FLYFST

The price i was quoted by two different MSCs was $9,500 plus installation to replace the Plessey with an overhauled Eaton actuator and new spring, and that was based on first finding an Eaton actuator to overhaul. I got away with a lot less than that by installing a new spring on an used Eaton actuator with low hours and not overhauling it. My research also indicated that the Plessey is a more robust actuator. But, the spring the Plessey uses is just not available, and neither are parts to overhaul that actuator. That left the Eaton actuator with a new spring as the only option for me, consistent with the continued airworthiness certification of the aircraft.

I replaced my Plessey actuator and spring with Eaton actuator and new spring, apparently just in time. During Annual gear check my A&P could hear a “ratcheting sound” which appears to be an indicator of a spring or actuator getting ready to fail. Good luck. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Check that your adapter puts out the 2.1 amp minimum required for the iPad.

Glad to hear about the ease of replacement, any interface challenge with other systems? What other interfacing systems do you have? I am considering the IFD replacement but worried about interface issues with the rest of my installations. My ADS-B installation connects the GNS-530W to a GDL-88, FlightStream 210, and KT-76A. The GNS is also connected to a Century 2000 autopilot and a Century 360A HSI for coupled approaches. Thanks - Hank Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Correct. The GNS actually identifies and displays the primary station ID, radial and distance. When I listen for the audio ID, I press the NAV volume and see the ID indicator. But while I receive the audio on NAV-2, I don’t receive it on NAV-1 at the same frequency until I am closer to the station, even though the GNS530 has the station identified and is sending NAV signals to the HSI, which appears to be operating normally. However, the apparently correct NAV indications on the HSI are unreliable until I start receiving the audio for the station ID. Some of the above is from memory recall and requires that I fly a more detailed set of tests and take better, more detailed notes to make sure what I recall is correct. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The lines show were the plastic cover started to delaminate from the antenna soon after I bought the airplane. I put the tape around the leading edge to prevent further delamination, which it did and I did not note a performance issue back then. I have not changed the tape in over six years. Swapping the coax at the diplexer output to the radios in the cockpit only improved the NAV-1 performance marginally and did not make the NAV-2 performance worse, so I don’t think the antenna is the issue. As my troubleshooting continues, the evidence pointing to a weak NAVCOM in the GNS530 appears to be growing. The Garmin refurbish price is now $1,850.[emoji20] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have tried three distant VORs, ORL 112.2, CRG 114.5 and MLB 110.0, plus nearby OMN 112.6. No problems with navigation to/from OMN or with performing air-to-air checks, which have remained consistent at 0-2 degrees difference. Navigation reception from ORL 112.2 is worst. Navigation to CRG 114.5 and MLB 110.0 are better, but NAV-2 (KX-155) is always stronger than NAV-1 (GNS530). One curious and concerning thing is that when using NAV-1, the GNS will ID the station and display the radial and distance. When in the VLOC mode the GNS is driving the HSI and that shows the proper to/from indication, the NAV flag does not show, all of which indicates proper Nav performance. BUT, when far from the station I do not receive the audio ID and without it present, the navigation performance is not reliable or just plain wrong even though the GNS is showing the station identified and the HSI flags are indicating proper operation. Thanks for suggesting the central ground lug on the back that can degrade over time. I will add that to my to check list. Thanks again Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will be doing more test flying to better document the difference in reception between flying to and from. Like you, I follow the magenta line, but periodically refresh my VOR navigation skills and equipment, which led me to discover all is not well with NAV-1, so now I am investigating to find and resolve. You asked for some pictures, so here you go. I will not know for sure until I remove the antennas to clean and reestablish the ground plane, but they appear to be Comant CI 120-G/S. The two coax cables from the antenna come together in the lower tail cone at a CI 120-3 Power Combiner. From there a single coax comes into the cockpit and connects to a CI 505 Diplexer, that has two VOR outputs and a G/S output. The G/S cable goes to a splitter, one end to NAV-1 and the other to NAV-2. The antenna mounting appears well sealed and there is no movement of either antenna. The top of the right antenna started to delaminate approx 7 years ago so I placed some transparent tape on it that has remained there since, and I did not notice any before/after NAV performance change since then. While possible, I doubt the problem is that antenna. When I swapped the diplexer outputs at the cockpit and did a quick flight check, the problem in NAV-1 did not move to NAV-2, which continued to work well, but the NAV-1 reception did improve some. My hope remains that I will find the problem to be connector corrosion or antenna ground plane problems or both, but expect sending the unit to Garmin may be the eventual fix. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, sending the unit to Garmin may be in my future, but before committing to that I am investigating other possible sources since the problem has developed over time. The loss in performance was easy to miss since I normally use NAV #1 in GPS mode and only switch to VLOC for ILS or LOC approaches, and by then the airplane is close to the station. It is only when I try using NAV #1 in VLOC mode to intercept and follow an airway that the problem becomes evident. Interestingly, the unit does better flying to a station than flying from a station. In recent tests, flying at or above the MRA on the airway, the GNS350 was able to ID and display the station details at 57.5 NM, but without also getting the audio ID the navigation information is simply not reliable. Thankfully my KC-155 NAV #2 performs well and it drives a second G/S, so I can use it to navigate and fly instrument approaches, just not coupled to the autopilot. Thanks - Hank Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Stan, interesting read and I’m glad you solved your problem. My Nav #1 problem has developed over time and I cannot trace its origin back to any maintenance event, so the most likely cause appears to be corrosion developing in the connectors, antennas, diplexer or power combiner. I am working my way slowly and eliminating components before giving up and taking to an avionics shop. One new thing I noticed today is that the reception on Nav #1 seems worse when flying away from a distant VOR and stronger when flying to the VOR. The KX-155 Nav #2 works well in both directions. All the best - Hank Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bruce, I realize it has been a while since you posted this, but what did you find? Did you get the problem resolved? How? I'm dealing with a very similar situation on my 1990 J to the one you describe. thanks - Hank

