M20F

Your average 60yr old Mooney flap has been stepped on @ 1600 times.

Anyone who won’t sign up for this assuming you are using a known MSC or otherwise respected AI, is trying to sell you a dog. I wouldn’t agree to Boots Malone AI service as example to sell my plane but would have no issue with the good folks.

I bought my plane from Jimmy when it was All American. Don Maxwell annual and they paid all airworthy. I wouldn’t buy a plane that didn’t come with an annual from an AI that I was comfortable with. A pre-purchase inspection is toilet paper. An annual is somebody’s license/livelihood. This topic has come up many times here with folks saying you will never buy a plane, they would never sell under those conditions, etc. I assure you that one can get this condition and it is worth doing. My two cents only.

I will let smarter people than me comment. If your vacuum AI is working per normal and your right speed brake works fine, I would say not a vacuum issue.

Main turbo for RayJay overhaul. I wouldn’t mess with the exhaust unless it is actually giving you a problem. Mine as at least 2000hrs on the exhaust.

Your speed brake (vacuum) on the left retracts slower than the right? What does your idiot light say? Do you have any vacuum instruments? If so how do they work?

I just had a 30 minute FaceTime call with somebody using the $250/month sub. His two kids were streaming movies at the same time. No drops in audio or video, was same as if a land based connection. Great time to be alive.

I mean why don’t you call or email him directly versus posting on a public forum?

You have a leak, smoke test it.

Scoring is caused primarily by three things. Piston gets very hot and expands (or barrel is cold and you whack in the power). Lack of lubrication. Dirty or leaky injectors. I would check your injector, if it is the issue very easy and cheap to fix. Monitoring CHT & Oil temps in all phases of operation is a given. The sad cause of cylinder scoring in a Lycoming is the lifters or cam going bad. You can measure valve lift easy enough to check the cam. For the lifters you have to pull a cylinder though I have heard there is a way to do it through the dipstick though I have never done it.

Two key things. 1.). As others point out first step is determining if it is a leak that needs to be addressed. 2.) Determine if it can be patched. A link on Maxwell doing it is provided. He patched my left tank for I want to say $800 two years ago. I will echo you need to find somebody who knows how to do it. It is an art not a science. For whatever reason tanks are like engines (one cylinder has compression of 68 should I top or overhaul), everyone wants to go the whole distance without even trying the smaller things.

Do you have anything in a mauve?

Taxing in and out of OSH is about the most stressful thing I do in an airplane.

Nothing beats a six pack of tall boys on a long trip.