Jlocke

On the panel in my 252 are a couple of lights that are rather obvious but do nothing. I've never seen them illuminated in the two years I've owned the plane. I've asked some of the guys around the hangar--no ideas. They are the blue and green square lights in the first picture below just above the ASI. At one time there was a King KNS RNAV-80 in the plane. Would these have had something to do with it? Anyone know?

Quote: KSMooniac Sounds like good news to me. Was the coupling damaged or worn, or reusable? Those are expensive!

SOLVED. Or, at least 99% solved. Helped the mechanic remove the alternator. Looks like the drive coupler was improperly installed. The sleeve was left off and, over the 90 hours since installation, the little key was worn down due to wobble and finally it was worn to the level of the shaft and the alternator would not turn. After fixing all of this he'll put it all back together, re-install it, and make sure the coupler itself and the alternator itself are functioning.

Just got a new battery. It may be a Gill; just can't remember. But it has been very strong. Will be looking at the coupling as well. Would like to go to PlanePower alternator as I understand they do make one for my Mooney: http://www.plane-power.com/ER14-50.htm and would like to go to the Zeftronics voltage regulator as well. Thanks! Quote: KSMooniac What kind of battery do you have? You could have the worst of all combos... a Kelly alternator and a Gill battery! I don't think you have any other choice for alternators with the TSIO-360 engine, unfortunately. I would still call Plane Power though and ask if they have one, and maybe one of these years they'll develop one for that application. Zeftronics makes great voltage regulators, and they have some great troubleshooting documents: http://www.zeftronics.com/documents/pit/R1510N-PIT.pdf (there may be a 24V version, but I can't use their site at work due to Java problems) The drive coupling could be a likely suspect too, so make sure that is functioning properly.

UPDATE: It's a Kelly Aerospace alternator. Looks like it is still in warranty. But I guess I'll need a lawyer to interpret the warranty; looks like from a quick read they pro-rate the thing. So it may be nearly useless since it's been almost a year since it was purchased and installed. If that's the case, and it is indeed the alternator, then I'm changing brands. To be fair it may not be the alternator. Could be the drive coupling. Or voltage regulator. Or other things. Charging up the battery now to take it to the mechanic. When I called my mechanic he didn't seem concerned at all about using the manual gear extender. Said he'll check it but all that stuff is likely Ok. Will keep y'all posted.

All, I had the unfortunate experience of having to manually extend the gear on my M20K earlier today to land. It took about 20 pulls to get it down and the green bars to align. Flew by the tower just to confirm that they saw wheels. So, now what? I read in the manual that it will need to go in for an inspection and to not electrically retract/extend the gear until it is inspected. What happens during the inspection process? What gets "re-set" so the gear is usable again? Any thoughts on cost? Lastly, this was due to an electrical failure. Second one within a year. I'm guessing alternator (again). The power drained so fast once I noticed the flickering of the transponder display lights I didn't even have time to get it slowed enough to extend the gear normally. Does that sound like alternator? Something else? Just replaced the battery last month. This is getting old. Not to mention, expensive. Many thanks in advance for replies and thoughts! Love the Mooney...but dual alternators would be great!

Quick update: We have a Davtron instrument in the plane that is apparently connected to the alternator output. We think this is the case because it shows (digitally) around 24 volts with the engine running and the Alt Field switch off and then a shade over 28 volts with the Alt Field switch on. In other words, it shows readings like you would expect the standard instrument to show. My partner flew the plane yesterday, three hops, all with the voltage showing as you would expect on the Davtron digital readout and with no degradation of the battery. I'm guessing we're dealing with a loose wire or a bad "normal" instrument (the one in the pictures I posted above). Still, any thoughts are most welcomed.

Many thanks for all replies and ideas--and wishes of good luck! Paul, I do have a JPI and will check the voltage reading there. Good idea. I didn't think to do that. Geoff, yes, the coupler was replaced at the same time as the alternator.

Paul, My run-up procedure calls for checking the voltage output (on the bottom part of the meter). It indicates voltage (normally) when the engine is started. Then, during run-up, you advance the throttle to 1200 RPM and turn off the alternator switch. The indicated voltage should drop to 24 volts. Turning the alternator switch back on should return it's output reading to 28 volts. Well, obviously, none of this can be done/checked when the indicator shows nothing. And, as you pointed out, the 100% indication for the alternator percentage is indicative of a low battery. But, the battery has started the engine several times and has provided the panel with electricity for about twenty minutes of tinkering with things. Thanks for the email address; I will drop him a note. I appreciate the reply and your help! Since the alternator was just recently replaced maybe (hopefully) we're looking at some minor problem.

t:350px;"> I just got back from the airport where I gathered some more information. Below are two pictures. The one on the left shows the indications with only the master switch on. The picture on the right shows the indications with the engine running at idle. Also, at idle, the annunciator panel indicated a flashing "High Low Volts" red warning light. The POH says this means the alternator is producing no or low voltage. If I ease the power up to 1400 RPM the light goes out. Still, no voltage is indicated on the "DC Volts" indicator. As I was leaving, a guy working on a Seneca in the hangar suggested recycling the alternator field by turning the switch off and on while the engine is running. Sounds reasonable, I guess. But, even if this works, this still indicates a problem somewhere, right? All this is starting to look like what I saw descending into Dallas; no "DC Volts" indicated and the "High Low Volts" red warning light coming on in the pattern...with lower RPM's. Again, any thoughts are most welcomed!