Thanks for reaching out Bob, I will give you a call later today to discuss further, after 1430 EST if you are available. I just flew a couple of short flights to collect more troubleshooting data and my results appear to be inconclusive.

Thank you! I plan to start the research this weekend. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks will look there first. That is one cramped space in the J. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes I have blade antennas and the issue has been developing over time. Baker Avionics also suggested swapping the coax to see if the issue moves to Nav #2. Thanks for the suggestion! Where should I expect to find the antenna duplexer? By the GNS or in the tail close to the antennas? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I will Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Issue is with reception on NAV #1 (low to poor) compared to NAV #2 (good) on KX-155. Doing air-to-air checks between them at ~20 NM yields a difference of ~2 degree, after confirming I can hear the identifier on both. However, on some larger distances < 40NM and above minimum reception altitude, I do not get the audio identifier on Nav #1 but the station ID, radial and distance show on the GNS-350 VLOC window. Sometimes I do not get the NAV flags on NAV #1 and the correct ID shows on the GNS-530, but I can tell it is just not tracking the signal as in trying to intercept or follow a victor airway. Nav #2 generally identifies the station at the same conditions, I can hear the station audio ID tones, and works correctly.

Anyone out there with experience troubleshooting NAV/COMM radio issues with the GNS-530W and willing to provide troubleshooting advice? I am experiencing some problems with my installation and want to troubleshoot as much as I can before handing over to avionics shop. thanks in advance - Hank

Be very CAREFUL and make sure there is an approved STC for this installation on the aircraft in question. Winglets change the load distribution on the wing, how much depends on the winglet design and the wing in question, and can result in unexpected problems, possibly severe. The installation without an approved STC can invalidate the aircraft's airworthiness certificate and for very good reasons. The ones referenced do look very nice -- Caveat Emptor

MattyD, I have owned by J model since 2011, and willing to discuss my experience. PM your information and we can talk on the phone.

PM sent with details Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Definitely feeling better and planning for the next flight. Stay safe- Hank

There is another related post on this topic below, but the last updates were in June of 2019, so I thought some others may benefit from my recent insights from testing the "Engine Saver" I keep my J hangared in Central FL and since moving here in 2018 I have been concerned about the high humidity and temperature combination. With the door closed the relative humidity (RH) can easily range between 50% to well over 80%. In researching the dehydrators I came across the post above and decided to give the "Engine Saver" a try, which I purchased from Aircraft Spruce. https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/engsaver.php After running a simple experiment with only modestly accurate home temperature and humidity sensors, I was surprised to find the Engine Saver dropped the measured humidity at the oil filler port by a high difference, consistent with other reported test data with more accurate and sophisticated sensors. At the start of the test, the ambient conditions inside the hangar (with the door closed) was 50% RH and 81F, and the conditions were 51% RH and 79F at the oil filler port. After 10 hours, the hangar ambient conditions were 50% RH and 77F while the oil filler conditions were 20% RH and 71F. After another 24 hrs, the hangar ambient conditions were 65% RH and 77F while the oil filler conditions had dropped to 16% RH and 77F. The numbers would likely vary somewhat with more accurate sensors (the ones I used are supposed to be accurate to +/-5% RH and +/-1% temperature). But, the drop in humidity was large enough to convince me the Engine Saver works well enough to continue using, particularly when the airplane may go 2-4 weeks between flights. Since I did this test with a fresh oil and filter change after the annual and sent the oil sample for analysis, the next check will be at the next oil change to see if there is any noticeable change in historical traces for the data reported in the oil analysis. Hank

Hello, I sending this to express my thanks and appreciation for Phil Jimenez of PJ Aircraft Services. If you need someone that knows, has owned and maintains Mooneys, and that you can trust to protect your interests, go talk to PJ. When I moved to FL and asked around for a reputable Mooney shop I received many recommendations from MooneySpace. PJ was among those with the strongest recommendations. I took my J to PJ's shop for last year's annual, and learned first hand why PJ is so highly recommended by others, so I became a member of his fan club. Fast forward to this this year, my J just came back from the annual with PJ, and once again he proved to be the expert want working on my airplane. This time around I was expecting to deal with a difficult situation that might take weeks to months to resolve and cost many checkbook busting AMUs. So in addition to his prompt and trustworthy maintenance service, PJ came through with an effective solution for a gratifyingly small fraction of what other reputable shops had projected for me. But he was not done yet. When I arrived at KAVO last week to pick up my airplane and started feeling not well enough to fly safely, PJ again came through. He managed to juggle the busy schedule of his shop to keep my J hangared until I could return, which was further delayed by the weather last week. I flew the airplane home this Monday, and decided I needed to write this note and say THANK YOU Phil! Hank