Magneto Installation And Timing Help Needed

[carusoam]

Great pireps for both Rich AND Chris!

Thanks for taking the time to write them…

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

13 hours ago, Kevin M said:

Update on the Mags.  Special thanks to Rich for all his input.   Chris was completely awesome.  What a selfless and patient man.  
plane is running great     Details to come shortly   The plane will remain in Cali until I get a few hoses replaced for peace of mind  

thanks for all the input guys!

Kevin

 

Glad to hear you finally got it together. Sorry I couldn’t help you more. I’ve been running ragged for the last few weeks. 
 

Rich…

[Kevin M]

Hey Rich,

No problem at all. You always answered the phone and gave great input every time. The rebuilds were defective.  Made it perplexing. Working with the build shop to ensure it doesn’t happen again.  
thanks again guys. 
Kevin

[carusoam]

9 hours ago, Kevin M said:

Hey Rich,

No problem at all. You always answered the phone and gave great input every time. The rebuilds were defective.  Made it perplexing. Working with the build shop to ensure it doesn’t happen again.  
thanks again guys. 
Kevin

Kevin,

You have just defined why people don’t have both mags on the same maintenance schedule… (when able)

One bad mag can lead to a crummy day…

Two bad mags can be exponentially more crummy…  crummy^2rd

There are also recommended mag shops for quality workmanship…  for some reason mags are hard to get right… they are both electro and mechanical…

 

keep the pireps coming…

-a-

[Kevin M]

X2 on spacing the Mag rebuilds.   I’m a believer now.  The rebuilders were a reputable facility.  Stuff happens.  Ended up costing a lot of time and $ since I’ve got to fly across the entire country just to get eyes on the plane. I suppose it’s the the risk we take when wanting a dry country hangered aircraft to start with.  I will stop short of badmouthing the shop as they were excellent with the customer service to fix the problem. I’m confident this was a “one off” event.  They’ve identified the deficiency and I cannot imagine one would ever leave that shop with the same issue. 
Kevin 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Kevin M said:

X2 on spacing the Mag rebuilds.   I’m a believer now.  The rebuilders were a reputable facility.  Stuff happens.  Ended up costing a lot of time and $ since I’ve got to fly across the entire country just to get eyes on the plane. I suppose it’s the the risk we take when wanting a dry country hangered aircraft to start with.  I will stop short of badmouthing the shop as they were excellent with the customer service to fix the problem. I’m confident this was a “one off” event.  They’ve identified the deficiency and I cannot imagine one would ever leave that shop with the same issue. 
Kevin 

Can you share what failed in the magnetos?  It seems odd that both would be defective at the same time.

Clarence

[chriscalandro]

22 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Can you share what failed in the magnetos?  It seems odd that both would be defective at the same time.

Clarence

The leaf spring on both caps was assembled crooked and scraped against the side of the pocket it fits in. 
 

the replacements they overnighted did the same. 
 

the leaf spring is soldered to the cap,  with a really hot soldering iron I was able to straighten it and make them work. 
 

The overhaul shop buys the caps pre assembled and the mags are tested with caps from a test bench. 

Edited May 14, 2022 by chriscalandro

[EricJ]

5 hours ago, chriscalandro said:

The leaf spring on both caps was assembled crooked and scraped against the side of the pocket it fits in. 
 

the replacements they overnighted did the same. 
 

the leaf spring is soldered to the cap,  with a really hot soldering iron I was able to straighten it and make them work. 
 

The overhaul shop buys the caps pre assembled and the mags are tested with caps from a test bench. 

Ouch.    Did they say where they were getting the caps?

[chriscalandro]

3 hours ago, EricJ said:

Ouch.    Did they say where they were getting the caps?

They did but I don’t remember. Bendix?  

[Kevin M]

Chris ,   Thanks for Chiming In to update the group.  I just posted for Magneto wanted. Looking for a loaner, a usable core, or a serviceable unit to get this going while we wait for another rebuild to happen. 
   I’m a believer in not rebuilding in pairs now. One at a time from now on. 
Kevin 

[carusoam]

Steep learning curve….

Mags are a tough one…

Sooooo many details to get right…

And few people in the world know the details really well.

 

Ownership gets incredibly easy once the engine is running well…. 

It’s incredibly difficult to buy a plane on the other side of the country when you don’t own a Mooney already….

