DaV8or

Actually, not so straight. What's missing from that picture is the prop governor. It is mounted directly between the filter and the screen plug. It also seems like the firewall would interfere too me as well, particularly given the length of the screen, but others here say it's not a problem.

Thanks! I'll get those. I haven't needed them yet, but at that price why not have them?

I have two mags too. What access path do you use?

OK... I guess you and I are talking about a different thing. This makes me believe that what I'm looking at is not the plug for the suction screen, but something else. I'll keep looking.

Hmmm... I'll have to look some more. If this is what's in there, the plug I have my eye on would be a waste of time to take off. That screen would never clear the firewall heater box I don't think.

A sensible thing for anybody to do. Donald Trump might be in it!

Why would anybody buy a mobile home and park it in Florida? People do. It's all about money and sometimes the lack of it.

Great. A little less than useful. How about some helpful hints, like how do I even get my fingers to touch this thing, or what approach do you take with the tools, what things do you move out of the way, if any, or what special tools (like the one pictured above) do you use? I think we all pretty much have the "Cut safety wire, remove nut, remove screen, clean screen, reinstall nut, re-safety wire" concept down.

I didn't look from the perspective of the oil filter. I just changed it, but next time it's off, I'll have a look.

Andy, I see you fly a M20C, that means you have an O-360. Are you sure the suction screen is in the same location? As best I can tell from the Lycoming Direct Drive Overhaul Manual, they can be located at a variety of locations depending on model. Mine seems to be located on the right side rear corner kind of under the prop governor. I am not familiar with that safety wire tool. It looks like maybe you feed the wire up through the tip and then twist? Does the tip have holes in it?

Basically, the Feds have to decide if they really want this airport to remain open and active. It's clear that the city and a majority of it's inhabitants don't want it, so are the Feds willing defend it by force? I suspect not. It seems to me that the city is calculating that the worst that can happen to them is a fine, or withholding of any federal funds. I'm sure they would be happy to buy their way out because in the end the airport will be closed and they will have the property to redevelop. I personally believe the FAA has no teeth. The city will prevail.

I'm assuming this webinar will be recorded for later viewing?

So, since we're back in this thread, I had a look at the oil suction screen location on my IO-360 A1A. I am stumped as to how anybody could remove that and then put it back properly without pulling the motor off the mounts. I can see how you could possibly get a wrench on it, but I can't even touch it with my hands and I have pretty small hands and skinny arms. How in the world you would get the safety wire back on is beyond me. The only things you could remove to gain access that I can figure is the right mag and the prop governor. If there is a way that people routinely do these, I'd love to see a write up.

Agreed. It's a pointless waste of time to blow out the filter. Just crack it loose, let it drain for a few minutes, then take it off and let it drain face down into your oil drain bucket for a few more. Regardless if you use my drain method, or the air blow method, cutting the filter and examining the element is going to be an oily mess.

They have one that flies on the west coast they are using for certification. The rumors were, they are finding out just how hard it is to certify a brand new design and it's taking much longer and more money than expected. Here's a picture of it I took at the Chino airshow.

I hate to say it, but I have said it before, so why not one more time? The M20 is dead and needs to be put to rest. I love the new Ultra as a Mooney fan, pilot and cheap bastard spectator, but in reality, in the new 21st century airplane market it is pretty much DOA. It doesn't do much that modern buyers are looking for. The M20 costs way too much to produce and falls short in too many important categories. IF Mooney can find a way to increase useful load without recertification, then I say go for it!! IF Mooney can somehow magically put a parachute in it without recertification, then I say go for it!! If they can do anything to the M20 without recertification, I say go for it!! Basically spending anymore big bucks on R&D and FAA certification is throwing good money after bad. Save the money and design and certify an all new airplane that is actually 21st century. The only brand new M20 I might see as a viable niche product going forward is this- Make it two place with generous baggage area and more aggressive, light handling. Perhaps a parachute as well. Think certified RV-14 with retractable gear, or SIAI Marchetti SF 260. This would be a unique product in the market that would only have competition from the experimental market and the very old used market. This would offer a brand new, certified, turn key fun personal rocket ship.

If you read my posts above, that's exactly what I did. It really helped. There is a little more to it. There was a lot of filing required on the inside of the tubing, but not difficult work. I used 1/2" square cold rolled .062 wall tubing. Also for those that don't want to be a CB, you can also buy this- It is a sleeve that slips over the 3/8" drive and has magnets to hold in place on the socket. $10 on Amazon. I had the tubing already and it got me closer on axis then this would.

An extension makes the problem much worse. With an adapter, the force is no longer being applied along the axis of the gear actuation rods. This makes the tool want to slip off even more.

I have not checked the nose gear yet. I have electric, so I have to use the measurement with caliper method. It is next on the list when I get back to the hangar. I think to do your beer can method I would need three hands. One to move the wrench, one to pull on the beer can strips and one to hold the gear tool from slipping.

Yes, stiffer is better to prevent gear collapse, but in my case, I have electric gear. So I believe that having the gear rigged on the high side puts more load and therefore more wear on the actuator. Throw in the mix that I have the original 20:1 gears and I have some concern. On the other hand, it seems to work just fine as is.

Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I'm going through this now. First, I'd like to say that I am sadly disappointed in the "special tool" to check the preload. It's kinda crappy. Why in the world is it made for a 1/2" drive?? I own three torque wrenches in the suitable range of the manual's requirements and they are all 3/8" drive. I can't imagine a torque wrench that is 1/2" drive and measures inch/pounds. OK, so I tried an adapter that goes 3/8-1/2" and it sucked. It made the tool unusable. Not only was my wrench clocked 45 degrees off, so not at 90 degrees like the manual shows, but also the torque is now applied well off axis and this causes the tool to slip all over the place and fall off. This brings up the second stupid thing about this tool. It has nothing to secure it at the pivot point. It can easily slip off if the torque isn't applied as close to axis of the gear rods as possible. I'm thinking of modifying mine by getting out the welder and making a little tang that goes up into the fork in the rigging push rod just above it to keep it from slipping too far. I realize that not all Mooneys may not be the same and this tool is made for all of them I guess, but on mine anyhow, a little something in that fork would really help. I solved some problems by making a slip on 3/8-1/2" adapter from some 1/2" square tubing I had. This allowed my wrench to be 90 degrees and also as close as possible to on axis to prevent slipping. I still have to hold he tool with my free hand to prevent some slipping. As best I can tell, using a dial torque wrench with a memory needle, my mains are set at around 310 inch-pounds. They were last set by LASAR and are very close left to right. The manual calls for 240-280 inch-pounds. Should I mess with them, or is a little extra a good idea these days?? Should I trust my readings? The whole thing seems kind of imprecise and loose to interpretation. Hate that.

Maybe just this- A lot cheaper, easier to set up, more mobile and harder to trace.

Well, it seems a natural considering the seemingly poor representation in So Cal. There has got to be a load of Mooneys flying around down there.

Hmmm... Isn't Mooney International located at Chino? Wouldn't you think they might actually consider setting up to service what they sell? Just an idea.

Things are good here at Byron. This year they patched, tarred, restripesd and put in new lighting. We're in pretty good shape. However there are lots of small airports near by that aren't. There are some rotten ones out in the valley.