Engine mount center

[Robert Hicks]

I finally finished installing my OH’d engine today. What do you all think of how it sits? As of right now there are no shins installed. It looks to me like it could come down and right (as pictured) from where it is now. Thoughts?

[RLCarter]

I say “Up” and to the Left (left being the left side of the aircraft)

[carusoam]

You might say ‘shims’ as well... Looks like Siri swapped in a body part...

Technically the engine mount accounts for the rotational effects of the slipstream in cruise...

It is such a small amount, it would be hard to see it in the field... unless directly looking at it from dead center...

Camera angle may play a funny role in the picture process...

The old cowl May be sagging a bit as well...

Be sure to follow the installation instructions more than looking to see how it looks...

It could be perfect...

Great question!

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic...

Best regards,

-a-

[Andy95W]

It looks to me like your engine is higher than it ought to be.  I wouldn't worry about the left/right very much, when you get the spinner pointed down a little, it'll look just fine.

Don Maxwell had a good article about shims, but I can't get it up on the internet.  I saved a copy, he says the 1/8" shim will move the spinner about 1/2".

I'd use a shim on each of the upper mounts.  In 100-200 hours or so, when your brand new engine mounts are broken in a bit, you'll probably need to remove them.  About 500 hours later, you'll probably install them on the lowers.  Perfect!

[carusoam]

Interesting point Andy!

I believe...Some shims are slotted for ease of install or removal..?

PP thoughts as usual...

Best regards,

-a-

[Andy95W]

DMax said in his article to cut a slot the width of the mounting bolt from hole to edge.  That way, you don't have to remove the lower mount bolts.  The uppers are easy, compared to that.  Probably worth doing, even for the uppers, actually.

[Tcraft938]

Did my OH exactly a year ago.  New mounts, bolts, etc.  When got done it looked like yours.  I read somewhere should by 1/2" top of spinner to that curved piece of upper cowl.  I had a bit less.  After 70 hours of break in, it has moved to the 1/2" mark and points to the right a bit more, so the mounts do break in as well, I guess.  My A&P said he would check it more thoroughly and shim it at annual in May.  "Might as well, we have to take the engine out anyway".  I said WHAT?!!!!   "Oh yeah every 100 hours, just like tire rotation on your car, you have to pull them and rotate 180 degrees and mount them, otherwise the bottom of cylinder wall wears more than the top, now if the plane were certified to fly inverted, we wouldn't have to do all that.  Relax, my point is shimming it is not as bad as you think, it's a well engineered Mooney everything is fixable and when you do it only makes it better".  At the time he was installing new control cables (AD) in a T tail Piper Arrow and lets say he wasn't enjoying having access panels well below the connection points.  "Parts of your Mooney are hard to work on, but I'll do it anytime because they are that way for good reasons and well built, these things..... well anyone who uses a machine oil can as a brake reservoir, you know sacrificing quality and workmanship to save a dime was not a big worry on their mind". 

[EricJ]

That stuff often settles a bit, too, so it might be worth running/flying it a bit to see what it really needs after the mounts have resettled a bit.

I don't know whether C models have this problem, but on a J a lot of the alignment issues are more about the cowl moving than the engine.