 

PP thoughts only, not a mechanic…

Best regards,

-a-

[Kevin M]

Just an update.   Don to the rescue again !!!!!     You folks that enjoy a good drama or daytime soaps will enjoy this one.  Long before I posted to borrow a left mag.  Apparently the mechanic in TRM went to the plane, Removed both mags and sent them to the wrong address.  Again, this all happened without my knowledge.  The mags sat at the FXE location which was/is undergoing a move to a different address for several days. I was lucky enough to get an A&P friend of mine drive from Miami to pick them up. We’ve had a bit of weather In southern Florida the last few days.  So the plan is for him to drive them (the original “rebuilt” but questionable) mags to me so the gears can be changed.  Hammdo jumped right in and shipped his right mag out to California today.  I’ll fly out Wednesday to wait for the right mag to arrive. Have mechanic install gears and mags.  With luck!   I’ll actually get this thing in the air safely.   I called mag shop and asked to just refund the original rebuilds. That request was rejected.  I was tempted to call credit card company and dispute.  Go to spruce and pick up another pair. This is where ethics kinda comes in. It isn’t their fault the mechanic in TRM and I have a distressingly disturbing communication problem.  My guy didn’t send them To the correct place. So I see that as I’m partially responsible for that.  Granted, they should have forwarded them to the Tulsa location immediately. But, south Florida is like the islands.  Nothing happens efficiently or quickly.  I was told the warranty will take approximately three weeks.  So in came Don.   He offered up his other mag without even me asking. Granted, it’s only another $2300 to just buy another set.  But, with three trips to California with little results  including hotels, rental cars, mechanics, hangar rental, etc. and a nice speeding ticket from one of Californias finest highway patrol in the middle of the desert. This thing is getting stupid expensive.  I could have updated to the latest and greatest mag setup for less. I tell my kids and friends “it’s expensive to be cheap”. I never knew a simple Mag rebuild would approach $3500-$4000. All this aside.   Without Chris and Don this would have been far worse.  I’m confident I’ll have a positive update by Friday. Please read between the lines with details.  Should I include each and every frustration.  This post would read like War and Peace or the Old Testament in length.  
Be well guys, I will update as details unravel.  And a special thanks to all of you who offered parts and insight. 
Kevin 

P.S. this time I’m going to try the nightmare of jumpseating. I’m tired of paying airfare. 

[carusoam]

Holy Cow Kevin!

You would have to be an incredibly creative writer to think this stuff up!

And an incredibly patient person to lose your writing control….

Nice pireps for Don and Chris…

Thanks for sharing them.

Go MSers!

Best regards,

-a-

[Kevin M]

IT FLYS AGAIN!!! 

I managed to get all the ducks in a row and get the loaner Mags installed late yesterday afternoon.   Purrs like a kitten!   Only managed one quick trip around the patch due to impending darkness and winds kicking up to a sporty intensity. The thing climbed much better than expected with light fuel and just me in it (OAT above 30C). It was like flying a completely different airplane. 
A Big Thank You to all of you that took the time to chime in with insight. 
And of course Hammdo for his generosity.  
Happy Fathers Day Guys!  
Kevin
 

[LANCECASPER]

38 minutes ago, Kevin M said:

IT FLYS AGAIN!!! 

I managed to get all the ducks in a row and get the loaner Mags installed late yesterday afternoon.   Purrs like a kitten!   Only managed one quick trip around the patch due to impending darkness and winds kicking up to a sporty intensity. The thing climbed much better than expected with light fuel and just me in it (OAT above 30C). It was like flying a completely different airplane. 
A Big Thank You to all of you that took the time to chime in with insight. 
And of course Hammdo for his generosity.  
Happy Fathers Day Guys!  
Kevin
 

Can you please tell us which shop it was that botched your Mag rebuilds?

[Kevin M]

Just a quick update to those of you who have followed and advised on this post.     Hammdo came to the rescue.  Installed both of his servicable and In spec mags and the thing runs great.  It did load up a few times when the outside temps were extremely high.  Cleaned up with leaning in the climb. At 7500’ (don’t remember OAT)  everything was in the green and started to inspire some confidence.  Went ahead and replaced plugs with Tempest Massives and all the roughness went away (other than the usual recip shake). So far I’ve flown it about 7 times to shake things out. 
It’s doing well and I’m confident it would make the trip to Florida. It’s still in California for personal reasons.  I’d like to replace the oil cooler lines and the main vacuum line for peace of mind.  The plugs really seemed to wake it up.  Two guys, a bag or two, 30+ gallons of fuel and it thunders out at 800 fpm at 100kts indicated (until about 1500 agl that is).  Leveled off at 3500’.  Cowl flaps closed, step retracted, roof vent closed, 2500 rpm, full throttle and it ran right into the yellow arc around 142-145 Kts indicated.  I was having doubts about my choice in this particular plane.  But, the concerns are waning with each flight.  I’ve still got a long way to go to get it where I want it.  But, we’ve got a good solid baseline now.  I have been running it at a more sedate 23 23 and it still shows a solid 120 or more indicated with GPS approx the same. So I’m happy with that considering it has zero mods installed other than the challenger air filter.  Up higher I will carry more MP pressure.  
   I expect my mags back any day now and will switch them back soon. 
   Anyone with any insight on oil cooler line sources would be appreciated.  I would prefer an off the shelf replacement to having some made. I realize that’s probably an entirely different posting subject though. 
Again guys and girls,   I can’t thank you all enough for all the concerns and invaluable input.  This site is truly one of a kind. 
Kevin.