Nokomis449

No engine monitor, so no idea about CHT drop. I'll try to find a pic of the longer tailpipe, but not sure I have one. EDIT: Here's a parts breakdown and photo of my Knisley (I misspilled it in my original post) exhaust system, showing the longer tailpipe: http://knisleyexhaust.com/mooney-m-20-180-hp-catalog Here's a breakdown of the 200hp version: http://knisleyexhaust.com/mooney-m-20-200-hp-catalog

I don't have Powerflow experience, but I replaced my muffler a few annuals ago. The old one was essentially hollowed out - all the internal baffles were shot and MIA. I needed back in the air ASAP and I could not find a single muffler on a shelf in the entire country - everybody wanted me to send them my core and they'd rebuild it. Didn't have that much time. Ended up talking to Knisely Welding in California. They had a brand new, built in-house, exhaust system in stock. Only catch was, theirs comes with new risers, muffler, and exhaust pipe - the only thing reused was the cabin heater shroud. It was was a simple bolt-on replacement, but it uses different pipe sizes or something that makes replacing the whole system necessary (or maybe it was the slip fittings that were different; I can't remember). Anyway, the tail pipe was noticeably longer than stock, similar to a Powerflow. When it came out of annual with nothing else done to the powerplant that would affect performance, I (almost) swear I picked up 5 or more knots of speed. I called Knisely to see if their muffler was responsible for my speed increase, and their response was along the lines of "we didn't test for that during certification and therefore can't claim a performance increase over stock". I swear I heard a wink and a nod over the phone. That's been 3 or 4 annuals ago and l'm still pleased with the purchase and performance. Also, instead of the muffler being ribbed like a coffee can as the original was, they use rows of threaded bolt shafts (I'm sure they have a technical name) for shroud standoffs, which I assume work much better for heat dissipation. Another advantage over the ribs is that now I can loosen the shroud and run my wireless proctologist-style camera up and down the rows, looking for exhaust leaks. Can't remember the price, but I'm thinking it was $1,500-$1,600 for the entire setup.Labor took maybe an hour.

Loving all the Mooney porn, and some are almost as pretty as mine... 1968 M20G

My '68G vent looks a little different, but I had the cable break in flight several years ago. Made the loudest bang as it went from barely cracked open to slamming against the fuselage at 170mph. Sounded like somebody hit us with a sledge hammer at 6k ft. Luckily I was southbound in late afternoon, and the shadow of the vent fell across the left wing. I couldn't tell exactly what was wrong, but knew the shadow wasn't right. Overflew the FBO guys just to verify I still had 3 tires, and after landing saw the vent was folded back like a sardine can. Anyway, the wire had broken at the vent and couldn't be salvaged, so the mechanic replaced the wire. The important thing to know is that you can replace the wire without having to replace the entire thing - cable, cable shroud, etc. Makes it a 1 hour job instead of a 1 day job. Good luck!

Got it, THANKS!

Many of you have the map in your sig showing the states. Where does this come from? And what are the guidelines? My wife and I discussed this with family during a humorous dinner tonight and wondered what had to happen to color in a state... fly over it as PIC? Touch down in it? Have an actual destination/layover in it? We decided that you have to have actually flushed an airport toilet in it (after all, that's the reason for a lot of our XC stops). So where do I get this map, and what's the general rules for coloring in the states? (Full disclosure: we may follow our own rules as determined by the she-thing.)

Hank, I fly near ATL a lot and even on IFR flights, they rarely allow me into Bravo if I'm westbound to Alabama or eastbound to SC. When I'm westbound from SC and landing at Paulding County/Silver Comet Field, which is right on the opposite edge of their Bravo from me, they'll usually vector me over Gwinnett County on the northeast edge and then westbound, Direct through Bravo, keeping me above the control tower's airspaces along the way and dropping me below their 6,000/7,000ft shelves and out of Bravo. But with Cobb Co Intl/Dobbins AFB/Fulton Co/Peachtree Dekalb in the area, they are awful busy calling out traffic to me and others. War Eagle.

