Annual #4

[Yetti]

The adventure begins.  A programming note to start this one off.  To get the fuel servo off, you have to remove the starter, to get to the last bolt on the starter, you have to remove the alternator and the bracket.   When I told the Servo repair shop that we found an orange O ring in it, he said that was from the 70s - 80s.  I would guess it has never been touched.   Full day project to remove with fuel divider and fuel nozzles.  And I am sore.  Much props to those A&Ps that do this day in and day out.

[RLCarter]

2 hours ago, Yetti said:

 Much props to those A&Ps that do this day in and day out.

If it was easy everyone would be doing it.....

[Yetti]

8 hours ago, RLCarter said:

If it was easy everyone would be doing it.....

It's an honest living that is for sure.

[M20F]

12 hours ago, Yetti said:

A programming note to start this one off.  To get the fuel servo off, you have to remove the starter, to get to the last bolt on the starter, you have to remove the alternator and the bracket.  

But wait I just read another thread here about how easy Mooney’s are to work on!

[ArtVandelay]

Every time I work on my plane, it takes twice as long as planned.
But very satisfying when job is completed.


Tom

[Yetti]

On 2/23/2019 at 7:32 AM, M20F said:

But wait I just read another thread here about how easy Mooney’s are to work on!

There is nothing hard about what was done Friday.   I think you could take the whole plane apart with a 3/8, 7/16 and 1/2 inch wrench and a #2 Philips.

I would not consider Mooneys maintenance hogs, but I have never owned any other type plane.   I spend more time working on the mower deck for the tractor than I do the plane.

Not that you should ever add things up for planes but since everyone wants to know

Running totals

1 day spent removing the Fuel Servo

half day spent ordering stuff

Aircraft Spruce $250 - consumables

New duct boot - $300

New number 1 fuel line $60

Fuel servo rebuild, fuel divider rebuild, ????

Vertical card compass $175

Debating on the 406 ELT $500

 

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Yetti

[Yetti]

Report back from the Carb shop.   Lots of old parts in the fuel servo.  2-3 fuel nozzles are bad.

New mooney induction boot $300

New number 1 fuel line $50.   Was cross threaded.

406 ELT $500

Day 2-3

Lubed Gear

Installed 406 ELT which involved cleaning filiform corrosion around antenna.

Washed the lower cowl since it was off.

Made up new ground wire for alternator

Cleaned and Installed plates on the new boot.   Tool of the day is leather punch.

Lots of panels

Waiting for Fuel Servo

 

 

 

[Yetti]

http://www.kellyaerospace.com/articles/FuelInjection.pdf

 

[GDGR]

My overhauled servo was around 1200 Canadian. 

[Yetti]

had to drop in a Texas drawl to get a good update on the Fuel Servo.   A couple of yes Please and Yes mams.  should be back in a couple of days.

[Yetti]

And I was able to pay 2.2 AMU bail to get out of the Fuel Servo Prison.  A good day of work and the plane is back together.   Found that the last certified person (before I owned the plane) installed the alternator bracket upside down.   No spacing needed when the bracket is on proper.

Couple more days to make sure things are ship shape shape and it will be back in the air.   I am going to be sore tomorrow.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Yetti

[carusoam]

Great updates, Yetti!

Best regards,

-a-

[Yetti]

With some estimates.   Looks like this is where we will be cost wise.

Aircraft Spruce 800

Carburetors of Texas 2200

Prop hub AD 200

Annual inspection 600

5-7 days of my time

Edited March 28, 2019 by Yetti

[Yetti]

And a new boot to boot too. 

[KLRDMD]

On 3/28/2019 at 5:21 AM, Yetti said:

With some estimates.   Looks like this is where we will be cost wise.

5-7 days of my time

THAT's the expensive part !!!

[Hank]

On 3/28/2019 at 7:21 AM, Yetti said:

With some estimates.   Looks like this is where we will be cost wise.

Aircraft Spruce 800

Carburetors of Texas 2200

Prop hub AD 200

Annual inspection 600

5-7 days of my time

What carburetor work is your F getting?????

[Yetti]

That's what the shop is called.  Does servos too

[Jim Peace]

Just went through a 4800 annual on a 64c at a great MSC

big items were:

New oil cooler

replace a ring gear that was rubbing slightly on the sky tech starter, that was installed by a MSC up north that way....cost me a ton to fix.

bunch of other little stuff that just seems to add up...

