N201MKTurbo

I had an airport car for 15 years that I kept in Tucson, I commuted from Phoenix three times a week with the Mooney. It was a daily driver so I didn't have the problems you guys are talking about. My biggest problem was the yearly smog inspections. The ones in Pima county didn't count in Maricopa county. I had to drive the car back to Phoenix every year to get it smog checked. I finally got hold of a sympathetic person at DMV who let me register it to my cube in Tucson so I could get it tested locally.

I have electric trim, I only use it for big moves, the wheel is a lot more accurate.

If you want to really do it right it is not that difficult to remove the whole jackscrew, disassemble it and completely clean and re-lube it. It will make a huge improvement in your trim system. First remove the two fairings that cover the gap in the tail and the access covers forward of the gap. Remove the belly panels to access the bottom of the trim wheel. Run the trim wheel to the nose up stop. Accurately measure the distance between the bottom of the tail and the fuselage, you will use this measurement to re-calibrate the trim. Loosen the boot and remove the bolt that holds the trim link to the jackscrew. Remove the cotter pins and clevis pins from the universal joint on the torque tube just behind the trim wheel. If you have electric trim, loosen the two bolts that tension the chain and remove the chain from large sprocket. Just let the chain hang loose around the torque tube. Slide the entire torque tube assembly towards the front of the plane, disengaging the square coupling at the back of the jackscrew. Remove the two bolts holding the jackscrew and slide it out towards the front of the plane. Completely disassemble the bearing holder and remove the bearings. Remove the snap rings holding the bearing shields, remove all the balls from the bearings, clean and reassemble with Aeroshell 7. Clean the jackscrew, working it back and forth in the solvent until it is completely clean, dry with air and then work as much Aeroshell 7 into the screw as possible. Reassemble in the reverse order. After the jackscrew and torque tube are reassembled, make sure the trim wheel is at the nose up stop, rotate the end of the jackscrew with your fingers and trial fit the link until the gap measurement matches the original measurement and then reassemble the link. Put your plane back together and marvel at how well your trim works!

I had the same problem, but it only happened on one tank. I rebuilt the fuel selector and the problem went away. In my case I beleve it was drawing air into the fuel stream at the fuel selector. I did notice that the markings on the fuel pressure gage are very accurate, as soon as the pressure drops below the green, the engine starts to run rough.

The problem is with the Dukes actuator. They were installed on all Mooneys through about 1980. The newer ones have their own issues. I wish my J had a Johnson Bar.

One sold on ebay last week for $35 The whole thing can be repaired with standard orings.

FYI, my friend works for Intel in Heredia in the suburbs of San Jose. I don't think he has found a place yet. He may want me to ferry his Bonanza down there.

Thanks! Just the info I was looking for!

I think I found the last used spline two years ago. I had to pay $500.00 for a $20.00 part. Be very careful with it. If the spline is not completely stripped go in with a needle file and clean up the ends of the splines until it re-engages. I safety wired the lever in the disengaged position. My ex-partner was kind of short and his knee would hit the lever and engage it. He wasn't very careful about checking the position of the lever before he actuated the landing gear. We stripped out the spline coupling three times. I'm suprised that someone like lake Aero Styling hasn't had some made.

If I go I'll be staying at a friends house that is moving there. I assume he will have good plumbing, he has a good job with a very rich company.

If the oil won't flow it goes out the pressure regulator. It goes from the pump to the filter which has a pressure bypass to the cooler (after the vernatherm closes) and then to the regulator. Those are all large passageways. After the regulator it goes to all the small openings. I have to confess my sins... I flew my M20F for about 2500 hours out of Denver. I have started the engine from stone cold at -20F. I flew almost daily for six years. The only time I preheated the engine is when I couldn't start it. I did this because I was in my 20s and didn't want to spend the money if I didn't have to. I was involved in both overhauls of the engine during this time and there was no indication of any damage from my cold starts. Pre heating the engine certinly makes it easier to start, there were times when only one cylinder would fire, it would pop like a one lung farm engine until another cylinder would fire. I'm not recomending that anyone operate their engine this way, but I did and it didn't seem to hurt anything.

