Steve65E-NC

Take the door plastic off and think about over center toggle mechanisms. I think there are two, one for top and one for the side latch, but my door adjustment work was done in about 1996. The linkage must be adjusted so that these over center assemblies pop thru or there is really nothing holding the latches in the closed position and they can just back off. In a properly adjusted door you can feel the pressure back off the handle as you swing the handle forward past the top dead center. The adjustments are just in rod length with common turnbuckle adjustment. The mechanism that swings the top hook up and over the pin is simple but elegant. A little trial and error thru the access openings in the inner door panel should bring you home.

Yetti is on the right track. The buzzing is just the shower of sparks. I predict that the jump from the small terminal to the plus wire on the solenoid will show the starter and solenoid to be fine. Just a quick touch will suffice. You do not want to start the beast. Be sure plane is tied secure, mixture off, and prop clear. Now you have test proven or isolated the problem to the solenoid or starter. If both perform, move to the starter switch. If your A&P will cooperate, start by loosening the retaining nut for the starter switch on the face of the panel. Switch and wiring harness will fall back for easy access through the removable panel in front of the wind screen. Very Carefully label or number each wire and make a sketch of where each wire and shield goes. Remove switch. On a clean work table with a white towel work cloth recommended, disassemble the switch. You will have three little springs and three little triangular contacts trying to escape. Inspect the contact plate on the back terminal sub-assembly. Look at the wiring diagrams and you can determine the imbedded contacts that activate the solenoid. I predict you will find a nice carbon insulating coat over one or both of those contacts. Some folks have used 600 grit or finer polishing paper to polish up all the contacts and the plate. Carefully reassemble, as long as you keep the little contacts and springs under control, it goes together pretty easily. Alternately you can purchase a new ignition switch.

I learned a lesson on my first annual on a new to me aircraft in about 1981. The shop said it needed new seats belts, it probably did. However, they ran a two shift operation. In the four weeks that we waited for the belts, every night my airplane collected a little time, though there was nothing to be done on it. It mounted up and up. This came from the curse of a mandated project for every minute on the time card. When I got my bill I went through the roof. A quick review of the times charged and the dates caused the shop manager to back down and produce a more realistic bill. So, if the shop tells you that they are waiting on parts, I advise that you tell them to put your aircraft in "time card" dormant status until the parts arrive. Never be afraid to argue about an inflated bill. Also, if your aircraft is left in the shop waiting for parts make it clear that you will want to review all time charges during that period.

I have had perhaps 4 or 5 vac pump failures in fifty years and 3500 hours of flying. Luckily never in IFR. Never saw any smoke or other sign other than no vac. I do have a precise flight manifold backup and understand (and have practiced with) the inverse relationship between vac and power with that system.

Some folks report success using Locktite 420 ( Part#42050 ) as a vacumn assisted penetrate seal seeping screws or rivits that are part of tank assembly and minor leaks. I understand that it will keep in the refrigerator for a long time. Better use a plastic tube water manometer in a U configuration, maybe taped to the side of a cardboard box to limit vacuum to a few inches of water. A plasticT from Ace and a carefully monitored shop vac complete the rig. Seems like there is one more trick involving a wad of putty. Watch the vac carefully, too much and you destroy the wing. Draw and monitor on the tank vent. Once you get the vac, have a way to pinch the tubing shut as vac should hold pretty well. If not you probably need new cap O rings or just tape over cap. Of course tank selector should be to OFF. A few drops will do. The difficult part is getting the tank empty and dried out.

The nature of a trick is that is not obvious and may be overlooked entirely.

As I recall, there is a trick to the Aileron Boots. Maybe removing access cover on other side of rib. It starts out looking difficult but then you get the technique. My hands are not small.

Do not waste time. Call Brittian immediately. They have any parts you need at a fair price. My PC unit was acting up, they gave me simple instructions for bypassing the Pilot Valve. This showed that component to be the only culprit. They rebuild the pilot valve for a fair price with quick turnaround. Over several interactions in the last twenty years, I have never had a better customer service experience. Now, if they would just get stock on my step retract boot so I can remove the black rubber tape patch. The only problem I ever had with tubing was that a previous owner had put a sheet metal screw thru a red or green tube, mid cabin. If you suspect boots, buy a little hand vac pump used for automobile carburator work at Harbor Freight (about $20). It is easy to disconnect and draw down each boot in turn to find which will not hold the vac.

