP thoughts only, from an ancient memory… hoping this memory is still intact. best regards, -a-

Now is the time to start planning your first annual… the first annual is where you find out how well your plane was really maintained… expect the cowl removal experience gets multiplied by a very large number… to cover the same details in different locations. taking 15 minutes for each screw… will take more than a year to complete. get prepared with the parts manual…. Start acquiring sets of the proper fasteners made out of your favorite material… be sure to make friends with your maintainer…. They can save you a ton of dough. and… you can learn a ton of details about normal practices regarding re-use, replacement, and changing types of fasteners… first annuals are often surprising… even for low hour planes, built 30 years later… Second annuals are so much easier… no fear… We have all been there before… Best regards, -a-

looks like we may have identified an important issue… The M20C grew out of the M20A, B, and early M20C…. The 1965 M20C got a bunch of upgrades that make the plane more reliable, and more livable… the Dzus fasteners seam to be key here… simple quarter turns… still there are a few important screws up front… let’s be real… 15 minutes to remove or replace a screw fastener is not normal. All of the hardware can be replaced new, like for like, from aircraft spruce… or updated to the newer style with the help of your mechanic… But, we may have found another detail to add to the confusion… the dog house didn’t go away until the fiberglass cowls of the M20J were built… and silicone rubber was invented. Sounds like your M20C may have been ‘upgraded’ along the way… Are you familiar with the dog house? or just didn’t recognize it for what it is…? you can download a copy of the parts and service manuals for your plane… They help to better understand what was delivered with your plane… your logs will (usually) reference when large things have been removed from the plane… keep in mind… even when you take your plane to an MSC… a rogue mechanic can remove important parts without your knowledge… ask @Jim Peace about the experience he has had. in this thread… you have a few current M20C owners, some former owners, and many owners of very similar Mooneys. most are GA pilots only, a few pro pilots… A few engineers, a couple of mechanics, and a handful of people I haven’t met yet… Best regards, -a-

A few years ago… there was a sheet metal shop around here that would share their drawings and cut the panel for you… they had some Mooney standards on their website… as far as JPI vs. EI go… JPI was first, and has a lot of early adopters… trying to get questions answered is near impossible… EI has a presence here… getting questions answered… it is easy to know who to ask. neither is bad… just one company is better than the other… also consider the Garmin engine monitor… it is highly integrated including flight recording attributes… if you are a big G fan… Best regards, -a-

Let’s not get too deep into removing the lower part of the cowl with time efficiency… I think my my M20C’s lower cowl got removed twice in the decade i owned it… cheek plates and top cowl were easy to take on and off as long as the hardware / fasteners were fresh… easy to replace hardware bits and pieces, if not done yet… the top fasteners collect rain water and have a tendency to rust if they haven’t been swapped for SS… more fastener challenges… are the tiny screws and speed nuts related to the dog house… be on the look out for cracks in the dog house… for extra fun… look into moving the oil cooler from the front to behind the cylinders… back of the dog house. Best regards, -a-

Absolutely makes a difference during challenging starting conditions… especially when changing mixture conditions during the start… and when so much fuel has vaporized in the system prior to start… generally, it takes more blades going by to stabilize the actual mixture being delivered… more blades per minute, with increased momentum, helps the whole thing work better… as it starts, the fuel and air are all moving similarly to when it is idling… all making successful starts possible… PP thoughts only, not a mechanic or cfi…. Best regards, -a-

The oil cooler has a slide in piece of aluminum that matches the oil cooler… it probably has a Mooney part number for it… the POH may actually reference it for cold weather ops… it most likely is a continental part number… as the oil cooler is mounted directly to the engine… best regards, -a-

The chemical dot CO detector is great… your next of kin will know immediately what happened to you… That cold outside… getting started… requires the entire engine to be pre-heated long enough to warm the oil, cylinders, and case… don’t forget to warm the oil cooler… if cold enough the cooler will be by-passed automatically… recovery of oil flow and temp control in flight may never happen… warming just the cylinders can get it started, but without normal oil flow…. You risk serious engine damage… in flight… too much surface area open in front of the oil cooler will show low oil temperature, that you can’t get up into the green zone… write yourself a check list… What engine are you flying behind? Some continental engines have an oil cooler blocking kit… specific to winter ops… comes with some ops details… as far as getting heat in the cabin really depends on the engine you have… turbos usually don’t get heater muffs… and operating in the flight levels can get pretty cold… Get a lot of practice flights in before launching in -40 air… be sure to have many layers of clothing… be ready to find all the leaky seals your cabin has to offer… on the coldest days…. My M20C could not generate enough heat in the cabin… cold soaking in the cabin for a two hour flight was a bad idea…. Best regards, -a-

Starter and alternator or generator… are the only simple automotive style add on things under the hood… if you have changed out these devices on a car… (60s and 70s auto technology…) these are quite similar… if it takes all day to get right… call it good! if you end up bending/cutting sheet metal, riveting in place… replacing felt seal with a silicone seal… it will definitely take extra time… in the end… you are going to love the high speed starter, compared to the original… Best regards, -a-

Easy job when… plane is in for annual… everything is decowled already… all the bolts are made this century… while you are in there… bring generator up to modern specs with modern voltage regulator… make sure the new starter is properly sealed to the lower cowl/dog house… any oversized holes will interrupt your engine cooling’s pressure/airflow characteristics… PP thoughts only… (old M20C experience) best regards,, -a-

Looks like somebody is baking their oil pressure sensor… by design. the sensor itself costs about 1amu… Best regards, -a-