Any help or advice most appreciated! A month ago I was flying to Dallas and when about 18 miles out noticed that the "DC %" indicator read zero. Yikes! I slowed, turned off any electricals I didn't need, lowered the gear and landed. While taxiing everything went dark. The maintenance folks at the FBO traced the problem to a bad alternator and broker coupler. They replaced those and my partner in the plane flew out commerically and flew the Mooney home. He then flew it on a couple of trips averaging maybe 1.5 hours each. He reported that all was fine. Today, I went to fly a little and upon start-up noticed the "DC Volts" indicator reading zero, the "Load" reading very low and the "Alt %" at 100%. While I guess that looks fine, the POH says it indicates a low-battery condition with the alternator not contributing any juice. So, I shut it down. The POH also refers to a button that can be pushed on the loadmeter to check the load. Pardon my ignorance...but I don't see a button on the instrument! I've attached a pic of the panel showing the instrument I'm reading; it's on the far left. Any thoughts at all? Ideas? Surely the dang alternator hasn't gone out again...right?

Just to let everyone know...if you're interested in joining us let the Jekyll Club reservations people know when you call that you want the get-a-second-night-for-free deal! So stay Friday night and then again Saturday night for free! Jeff, Thanks for arranging the cocktail gathering! We might want to think about a group reservation for dinner Saturday night (for those who plan to eat at the Jekyll Club) and definitely for the Sunday brunch. Maybe 8:00pm Saturday evening and 10:00am Sunday morning? Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Quote: Jeff_S Also, I sent a note to the SE-Mooney mailing list, but we should at least try to get together for cocktails either Friday or Saturday night. That shouldn't be too hard to arrange. I'm happy to organize that if other people are interested.

Really nice looking Mooney, Abe! Congratulations! I'm in Montgomery; shoot me an email if you're ever up this way. I'd love to see your plane. Several of us will be heading to LuLu's for a day trip soon--landing at Gulf Shores KJKA--so feel free to hop over the bay and join us for a lazy lunch and afternoon of watching the boats go by and talking airplanes. I'll let you know when we're heading your way. p> Also, check out the Mooney fly-in coming up in mid-August over at Jekyll Island, Georgia. I posted some info about it in a separate thread here in General Mooney Talk. Again, that's a really handsome Mooney. Love the colors!

When: August 13 - 15 (Friday through Sunday) Where: Jekyll Island, Georgia 09J http://skyvector.com/airport/09J/Jekyll-Island-Airport What: An informal fly-in of Mooney owners purely to relax and enjoy the beauty, fascinating history and world class amenities of storied Jekyll Island. http://www.jekyllisland.com/ There are no planned events, presentations, talks, displays, vendors. Just an open schedule for the weekend so everyone can gather as they wish and talk Mooneys or enjoy the many activities and interests the island offers. Of course, anyone who may want to schedule something--golf, croquet, fishing, a Mooney activity--is welcome to post ideas and details below. The Jekyll Island Club Hotel has, as of this posting, plenty of rooms available. Or you can select from other options on the island. http://www.jekyllclub.com/ The Club is a short walk from the airport or they will pick you up. They also have the "to die for" Sunday brunch everyone can enjoy before departing. Google "jekyll island" to learn more about the activities, the cool rental cars, the location and the history and you'll get a sense of why this destination was chosen as a fly-in. Please post below if you have questions, ideas or if you are planning to join us!

Lew, I'm going through the same issues on my M20K. The avionics shop can't find the problem so what they've done is swap parts in an effort to isolate the gremlin. The put in a new flux gate and HSI and everything worked perfectly. They then put the original stuff back in and, after a few flights with no problems, the HSI precessed a bit (I was headed west, then turned south, but the HSI kept pointing west though it eventually, slowly came 'round). After that, they swapped HSI's and it's been working fine. I'm sure this dance will continue until a it gets isolated. I did read on the 'net about a similar incident where an owner spent a bunch of money on diagnostics only to eventually find the culprit was a simple connector. Good luck with it. I'll let you know what happens as my issues are sorted out. My guess it it'll involve buying a new whatever costs the most...