Next year should be just the annual,,,yeah right,,,,and a transponder pitot static check....

[Yetti]

And compressions are 79 across the board.  Retimed the right mag a bit.   Got the prop hub feeled up.   Grumpy IA "all you pilots say there is nothing wrong with the plane"   I said "Nope not me.  Find me something to fix."   

Waiting on paperwork.

[Yetti]

The adventure ends with signed off paperwork

Aircraft Spruce 800 $500 for a new 406 ELT -  Bought some packages of bolts and cotter pins.   Needed 4 cotter pins.   2 for the fuel servo and 2 for the alternator and some for the wheel bearings.    so I bought the $40 variety pack.

Carburetors of Texas 2200

Prop hub AD 200

Annual inspection 600

New induction Boot from Money 300

New cost per hour for this year   310 an hour....   But it looks like we got 25 years out of the servo so maybe 2200/25 years....

[Yetti]

Epilogue

With the OH fuel servo and 2 new nozzles, the engine seems to be running much much smoother.   I asked the IA if this was possible.   He said maybe.

[steingar]

I used to do the annuals on my Cherokee, but they only took a day.  I think it takes a day just to get all the covers off the $%#&##@!!! Mooney, and I swear about half them don't fit back on.  I'd love to stick around and help with the annual, but my mechanic certainly doesn't want it, and I do have this job thing.  I'll never know how it is that this elf you who do this are able to get that kind of time off work.  If I did it I'd have no time left to fly the damn airplane.

[Hank]

3 hours ago, steingar said:

I used to do the annuals on my Cherokee, but they only took a day.  I think it takes a day just to get all the covers off the $%#&##@!!! Mooney, and I swear about half them don't fit back on.  I'd love to stick around and help with the annual, but my mechanic certainly doesn't want it, and I do have this job thing.  I'll never know how it is that this elf you who do this are able to get that kind of time off work.  If I did it I'd have no time left to fly the damn airplane.

In my hangar,  I prepped in advance by removing cowl, spinner, inspection plates, dog house, etc., so it's ready for the IA when he arrived. Then we worked together. I buy lunch, we both go home for supper. Usually done in a 3-day weekend, then I'd put her back together.

Before I moved, the IA would take it to the Maint. Hangar, pull plugs and check compression. I'd stop by after work, remove the rest of the panels; clean, gap and test plugs; grease the landing gear; etc. I'd leave a note with what I did, sometimes he'd be there on Saturday while I was working; sometimes I'd call him during the day when I had a break at work. Usually took 2-3 weeks. Every year I did a little more as we developed a relationship and trust.

This year, my IA retired and stopped answering his phone and email, leaving me up the proverbial creek without propulsion. So I called the only other one I knew, and he was willing to do it and could start before the old one expired, meaning I could fly it to him (15 min, wheels up to wheels down). This guy also doesn't respond much to phone calls, texts or emails; doesn't follow instructions; did things I explicitly asked him not to do; induced failures in things he wasn't supposed to work on; and presented the highest bill for any work ever done on my plane during 12 years of ownership. Took 70 days, then 13 more to finish writing the invoice. Oh, and he no longer has the initial quote where we discussed and I marked which tasks to do and which not to do, although the invoice is (hand) written on the exact same form, all 11 pages of it . . . . Did I mention the logbooks are signed off on 29 March, and he called me on 5 April to tell me it was ready?    <-- This doesn't even come close . . . Now I need another drink!

[David_H]

5 minutes ago, Hank said:

This year, my IA retired and stopped answering his phone and email, leaving me up the proverbial creek without propulsion. So I called the only other one I knew, and he was willing to do it and could start before the old one expired, meaning I could fly it to him (15 min, wheels up to wheels down). This guy also doesn't respond much to phone calls, texts or emails; doesn't follow instructions; did things I explicitly asked him not to do; induced failures in things he wasn't supposed to work on; and presented the highest bill for any work ever done on my plane during 12 years of ownership. Took 70 days, then 13 more to finish writing the invoice. Oh, and he no longer has the initial quote where we discussed and I marked which tasks to do and which not to do, although the invoice is (hand) written on the exact same form, all 11 pages of it . . . . Did I mention the logbooks are signed off on 29 March, and he called me on 5 April to tell me it was ready? 

This sort of story is becoming very common. How do these shops stay in business?

[Prior owner]

There is a shortage of shops everywhere...especially avionics shops. People line up for the kind of experience you just had. It’s crazy.