Bob, The fluxtronic looks kind of interesting and I am not that far from Nashville, Tn. Think I will give them a call. Will report back to the group. Thanks

Ok, Has Anyone Ever Satisfactorily Repaired Control Surface Hail Dimples Short of Re-Skinning. So far nothing reported to justify a process effort.

Hank and Yetti, so you are suggesting that we can tension the aluminum past its yield point? That might recommend area heating with more localized cooling? I think a calculation could be here involving thermal expansion coefficients. I agree that if you can pull the Aluminum past yield (thus wiping out any local/dent stresses) while constrained to flatness, that just might do it. I wonder if anyone on the list has actually successfully done this trick and can confirm that it works for whatever reason? Seems I have heard it talked about a lot, but no direct report.

Can anyone give a report on the successful application of Dry Ice for smoothing out Control Surface hail dings. I am an ME but cannot get my mind behind the theory for this process. I have often used light ball peen hammer dents on the inside radius to straighten out a very heavy plate or industrial drive shaft. I understand in that application how the compressive cell left around the many cold work dents tend to straighten out the item. Back to the Control Surface: It seems to me that a hair dryer to gently heat up the surrounding area of aluminum might assist what ever process is at work on the hail ding. However, I am not clear if the dry ice goes right on the ding or if the immediate area around the ding is more important. If I better understood the physics of this process it would be easier to plan. Does any one know what is happening at the metal grain level and what, if any, residual stresses are part of the action.

My aircraft was painted in 65 with Imron (I am pretty sure). In 1992 it was looking pretty dated and a little ratty but still with good adhesion. I had it stripped and repainted with Jet Glo. Within 10 years I was having alligatoring, spalling and other signs of poor adhesion. If I were doing it again, the 92 paint job would have been overspray with Imron. No more Jet Glo for me. By the way, wiped out performance of one vertical blade VOR antenna by painting it with white Jet Glo. One paint shop told me that poor adhesion could be expected with two coats of Jet Glo and that it took at least three coats for a lasting job. I sort of believe this since the color bands are holding up pretty well.

I have general purpose mechanical tool kit and a separate electrical tool kit that I carry almost everywhere unless weight is an issue. Most field tools and supplies that relate only to my aircraft are in a small Sears nylon tool bag left in the aircraft. I try to limit this bag to stuff that I could probably not find locally like injector remove/clean kit, sparkplug socket, fuses, spare plug, triflo oil, starter shear pin, spare belt, safety wire supplies, etc. Also, carry a few quarts of oil a small container of brake fluid etc.

Retractable shoulder harness for pilot. Fixed shoulder harness for copilot.

Knowing the year of your C would help. My 65E has carpet up the surface under the vertical Jo Bar. A little extra padding or welting here in the center of the shaft can change the latch force radically.

Find co-operative mechanic. Mark wires carefully and remove switch. Carry switch to locksmith. New key. Reinstall. If you feel really adventurous you can open up the back and clean the contacts with polishing paper (say 1000 grit). Do this on a big table with light colored cover and carefully as springs and metal triangles like to get away.

Where are you located?

OK, but isn't a ball needed for this to qualify as replacing turn and bank??

My turn and bank is 2.25 and no room for larger without new panel. As I understand the minimal paper work replacement must be the same size. Anything out there that will fit and work.

It seems that I have to look at each individual forum to see most recent new topics. I really liked the old front page with all current new topics shown. After that I knew where to go to track a thread. Am I missing something about how this new format works? I do not have time for it as it now comes.

How hard would it have been to include a "built after" date. If I knew my pump was installed before that date: End of story. Now I have to go look.

Try Kevin Walker at Ormand Beach, Fl, 407-361-2058. He is very familiar with Mooneys.

Shadrack, I think I agree with your guy. When my original paint was about 28 years old it was looking threadbare and dated (but with no adhesion problems) so I had it stripped and repainted with Jet Glo.. I loved my new design. However, within a decade I was begining to see areas that were losing adhesion, and now I have many such spots with chipping, peeling and aligatoring. I would have scoffed at the idea of a scuff and repaint then, now I wish I had done that. Be sure that my next paint job will not be Jet Glo.

Sounds like you are missing a hardened outer spacer ring, see parts list. Who last had that tire off, it is easy for that ring to stick un-noticed to the bearing and then slip away and be lost. However, I think you need to go to a mechanic who is familiar with Mooney landing gear. You may need a bushing or some rebuilt components from Lasar, or you may not. This mechanics reaction to slop on the axel says he is not the right one for this problem, if there is one.