Just asking ...

[Lood]

If the mounting plate and screw holes are the same to fit my Mooney's fuel tanks, why can't these: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/rochesterSender.php

or any of the many other sender units work, or be made to work on my Mooney?

Regardless of certification, I just find it extremely hard to accept that the exact same and very simple priciple that counts, and is in fact used in most automotive feul tanks can't also work just as well in my airplane. Hell, the fuel senders on my John Deere tractors and combine work exactly the same and actually look to be of better quality than the original ones in my Mooney.

To add to that, none of my vehicles or tractors, even the very old ones, have had any problem with their fuel senders, causing the gauges not to work.

Mine need replacing, but paying almost R25k in our money for new ones, is simply ridiculous.

 

BTW, what is the recommended or specified resistance for the Mooney fuel senders? 

[Mooneymite]

Sigh.....

We all know gas gauges can be accurate. We all further know that Mooney fuel gauges aren't.

If you installed those John Deere senders, your fuel gauges might be dead-on accurate and therefore not in compliance with the STC.

If you want fuel gauge accuracy, cross over to the dark side. Buy a nice experimental aircraft. :-)

[M20F-1968]

I have 2 rebuilt senders from an Ovation that can be used and they have Mooney part numbers.  $250 each.  e-mail  johnabreda@yahoo.com 

John Breda

[N201MKTurbo]

If the mounting plate and screw holes are the same to fit my Mooney's fuel tanks, why can't these: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/eppages/rochesterSender.php

 

BTW, what is the recommended or specified resistance for the Mooney fuel senders?

I believe they are 30ohm sensors.

[cliffy]

Back to the original question-

They maybe can be made to work but would always be illegal to use.

No FAA certification, NO PMA to manufacture them, NO nothing to make it legal.

It's just the way "CERTIFIED" aircraft are. The aircraft and all its parts are made to a certain specific set of drawings and design with all parts called out by part number. No deviations allowed UNLESS accompanied by an STC, Field Approval, etc.

As they say, That's the way it is in the big city!

As was mentioned, go experimental and now YOU are the certifying agency and can do it any way you want.

As I mentioned a while back, the #2 cause of accidents in Arizona last year was? Anyone? Bueler?

Aircraft maintenance by non-certified mechanics (airplane owners!)going outside their legally allowed parameters (Private Pilot AND OWNER allowed (both in the same person doing the work) Preventive Maintenance) and using non-certified parts and techniques.

Legally, this ain't your old 56 Chevy that you work on on weekends. If you're not an A&P but doing A&P stuff, then you have to accept the consequences of your actions.

[Lood]

I believe they are 30ohm sensors.

 

True, I just used these as an example. However, there are quite a few sender units from other manufacturesrs that are certified, maybe not for Mooney, but for other certified airplanes like Cessna, etc and they come in quite a range.

I know the certification part does raise a lot of issues, but just the thought that there are better and cheaper alternatives doesn't go down well.

 

I want my newly installed EDM900's fuel quantity guages to function properly, which they don't at the moment. I am going to take a shot at getting my senders to work properly, but I doubt whether it will be successful. If you look at them, they are actually extemely simple and there isn't much that's supposed to go wrong with them. Maybe a good clean and checking all the groundings might produce a miracle.

 

John, we've actually been in contact wrt your senders, but I'll e-mail you again.

[ArtVandelay]

I just had both of mine repair, someone had grounded them by putting staples through the rubber gaskets

[Bob_Belville]

When I had a JPI EDM930 installed the avionics shop wondered about the fuel level senders being certified. Turned out they were both Mooney parts. We had them overhauled (@ modest cost by aviation standards) at Loch Haven. They work pretty well - meaning they are accurate after they get down to about half full.