Z W

Have you tried increasing the manifold pressure and mixture at the same time you increase the prop to full forward? Or are you leaving manifold pressure low while trying to achieve max RPM? I think I would try that (simulated go-around power settings) at several different altitudes to see if it makes any difference, to help diagnose.

Didn't need to. Worked fine out of the box. I've had to bleed other hydraulic jacks in the past though and have never had a problem doing that either.

Update - Received the Franklin 500lb hydraulic lift from Harbor Freight. Tested it out today. Worked absolutely great. The angle it lifts the cowl at was perfect. Made reinstalling it alone probably easier than with a helper that's never done it before. I used a moving blanket on the table for padding. Not nearly as elegant or cool as the one @JimK made, but I'm not much of a woodworker. And another rolling table to have around the hangar may come in handy for other jobs. Link to the lift table: https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/lifts-cranes-stands/hydraulic-lifts-carts/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-70726.html

I happened to be flying today and checked. I was showing 16" MP at 1000 RPM idle. FYI.

Yes, related to a poor repair of the air filter housing, which had cracked.

Most 252's do 160-165 KTAS and 11-13 GPH at 12,000. Pinecone's seems to run 15 knots faster on 20% less fuel than everyone else's.

I believe this is the standard practice, using a shop vac to pressurize. At one point chasing a low MP issue we did this and the A&P said he found several leaks around the intake. We replaced all the intake connecting rubber hoses at a reasonable cost. It made no difference. All of yours should have been replaced 200 hours ago at overhaul though.

Does the 310 HP require excessive right rudder on takeoff, such that it feels unstable or dangerous on takeoff? Sometimes I like the idea of an extra 100HP over what I've got in a 262. But I've wondered how that really feels on essentially the same airframe. And at 38 GPH take off / climb and 20GPH in cruise I feel like I would often be flying around with range anxiety, or be effectively limited to 2-hour legs unless flying solo and light.

At this point, I'm just happy when any shop will agree to work on the plane. Currently been down three months getting a turbo rebuilt and then chasing oil leaks on reinstall. Last year, after waiting a year for a 430W to GTN650 install slot, that took about 2 months too. I redid the carpet myself after that just because I didn't want the plane to disappear into a shop again for a month for it. It's not pro level but good enough for who it's for and I got it done in a weekend. The maintenance situation is getting very bad and I think it will get worse before it gets better. Seems like every time I get the plane back, it's almost time for another annual which also somehow takes a month or more. The shops all are doing their best and have always had good reasons. They can't get enough good labor and it takes forever to get the parts they need. I've never complained about a single bill and bring the checkbook when I come to pick up the plane. Sorry that doesn't help you but thought I'd let you know you're not alone.

First thing I would do is apply Mouse Milk to the wastegate linkages. A sticking wastegate can cause lots of issues. I Mouse Milk mine every 25 hours at oil change time. While the lower cowl is off to do that, maybe also remove the air filter, reach in, and spin the turbo by hand, checking for abnormal axial and radial play and making sure it's not contacting the housing. Wouldn't expect that at 200 hours since overhaul, but it's a quick check. Looking for intake and exhaust leaks is a good idea. I'll also add - make sure your alternate air is not coming on, as it can cause this problem. Check for intake obstructions, which can cause the alternate air to come on. Make sure your intake plenum boot is fully drawn up onto the cowl flange and not bunched up and partially obstructing your intake. This is an important step every time the lower cowl goes back on that is sometimes missed, and as far as I know, unique to the 252 engines. You can quickly check that by removing the access door on the copilot side of the lower cowling. After that, if you're still having the problem, I would have the fuel system setup checked in accordance with SID97-3G (attached), now a part of Continental's M0 maintenance manual, by a Mooney-specific shop. I've had multiple non-Mooney shops fail to get this right. Maxwell is really good at it. What were your fuel pressure and fuel flow showing while you observed the decrease in MP? The fuel pump has an altitude compensating function that has to be set up correctly. I think of it this way - to make maximum power, your engine needs sufficient air, fuel, and spark. Taking spark out of the equation, you're missing either some fuel or some air. SID97-3G - Continuous Flow Fuel Injection Systems Adjustment Specs and Instructions.pdf

To clarify - the full nose up trim I described above is for an engine out situation. I do not use it for regular landings. I don't want it in that configuration if a go-around may be required.

I was also taught full nose up as a way to approximate best glide in the 172 trainer I learned in. It works pretty good in the Mooney too. Maybe a little slow, so slightly less than full nose up trim is ideal, but full nose up gets you close and then you can trim after that to exactly where you want it. The idea is the plane will naturally want to hold proper speed that way while you're looking out the window to pick your landing spot, running the engine restart checklist, making your mayday call, turning on your ELT, securing the cabin, and otherwise preparing for an emergency landing. So step 1 is full (or nearly full) nose up trim. It does however make it to where it requires less backpressure to stall the aircraft on short final, so you still have to watch your airspeed and not try to stretch your glide.

How does it attach to the oil cooler? Do you tape it in place? A picture would be great if you have one.

My oil temp also reads low, usually in the 140's. I've never blocked the oil cooler. When it's very cold outside, I run with the cowl flaps fully closed which helps keep the oil temp up. I read somewhere on here that if it's indicating 140 at the probe, it's still likely hot enough to vaporize moisture elsewhere in the engine, so not to worry. But I'm just repeating something I read on the internet there. You're running a lower power setting than I usually do - I go closer to 75%. Nothing wrong with your setting but you might try running more power for a while and see what it does to your oil temp. I think I'd be concerned at 109 degrees. The turbocharger needs 100 degrees minimum to function properly, according to its documentation, and you may be getting too close to that.

Thanks for the tip. I have one on order and will see how it does, with some padding and/or moving blankets. This is the one I ordered: https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/lifts-cranes-stands/hydraulic-lifts-carts/500-lb-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-70726.html