Century III autopilot - '67 M20F

[mschmuff]

Has anyone had any experience getting their Century III auto pilot repaired?  I was getting erroneous pitch and roll commands.  It would be flying along straight and level then all of the sudden start climbing at 800ft/min then immediately dive.  Really gets your attention!!!!!.  Also would do the same in the roll every once in a while – just start turning left and not come back.

I have had both the pitch and roll servos rebuilt in the last couple years so looking on MS I had heard great things about autopilots central.  I gave them a call and they had me send them my head unit and the amplifier.  Minor things wrong with the head unit but the amplifier needs a new board.  The old one is a “dash 3”, very rare and poorly made.  $2900!!

Does this sound insane to anyone else???

[Marcopolo]

Poorly made + Rare = many AMUs, nope, doesn't sound the least bit insane to me.  I've heard the same words/amounts put together far too often in aviation.

[Oldguy]

Unfortunately, everything I have seen and experienced with an autopilot repair comes in multi-AMU figures. Unless you want a completely new one, and then (until anything new is approved) it comes in multiples of 10 AMUs.

Sometimes a salvage yard is less expensive, but often just as prone to problems.

[carusoam]

How old is it?  Just wondering...

 

Best regards,

-a-

[mschmuff]

vintage 1975 I think

[jetdriven]

Most of these problems are the split pin blue connectors in the century autopilots.  The connectors themselves  are 20$ and there's labor, but it isn't very bad to change all of them first. Then start diagnosing blown output transistors, servos, and altitude chambers. Pictured is the new style which is not split pin. 

Diagnosing them isn't very hard either. If it follows the roll knob on the ground with the horizon erect, then see f to follows the heading bug. The altitude same fashion. Engage pitch mode, make sure it follows the pitch wheel command. Then fly test it. Make sure it holds altitude. 

 

The only place to have a century autopilot repaired is autopilots central in Tulsa ok  they know it so well they can probably diagnose what part to send in  

Edited March 14, 2017 by jetdriven

[Brian Scranton]

I have! Century Flight Systems in Texas is a good spot...and on a trip I had an avionics guy (Don) in at KMJX in Ocean County, NJ...I had pitch and roll problems...he checked it all out, replaced my altitude can, replaced a few connectors (~$1500) and she was good as new. 

[carusoam]

D.C. To TomsRiver, NJ,   a couple of Mooney hours...

Best regards,

-a-

[Piloto]

On ‎3‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 6:37 PM, jetdriven said:

Most of these problems are the split pin blue connectors in the century autopilots.  The connectors themselves  are 20$ and there's labor, but it isn't very bad to change all of them first. Then start diagnosing blown output transistors, servos, and altitude chambers. Pictured is the new style which is not split pin. 

Diagnosing them isn't very hard either. If it follows the roll knob on the ground with the horizon erect, then see f to follows the heading bug. The altitude same fashion. Engage pitch mode, make sure it follows the pitch wheel command. Then fly test it. Make sure it holds altitude. 

 

The only place to have a century autopilot repaired is autopilots central in Tulsa ok  they know it so well they can probably diagnose what part to send in  

Mine are all black connectors. Where is the above connector located?

[jetdriven]

That one is one the end of the cd-33 pigtail off the radio coupler.  The rest in the plane are blue.