Thanks for all the input. It seems like the greatest challenge is going to be finding a cheap place to park.

Wow, my computer is going crazy! Major cut anf paste error!

I believe there are a few issues with starting a cold engine. One is frosting the spark plugs which happens when spark plugs are below freezing. The pressure drop from the piston sucking the air into the cylinder can cause the temperature of the intake charge to drop below the dew point and the liquid water can freeze on the electrodes shorting the plug. Almost everything else is caused by cold oil. The oil can get so viscous that the starter cannot turn the engine fast enough to start. Once the engine starts the oil is so viscous that it does not flow in the engine, starving the bearings of oil. The parts at most risk when starting a cold engine are the cam lobes and piston pins. These parts rely on splash lubrication (or oil jets) and until the oil is flowing freely they are starved of oil. I think the worst thing you can do is cold start an engine that has been sitting for a long time so the oil has drained off the cam and lifters. If I could not heat the whole engine, I think heating the oil would be a good choice. Also make sure you change to multi-weight oil if you are planning on flying in cold weather. I believe there are a few issues with starting a cold engine. One is frosting the spark plugs which happens when spark plugs are below freezing. The pressure drop from the piston sucking the air into the cylinder can cause the temperature of the intake charge to drop below the dew point and the liquid water can freeze on the electrodes shorting the plug. Almost everything else is caused by cold oil. The oil can get so viscous that the starter cannot turn the engine fast enough to start. Once the engine starts the oil is so viscous that it does not flow in the engine, starving the bearings of oil. The parts at most risk when starting a cold engine are the cam lobes and piston pins. These parts rely on splash lubrication (or oil jets) and until the oil is flowing freely they are starved of oil. I think the worst thing you can do is cold start an engine that has been sitting for a long time so the oil has drained off the cam and lifters. If I could not heat the whole engine, I think heating the oil would be a good choice. Also make sure you change to multi-weight oil if you are planning on flying in cold weather.

I have a friend who was just transferred to Costa Rica and He invited me to stay at his place anytime I wanted. It sounds like Mooney Trip to me! Does anybody have any experience flying there?

I would say it is a Stall warning device.

The only problem I see is if you are IFR current and on an IFR clearance and wearing a view limiting device, you would still need a safety pilot for when you enter VFR conditions. I believe that sense 2005 that safety pilot would need an instrument rating, before that a VFR pilot would do.

I think I have a rebuilt yellow tagged cooler in the hanger from when I had my M20F. If you havn't found one let me know and I'll go out and check. It has not been used sense overhaul.

I live in the Phoenix area and staying IFR current around here takes a real effort. KPHX is below VFR minimums about 30 minuets a year. It is rare to get IFR around here that doesn't involve severe storms or icing!

If the internal timing is set correctly. It usually takes me about an hour to set the points on a D3000, but its my plane and I'm picky about that.

The magneto can be put on upside down from the last time it was installed and it works just fine, it just swaps one side for the other. I think it is your internal timing. The points should be set to open at the timing mark, not close.

The rudder, horizontal stabilizer and wing have straight leading edges because it is the cheapest and easiest shape to assemble, wrapping a piece of sheet metal around anything other than a straight edge wastes material. Read Al Mooney’s book, it wasn’t done for any particular aerodynamic reason.

This happened a few years later.... http://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20070418X00434&key=1

No, I didn't want to go, she insisted. After that landing she said "I knew you could do it". She was just glad to get to her parents for Christmas dinner.

I have the WIFI only. When i need data I just turn on the WIFI hotspot function of my phone. There are free apps for the Android that enable the hotspot function for no additional charge. I use a Dual GPS.