romair

Time has come to start the process of selling my Mooney. I was planning on doing it, for a couple of months, and now things changed a bit. Oil analysis came back with increased iron, and upon cutting the filter open there is indeed iron present. I will need to go see it, as this has only been relayed to me by my mechanic. So the question is - sell as is, or overhaul and sell? This is a first run engine, 2100 hrs SNEW.

I would be careful with what you are buying .100k gets you an airplane, but not necessarily one without problems. If you are looking at a mid-time engine then you are taking a gamble with that engine. Doing a quick flightaware search on the airplanes that you mentioned shows that 2 of them have not had any flights in a long time, and one of them had a couple of flights this month, nothing before. Sure, they might be flying VFR without flight following, but usually Mooneys are longer trip airplanes and most pilots would at least get flight following. My take is either find a airplane with a run out engine and plan on flying it a bit longer until you need to do the overhaul, or one that is flown very regularly (once a week, maybe once every couple of weeks). Long trips followed by longer periods of inactivity, or months where the airplane is flown more followed by months where the airplane sits are serious gambles. Just be careful, and be willing to spend a bit more upfront for a well maintained airplane than having some nasty surprises on the back-end.

Here it is graphed with oil temp. Yes, there is a oilP redline and this is far exceeding it... I live in Tx - outside temps have been quite warm. Also, this is a new behavior. The ball and spring have been inspected, look okay except some mild scoring on the spring on one side (not sure why), but I have a new one ordered. The ship's gauge has been removed.

Here is an example where the oil pressure goes all the way up to 140 psi. Things are fairly unstable initially, then the rest of the flight quite stable.

The monitor is an EI mvp 50. While I understand the doubts about that being real, it does not make sense that frequently on start up the oil pressure goes haywire, then during flight it is within normal without going high again until the next flight. Why would the gauge be inaccurate only at the beginning?

I'm puzzled by high oil pressures that last for about 10 minutes from start-up. I have seen it as high as 160psi. It will usually go back to normal range after 10 minutes or so, and in cruise it is normal at 66-67 psi. I opened the pressure relief element, the ball looks fine, and the spring has some erosion on one of its sides, but not very significant. I do not think this is an instrumentation problem. Any other ideas for things to look for? Engine is an IO360A3B6D Thanks

Strobes were off... Also, with the alternator off there is a significant difference in the fluctuation (almost none) then with the alternator on. i recently checked the alternator with a car tester and while I was expecting it to say that there is a problem with the charging system, it actually gave it an "an okay" stumped by it...

Here is one that it's cheaper. That's what I have. I thought that moving to the digital display would make more sense. In retrospect, I should've left the old one in that was perfectly functional. I just never needed to use it so far... http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/inpages/ei-chronometers.php

I've been entertaining the idea of getting the panels out and painting them, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I want to have the interior done all at once, so will need to save some money for that project. In the meantime, maybe I can clean them and get them to look better. Any thoughts as to what would work to clean them with without having to take them out? Soap and water would make a mess inside the airplane...

Joe - I have been chasing a fuel pressure and fuel flow fluctuation for almost 1 year, without being able to find the cause. If the fuel pressure fluctuates on the ground, then it makes diagnostics a bit easier. Things to try that I have tried, although all this work has not helped me so far. 1. Do the fluctuations happen on one tank only? - easy to do. 2. If not, take a fuel hose and run it from the line from one tank (disconnect it from the attach point into the fuel selector and attach it to your hose there), and connect the other end of the hose past the electric fuel pump - a bit harder to do, may need some help from a mechanic for this. you will rule out the fuel selector and the electric fuel pump as a cause. 3. If that does not work, see if you can find an electric pump that you can borrow for a bit. Then disconnect the fuel line after the engine fuel pump (usually just before the fuel flow sensor). Connect a hose going from the stand alone electric fuel pump to the fuel line, and another hose going into a bucked that has fuel in it (make sure the bucket was clean, etc, etc). With someone's help start the engine using the stand alone electric fuel and see if you have fluctuations. This will rule out the engine driven fuel pump. If possible, try to find an electric fuel pump that puts out 24psi. 4. If all that still does not work, then the problem could be with the fuel injection system (had mine overhauled twice just to be sure, did not help). Also, according to the guy to overhauled my injection system if there is an induction leak it could cause these fluctuations, but I have not been able to find a leak so far. 5. Finally, it may not be a real fluctuation. Using a voltmeter see if you can connect to the fuel pressure connectors and see if you see fluctuations on the voltmeter. This is what I'm talking about: Hope this helps Best, Stefan

Can the glareshield be spray painted black as well? Do you do anything special for it?

