cliffy

Brackett filters have a proprietary oil impregnated in the foam (I suspect STP) and should not be cleaned and reoiled for reuse. The foam will not work properly without the correct oil on it. They are disposable and should be dumped at the 100 hr or sooner if they get real dirty (like out here in AZ with blowing dust while sitting on the ground). I have not seen that kind of deterioration if the foam is replaced as required. Not saying it can't happen, just haven't seen it on the foam that is replaced as needed. On the other hand I have dumped the Challenger filter I had on because the "fuzzy" stuff on the wire mesh blew off the wire screen and all I had was window screen for a filter. You could look through the screen easily after about 200 hrs of flight time on it.

Ran across this on the AVARE site Don't know too much about it but it seems interesting http://apps4av.com/2014/07/30/10-adsb-receiver-for-avare/

In my opinion rings are the highest wear item in the engine. Sliding friction on the cylinder walls. It's cheap and easy to hone and re-ring and start off with new specs in this case if everything measures out good. I have never re-used rings. Wasn't taught that way 50 years ago and still follow what I was taught. I feel better doing it that way.

I have seen the hole in the spar drilled in the wrong place before. The boot needs to be pulled directly in line out of the can and not pulled by dragging it sideways in the can. The hole in the spar makes all the difference. On one I saw they replaced the boots every year because they were dragging them out sideways. and cutting the boots. Once the servo was realigned properly it went 10 years with no issues.

A lot can be learned with a good knowledgeable borescope of the cylinders. What do you mean by "ring debris"? large chunks of broken rings? Again, were the cylinders original from new engine or replaced at overhaul. ? If original, were they overhauled at the engine overhaul in 73? What are the cylinder total times? I'm not a big fan of second overhaul on jugs, You might consider all new jugs then if the bottom end gives you problems down the line (like at 500 more hrs) you could get away with a good inspection and re-ring with time continuing on the cylinders and do a bottom end repair. It wouldn't count as a full overhaul but in essence that is what you would have. I did that once after a new cylinder top and 100 hrs later a bolt worked loose on an idler gear in the rear case, The airplane is still going strong 1100 hrs later.

The hole in the spar for the servo mount needs to be exactly perpendicular to the mid tangent point of the arc inscribed by the movement of the bellcrank arm. That gives the least amount of sideways movement of the servo bag.

More information is needed for the best advice here. Who is telling you you need cylinders? What are the compression readings? Have you borescoped the cylinder walls yet? Are they original to the engine since new? How many hours TT on each cylinder? Have any of them been worked on since new? Are you basing everything on one oil analysis? How many oil analysis' have you done? Are the trends showing a change? Is the engine giving you any other trouble or symptoms of trouble?

A few more thoughts Look at the first log book from the factory and see what engine the airplane came with originally. If it is different than the A2F (it will be) now go look through the books to see where it was changed to the A2F. If there is no mention of an engine change by engine type then you may have undocumented work having been done on the airplane. Check any engine overhaul entries for a crankcase change. If none are listed, again, undocumented work done on the airplane. If the crankcase change is listed, read to see what authority they used to change the crankcase. If none shown, INVESTIGATE THOROUGHLY BEFORE YOU PUT ANY MONEY DOWN. Once you buy it it's yours. You'd have the same problem selling it as he does now (the appearance of an incorrect engine installed). There could be other damage that was done and not recorded besides the engine change (another gear up? off airport landing with airframe damage? Who knows? Don't just assume he knows that the engine is wrong. He may not know.

The only way to be sure on the designation of the engine is to look at the data plate on the engine. Just because it fits and is installed on the airplane doesn't mean it's legal. The data plate will say just what model engine you have installed and what serial number also. Now check the TCDS sheet to see if the engine is legal to be in the airframe. If it doesn't match the TCDS make darn sure of what you are doing before you buy the airplane. You should also check to see what are approved propellers for the model engine and airplane. This is where a proper pre-purchase inspection comes in. ALL the model numbers and serial numbers need to match the logs AND legality for installation on the airplane.

