SPEED BRAKE REPAIRS

[M20R]

I have no options but to send my speed brakes to Precise Flight for repair. But they want the controller too. The parts manual shows it is located under the floor just aft of the rear seats. Do you access it through the bottom or is there access through the top under the baggage compartment carpet?

[N201MKTurbo]

On my plane you can access it from the bottom.

[carusoam]

Everything in a Mooney is on the opposite side of the floor boards…

There are no windows through the floor board…

including swapping out the lightbulb in the gear status window…

Go figure… 

Best regards,

-a-

[carusoam]

Why is the controller being sent in…?

It has been mentioned before…

But, sending cartridges in for new clutches… probably doesn’t require the controller…

Just wondering…

Best regards,

-a-

[Guest]

1 hour ago, M20R said:

I have no options but to send my speed brakes to Precise Flight for repair. But they want the controller too. The parts manual shows it is located under the floor just aft of the rear seats. Do you access it through the bottom or is there access through the top under the baggage compartment carpet?

You need to remove the belly panel to access the controller.  Follow the grey wire harnesses to find it.

[smwash02]

2 hours ago, M20R said:

I have no options but to send my speed brakes to Precise Flight for repair. But they want the controller too. The parts manual shows it is located under the floor just aft of the rear seats. Do you access it through the bottom or is there access through the top under the baggage compartment carpet?

I get to mine from the rear seat. You must have the 2000 series. The extent of the 100 series electric controller is a $15 industrial relay.

[M20R]

I was finally able to get the controller box out through the bottom. It wasn't easy as I have TKS and alot of plumbing goes through that area. 

[Marc_B]

On 2/10/2023 at 6:46 AM, carusoam said:

Why is the controller being sent in…?

 

From what I understand there is logic in the controllers (Asymmetric Logic Control) that activates brakes together and prevents asymmetric deployment. So circuitry is checked and verified. 

[M20R]

Here is the direct info on repairs from Precise Flight.

2000-Series-SpeedBrake-Service-Guide-8.1.20.pdf

[PT20J]

I think Precise Flight needlessly overcomplicated the later speed brakes. The old 100 series on my airplane don’t have the ALC controller. One failed to deploy a while back and the yaw was not excessive and easily controllable with a little rudder pressure. Precise Flight, of course, wanted me to send both in for repair, but I declined and just got the broken one fixed. 

From the comments I see on MS, they don’t seem all that reliable and they are expensive to repair. I seldom use them on my J. 

Skip

[Bolter]

28 minutes ago, PT20J said:

I think Precise Flight needlessly overcomplicated the later speed brakes. The old 100 series on my airplane don’t have the ALC controller. One failed to deploy a while back and the yaw was not excessive and easily controllable with a little rudder pressure. Precise Flight, of course, wanted me to send both in for repair, but I declined and just got the broken one fixed. 

From the comments I see on MS, they don’t seem all that reliable and they are expensive to repair. I seldom use them on my J. 

Skip

Always a complicated balance of using them enough so they keep exercised, and not so much that they wear out.  Having flown a J without speed brakes for 1000 hours, I find I don't use them much, now that I have them on my newer Mooney.  -dan

[PT20J]

4 minutes ago, Bolter said:

Always a complicated balance of using them enough so they keep exercised, and not so much that they wear out.  Having flown a J without speed brakes for 1000 hours, I find I don't use them much, now that I have them on my newer Mooney.  -dan

Mostly when I use them, if I'm honest, I have to admit that I could have managed my energy better. I keep them lubricated and do exercise them occasionally during preflight. But the Precise Flight tech admitted to me that the motors and microswitches get moisture in them and those components are the ones that usually fail. Sometimes springs break and the clutches can slip especially if someone sprays silicone in the unit trying to shortcut the lubrication. I have found that with some care, it is possible to lube them without removing the units by using a long thin stick. I don't like removing them because there aren't many threads for each screw and they wear out eventually. Several of mine have been tapped out to #10.

[Bolter]

17 hours ago, PT20J said:

Mostly when I use them, if I'm honest, I have to admit that I could have managed my energy better. I keep them lubricated and do exercise them occasionally during preflight. But the Precise Flight tech admitted to me that the motors and microswitches get moisture in them and those components are the ones that usually fail. Sometimes springs break and the clutches can slip especially if someone sprays silicone in the unit trying to shortcut the lubrication. I have found that with some care, it is possible to lube them without removing the units by using a long thin stick. I don't like removing them because there aren't many threads for each screw and they wear out eventually. Several of mine have been tapped out to #10.

As your neighbor, I should come by and see the lube-in-place technique the next time you do it (I am at Paine).  -dan

[Will.iam]

Do not underestimate the power of lube to fix a faulty speed brake. I was going to send mine in until i saw the price they charged. It was surprisingly easy to lube the worm gear which mine was dry and that fixed it. I went ahead and lubed the other side for good measure and it too was mostly dry. It seems that at annual this is one item that gets missed alot. 

[glbtrottr]

So what about the springs? Is there a place to source them?


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[N201MKTurbo]

6 hours ago, glbtrottr said:

So what about the springs? Is there a place to source them?


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I had a spring break at the screw hole at the end of the spring. I just ground off the end and made a new hole with a hole punch. That was about 15 years ago. It still works fine.