Mooneymite Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 I had my pitot static check done today. A fellow comes to my hangar and does the whole thing and he's very thorough even though he is not a "Mooney guy". It's very convenient. Today I asked him to check the pitot and static drains. He quickly found and cleaned the static drain, but he was flumoxed on the pitot drain. After pointing it out, he said, we were taking a chance messing with it because if it had to be replaced, there was no way to access it. I assured him that it could be accessed either from the wing root fairing, or from the small access panel beneath the wing. I was wrong. After removing both the fairing and the access cover, we agreed that the airplane must have been built around that darn drain. Does anyone know how to access the drain should it ever need to be replace? ('74 C Model.) The first picture shows the drain near the lower left wing root.... The second picture is the amount of room removing the wing fairing allows...even skinny fingers would have a problem getting in there.... The third picture shows the lower access panel removed. No help since there is a rib between the panel and the drain valve. The fourth picture is the drain valve which can only be seen with a mini cam on a wire. Picture taken from above through that small space under the wing fairing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madjano Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 Seems like you could get to it by removing the interior panel, but i have never specifically looked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 I had my pitot static check done today. A fellow comes to my hangar and does the whole thing and he's very thorough even though he is not a "Mooney guy". It's very convenient. Today I asked him to check the pitot and static drains. He quickly found and cleaned the static drain, but he was flumoxed on the pitot drain. After pointing it out, he said, we were taking a chance messing with it because if it had to be replaced, there was no way to access it. I assured him that it could be accessed either from the wing root fairing, or from the small access panel beneath the wing. I was wrong. After removing both the fairing and the access cover, we agreed that the airplane must have been built around that darn drain. Does anyone know how to access the drain should it ever need to be replace? ('74 C Model.) The first picture shows the drain near the lower left wing root.... The second picture is the amount of room removing the wing fairing allows...even skinny fingers would have a problem getting in there.... The third picture shows the lower access panel removed. No help since there is a rib between the panel and the drain valve. The fourth picture is the drain valve which can only be seen with a mini cam on a wire. Picture taken from above through that small space under the wing fairing. It is the most inaccessible component on the Mooney. I was going to replace mine when I did the static drain. Once I saw its location, I called uncle. I think it is the same drain as the static. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 Let me think.... If the pitot drain leaks, the indicated airspeed will read low, right? That's it! The pitot drain is leaking and my Mooney is MUCH faster than I thought. It's affecting my GPS groundspeed and my clock as well. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 You have to remove the interior side panel to access the valve. It can be repaired by unscrewing the two lines, then unscrewing the “T” fitting, then removing the spring, plunger( which is an AN Clevis pin) and the “O” ring. Reassembly is equally challenging. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted May 16, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 1 minute ago, M20Doc said: You have to remove the interior side panel to access the valve. It can be repaired by unscrewing the two lines, then unscrewing the “T” fitting, then removing the spring, plunger( which is an AN Clevis pin) and the “O” ring. Reassembly is equally challenging. Clarence Ah! So you access it from INSIDE the cabin???? I thoight about that, but it looked like the opening was filled with wires and tubes. Thanks! Here's hoping I never have to verify this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 1 minute ago, Mooneymite said: Ah! So you access it from INSIDE the cabin???? I thoight about that, but it looked like the opening was filled with wires and tubes. Thanks! Here's hoping I never have to verify this. You could hire a proctologist to do this for you, it’s very similar work. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradp Posted May 16, 2018 Report Share Posted May 16, 2018 That wing root access is right tight and there’s a ton of sharp $hit protruding into and around it, never mind the wiring bundle and plumbing that takes up more space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertGary1 Posted May 18, 2018 Report Share Posted May 18, 2018 I just removed the interior panel and used a couple different wrenches to unscrew it from the housing and replaced the seal. Rarely necessary to do more than change the seal and clean with denaturalized alcohol -Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertGary1 Posted May 18, 2018 Report Share Posted May 18, 2018 I took this when I changed the seal in mine. I was laying where the pilot seat would be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneymite Posted May 18, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2018 1 hour ago, RobertGary1 said: I took this when I changed the seal in mine. I was laying where the pilot seat would be. Looks like you were upside down! Thanks for posting. At least now I know it can be done. I passed the info along to the pitot static guy. His comeback was.... "don't fix what ain't broke". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertGary1 Posted May 18, 2018 Report Share Posted May 18, 2018 1 hour ago, Mooneymite said: Looks like you were upside down! Thanks for posting. At least now I know it can be done. I passed the info along to the pitot static guy. His comeback was.... "don't fix what ain't broke". For sure. If he's not showing it leaking I wouldn't touch it. -Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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