I can understand your concern. I'm just wondering where the extreme wear is on the caps. Just to be perfectly clear, you say you replaced both orings in each cap (2 orings per cap, 1 large and 1 small) and readjusted the the top lever closing(if it has a nut on the bottom) to get a good tight seal on the tank ring? Did you clean and check the tank ring ? Is there rust or a rough surface where the large oring sits on the tank steel ring? Is the cap physically tight in the tank hole when you close the lever? Can you post a picture of the caps top and bottom? Did all this water come in in one rain storm or did it happen over a long period of time between flights? ? Just trying to understand the issues as I've never seen one that was "worn" to the point it couldn't be fixed to function correctly.

The airbags might expand too much at altitude :-)

Wouldn't it be nice if we could still use the truck engine biscuits that Al Mooney used originally in the Mite? Maybe $5 each!

I'd be willing to bet that whatever way the factory flies the surfaces they get balance checked before they go airborne.

Not saying the "limits" would change but that removing the paint will change the balance point (by the weight of the paint removed) and would they now be in balance "clean"? The limits say "not to exceed" and removing paint would more than likely reduce the overcenter weight BUT- Would one not want to (or be required to) check the balance again after the paint was removed and the surface polished if one was going to fly it that way?

This parallels the "polished aluminum" thread Just thinkin' If we have to check the balance of control surfaces after we paint them and before flight- do we need to check their balance if we remove the paint and fly them that way? In other words, if they came off painted and in balance and we remove the paint, are they still within balance limits?

All flying surfaces (elevator, rudder and ailerons) need to balance at a certain point (CG of the surface ) to avoid flutter when in flight. Anytime a plane is painted the surfaces have to be balance checked on a rig that lets them hang horizontal from their bearings so the weight of the trailing edge can be measured at a certain point. This has to be done before the surface is mounted on the airplane. It also has to be signed off in the maintenance release as having been done. The full procedure is contained in the specific MM for your airplane. I can't imagine it not being done but do make sure that it is signed off in the log book as such. The sign off should note chapter and verse of the MM.

Inquiring minds want to know

Obviously make sure the control surface balance checks have been done and signed off. Check the Static pressure holes to make sure they are clear and not painted over. Check them to see if paint has run down or formed ridges of bumps right at the static hole. If it has it can disrupt the correct static sense. Wiggle the stabilizer tip fore and aft and up and down for any free play. If there is it could mean loose mount bolts or no bushings put back in. Lift the tail cone lightly to see if there is any vertical play in the jackscrew mount. Slight play is OK. Check over ALL panels and fairings to make sure they are secured properly. If you have the 2 1/4 inch bolts holding the cowl together on either side of the cowl opening (inside the lip) make sure they were put back in. This is something shops not familiar with early Mooneys miss. If you know where to look for nose gear damage from over turning lay on the ground and check it. If you don't know learn. They had to move your plane a lot while it was being painted. Check each and every control surface mounting bolts and wiggle each push pull rod to make sure it is free. No paint on rod ends. Make every surface works smoothly and goes in the correct direction including the flaps. You are the last line of defense to make sure things are correct. You are the one making the test flight after all that maintenance. You may have to sign off the log book that everything is OK after the test flight. Even the best mechanics sometimes miss things. Looking forward to seeing the pictures! Post a bunch of them.

Is the Jake with a turbo? :-)

I'll bet their IT guy is working 3 jobs and just hasn't gotten to all platforms yet.

The main gears need the preload tool The nose gear push/pull rods on the electric gear models have springs on the rods (the manual gear airplanes do not have then). On those you measure the spring "squeeze" between locked down and unlocked. Off the top of my head it is .030-.070" squeeze but look it up. No measurement of the nose gear preload is required other than the spring measurement on electric gear airplanes.

Lassie Lassie! That Timmy? :-) :-) :-)

Maybe their seat belts are off so they can take a stroll around the spacious cabin!

According to Mooney Engineering the elevator tube and the two hinge bolts are the primary tail connection structural points. Messing with the tube and you're messing with the primary connection of your tail. Maybe correct factory parts are the way to go here? Just sayin

Air Craftsman at Prescott is good also.