Some broken avionics

[ryoder]

My 65 Mooney has a really nice primary nav com a Garmin sl30 paired with a newish Garmin GI106A and those work great.

The bad news is my King VOR indicators OBS knob stopped working today and the old KX170 works for nav but not com. The com dial is funky and doesn't tune anything. The King indicator swings the needle but you can't change the OBS.

I am looking for slide in replacements that are good low cost used units that I could hopefully slide in myself or with my CFI who is an A&P IA so he can sign off on it. I am considering the MX170 and a used King indicator that I found on eBay. I am also open to a working KX170.

Do I need to stick with the King indicator or could I pop in a nice Garmin to match the other one? Would it be plug and play? Nothing ever is.

[Marauder]

My 65 Mooney has a really nice primary nav com a Garmin sl30 paired with a newish Garmin GI106A and those work great.

The bad news is my King VOR indicators OBS knob stopped working today and the old KX170 works for nav but not com. The com dial is funky and doesn't tune anything. The King indicator swings the needle but you can't change the OBS.

I am looking for slide in replacements that are good low cost used units that I could hopefully slide in myself or with my CFI who is an A&P IA so he can sign off on it. I am considering the MX170 and a used King indicator that I found on eBay. I am also open to a working KX170.

Do I need to stick with the King indicator or could I pop in a nice Garmin to match the other one? Would it be plug and play? Nothing ever is.

 

 

This brings back memories... My tuners on the two KX-170Bs I had in the plane were always causing problems. Eventually I replaced one radios with a Narco and did the TKM slide-in replacement for the other. A used TKM is probably the best path from a cost perspective. Fixing a 170B (if you can still get parts for them) is temporary. That said, the TKMs work okay but are subject to tray problems. 

 

Find out what kind of King OBS head you have (KI-204, KI-209, etc.) and let us know. I removed a working KI-204 that I would let you have for a really decent price. I also have a TKM slide-in radio that was removed from my plane. I think I was having some issues with it, but I can drop it off at a shop to see what shape it is in and get it yellow tagged. 

[Mooneymite]

The only problem I ever had with 170B's was the tuning mechanism. The original used plastic gears, one of which was under-engineered and would strip out. I (er, I mean the hangar fairies) changed it out with a brass replacement on two radios, and I never had a subsequent problem with either one. As you know, the 170B radiates a good strong signal.

AFAIK, there's still one guy who can fix the old 170's, ( http://kx170b.com/ ) but they are getting long in the tooth.

KX170B-repair.com has some good, simple troubleshooting/repair procedures for the old indicators. Take a look.

[ryoder]

KI 201C

http://allaviations.com/N79396%20Mooney/HighRes_WF21B032369645005.jpg

I checked out the kx170b site tonight. I might consider it but his site makes him seem pretty gruff. I might rather buy something used that is a little nicer than the one I have which doesn't have a glide slope and is probably ancient. I have the paperwork for some avionics upgrade that occurred in the early 80s and I bet that is when that indicator went in.

Tha com knob acts funny and I can't tune in anything. It skips numbers etc.

I'll look at the indicator troubleshooting site.

Marauder thanks for the ideas and offer. I don't want to sink much into this since this stuff is ancient and I can just limp along vfr until I decide what kind of revamp I will do next year. I am doing instrument training and won't do a checkride with a broken secondary nav and com.

[Mooneymite]

KI 201C

http://allaviations.com/N79396%20Mooney/HighRes_WF21B032369645005.jpg

Tha com knob acts funny and I can't tune in anything. It skips numbers etc.

.

Yep. Sounds like that "under-engineered" gear in the comm tuning section is stripped.

For 15-20 minutes of cursing/swearing and the brass replacement gear, the comm section will work another 20 years. However, were I you, I'd consider a real upgrade rather than a cheapo repair.

[carusoam]

Nylon(?) gears have a history of aging poorly.

Ruined the use of a couple of Narco tuning knobs in my C.

Ruined the use of my pop-up headlights in my Pontiac the same way. Replacements have aged and broken too...

Similar challenge for Corvettes...

Brass gears will age better...

Is it possible that newer radios don't use gears anymore?

Brass has a tendency to weigh a little more...

Best regards,

-a-

[ryoder]

Well it's not technically avionics but let's add a whiskey compass to the list of broken equipment. I was on my long instrument cross country today while the compass started dripping kerosene in my throttle hand. We covered the throttle with a towel to catch the drips.

So the new list of broken stuff: kx170b com, ki201c indicator, whiskey compass.

I need to order a vertical card ASAP.

[carusoam]

Compass repair kit is only a few bucks compared to swapping the entire device...

Best regards,

-a-

[ryoder]

Good point. But I think only an avionics shop can do that now.

[N201MKTurbo]

And the hanger fairies.

[ryoder]

Picking up my new mx170c tomorrow and have a serviceable ki201c indicator on the way.

[Guest]

Check out www.kx170b.com a Older King radio specialist.

Clarence

[ryoder]

I spent some time on that website but ended up buying a mx170c. I'll work with my a&p to slide it in next weekend.

[ryoder]

My a&p and I will be installing the mx170c, new airpath compass, vor indicator and maybe an egt today. Egt gague doesn't work so I bought a guaranteed used one for 35 shipped.

[ryoder]

The avionics are all in and working. Except for the egt. It must be the sensor or wire. We will deal with that later. It's nice to have a new compass and nav com two. The vor indicator works like a champ too. I also flew off my last two solo hours for insurance purposes so I am a free man with a sound airplane.