What about the armrests on the pilot and copilot side, as well as the side panel vinyl inlays? Do you cover them with paper and paint over them, or do they come off?

I am also having the same problem of the amps fluctuating. I checked the terminals on the Master switch and they are clean, absolutely no corrosion. The volts stay steady, which makes me think it is not the voltage regulator. The amp fluctuation goes away if I take the alternator off line. Popping every CB with the alternator on does not result in the fluctuations disappearing. Interestingly though, when I pop the announciator panel CB, it automatically takes the alternator off-line, and I have to reset the alternator CB in order to get it back on. The alternator and the battery are about 1 year old. What do you guys think...it seems that there is an alternator connection to all this - diodes? I have the PlanePower Alternator installed. Also, why does popping the Announciator panel CB result in the alternator going off-line? Thanks Stefan

I just had to overhaul mine last week. Depending on the pump, you can expect about 1000 for a new one and around 750 for overhaul. Mine was the 8163-B model. I chose to go the overhaul route. I used Quality Aircraft Accessories in Tulse OK - total price was $800. Expect a couple of hours to get it out and back in.

its an EI MVP 50. Apparently they do not provide snubbers...

My fuel pressure has had fluctuations ever since installing an engine monitor. After a lot of troubleshooting without any real result, we decided to try putting a snubber fitting to see if it stops the fluctuations. Any idea where to get one and what size it needs to be? I've read multiple threads about the snubber fittings, but no-one seems to mention where to get one from or the size that would fit the fuel pressure line.... Thanks Stefan = '89 J

Only Jet maintenance on the field. $25/night overnight fee every night. Deb - by that reasoning you should not be able to have a ferry permit either. I think it is all about risk assessment. How risky is a 1 hour flight without a boost pump...definitely more risky than having one. I'm trying to make an informed decision

My boost pump quit working...I'm about 1 hour from my home field...other than the implicit risk of having no back up pump in case the engine fuel pump fails, are there any other problems with flying with an inop boost pump that I'm not aware of? I plan on taking it out once I get home and sending it for overhaul.

So recently my oil pressure has started acting up. There are some mild fluctuations, but what is unusual is high oil pressures upon initial start. This lasts for a while, and usually by the time I am ready for take up, they go back to normal. This is a new development (usually I see low oil pressures on startup, as the engine is making very little power). In flight the oil pressure is fairly steady, just around 67 psi, which is normal. Could this be the regulator? It is kinda strange to have it only on start up though. If it was winter, I would think it may have to do with the cold weather, but it has been really hot here in Texas lately. Here is a video of what it does on start-up. Thanks, Stefan, 1989 M20J

Byron - I'm confused. Why would doing a normal overhaul result in having spalled lifters? I understand that the new engines have some enhancements, but my engine is 2000 hours and still going strong. I would expect that if I do an overhaul at a reputable shop, I should expect similar longevity as your lycoming overhaul. The two mags are indeed an improved safety factor.

Byron - what kind of additional fire sleeve did you use to insulate the 124J hose? I have the same hose and also I am seeing oscillations.

Having trouble with my CDI needle on the HSI. Started a while ago, where the needle would stay centered regardless on how far I was off course. Kept troubleshooting and it was very difficult since it was an intermittent problem. The HSI is connected to a GTN 750. When the CDI does not work, all the other functions are fine (glideslope is perfect and the to/from flag is fine as well). Past two weeks the problem became constant. Finally, last week I went to the avionics shop and they ordered and new GTN. We switched the GTNs and still the CDI did not work. They had a HSI sitting around so we switched those two, and the CDI worked! Obviously HSI is the problem. Talked to Mid Continent, and got an overhauled unit. This came in Friday, we installed it, and guess what...the CDI needle does not work. All connections in the back of the HSI and the back of the GTN appear solid. Any thoughts? Thanks...

Bad connection. Moving too fast for a combustion event to oscillate like that

I would say that if you need the second engine to feel more comfortable with night/IFR/mountain flying, you should really consider a Cirrus. That parachute gives you the peace of mind that a second engine would otherwise, plus an out in other less likely scenarios (midair, structural failure, etc). Acquisition cost is higher, but you also have a much newer airplane that goes almost as fast as a twin with a lower maintenance and fuel cost. If I had the money, that's what I would go for.

Did that too...