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet but make sure no one has stuck a stick uf Beeman's gum up in the lock block.

I may have figured out the ALY-8420 vs ALX-8521 confusion. Online sources (Aircraft Spruce, etc.) say the M-20G has an O-360A1A engine, but the engine logbook for my Factory Reman engine that was installed in 2002 says it's a -A1D engine. According to Aircraft Spruce, the ALY-8420 fits the -A1D engine. (Hopefully) problem solved. I'll stick with the ALY-8420. bluehighwayflyer, I sent you a PM.

Here's an old article about the G model from MooneyPilots.com... http://www.mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20G Evaluation/M20G_Eval.htm

Can't beat that... give me 24 hours to search & discuss with IA.. If we decide new ALY 8420, I'll take it. I assume it's a Prestolite? They all seem to sport the same model number. I'm getting reman prices in the $500's... may go that route. Also still trying to find out why all the sites say my G takes the ALX 8521...

Yes, A&P/IA. Was just told the brushes are bad (worn out, not making contact; made contact briefly after reassembly and alternator worked for a few spins) Bearing is questionable. This is the 2nd time I've owned this plane since 2005 and I don't recall the alternator ever being worked on or replaced, so it's probably got > 2,000 hours on it. After discussion and considering this is a forever plane/IFR/night platform for me, I'm going with a new or reman alternator.

I believe the words were "there's no output" or "there's nothing coming out of it" or some such.

UPDATE: Just had it tested and the alternator is bad. So now the decision: Rebuilt it, buy a reman, or buy new. And if reman or new, which version?

I took it to one of the big box stores last night, but the kids working the counter couldn't find "ALY 8420" in the computerized tester, so they couldn't test it. Today I'm going to find an old NAPA or mom n pop auto parts store that'll know what they're doing.

It's a ZEFTRONICS R15300 alternator control. When the master is switched on, the light is green on the R15300 but I haven't checked the color with the engine running. That's my next component to check if the alternator tests good. EDIT: I haven't checked every inch of the wiring, but a visual check of the terminals and easily-seen areas showed nothing of interest.

On my next-to-last last flight, my charging system went south on me. A visual check of wiring, etc. showed no visible anomalies. I removed the battery, charged it up, and it seems fine. Started the engine and voltage went down to 12.6 when it's normally 13.4ish. On the 3 hr VFR flight home with radios and unnecessary electronics off (transponder and intercom on), voltage was at 12.1 when we landed. I removed the alternator per A&P and have it in my hand. It's a Prestolite ALY 8420, which is a 60A alternator. According to Aircraft Spruce and other Google searches the G model should have the ALX 8521, which is a 70A alternator. So are they interchangeable? I see where some of the older Mooneys with the same O-360 engine use the ALY 8420 and it's on the Lycoming list for the O-360, but I can't find online where the G calls for it. I've never had it off since I've owned it, so this is a new puzzle. If mine is bad, do I replace it with the ALX 8521 70A, or stick with the ALY 8420 60A? For the price difference, I'd rather have the extra amps. I'll discuss this later with the A&P, but also want opinions from here. And if mine is bad, what's the best route for replacement? Who's got the best prices? I need to be back in the air in 10 days so sending it out for rebuild may not be an option. Thanks!

I've owned my particular 1968 G twice now - I let her get away once, but never again. You cannot find better speed and economy for the money. It's a great IFR platform and with a few speed mods (read engineering tweaks) it's a 145KT speedster. I love the manual gear and flaps. It's the only bird certified by the FAA withOUT an emergency gear extension system - it's THAT foolproof. Maintenance is simple and affordable, and the O-360 is bulletproof. Mine just went over TBO with no signs of aging; the AI says keep running it until we see metal in the oil or compression issues. Your biggest expense may be in upgrading the avionics if they are dated, so pay as much attention to the panel as you do the A & P. Good luck!

Sort of along the same lines, I once had a napping passenger in the back seat that stretched a leg and disengaged the lock at cruise speed. No damage done, but it sure was momentarily exciting.