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Help! Grounded in Florida


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I know. There are worse places to be grounded!  I have a 1989 M20J. It has electric trim. Today on a flight the electric trim worked fine as it always does but the manual trim wheel between the two front seats appears to be completely disconnected.  It just spins freely when I try to move it with my hand. I feel no resistance. It does not turn in conjunction with the electric trim, which still operates fine and moves the elevator.  I don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I also have a Garmin GFC 500. It drives the electric trim and that still works perfectly. The problem is strictly with the manual trim wheel spinning freely. Has anyone had any experience with this but more importantly, I’m not a mechanic and I need someone in the area of Daytona Beach Florida, who can help me remedy this. So, this is really a two-part question. What may be causing this and two, any recommendations for a Mooney savvy mechanic in central Florida?

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1 minute ago, Glen Davis said:

I know. There are worse places to be grounded!  I have a 1989 M20J. It has electric trim. Today on a flight the electric trim worked fine as it always does but the manual trim wheel between the two front seats appears to be completely disconnected.  It just spins freely when I try to move it with my hand. I feel no resistance. It does not turn in conjunction with the electric trim, which still operates fine and moves the elevator.  I don’t know if this has anything to do with it but I also have a Garmin GFC 500. It drives the electric trim and that still works perfectly. The problem is strictly with the manual trim wheel spinning freely. Has anyone had any experience with this but more importantly, I’m not a mechanic and I need someone in the area of Daytona Beach Florida, who can help me remedy this. So, this is really a two-part question. What may be causing this and two, any recommendations for a Mooney savvy mechanic in central Florida?

There is a little chain that connects to the trim wheel. The chain can pop off if it isn’t properly lubricated, and when it pops off the wheel will spin freely. 

Definitely talk to an A&P because you’ll want to rule out a need to lubricate the trim jackscrew. But this might be a 5-minute fix. 

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I have had a few clients do well with Jake, but Jim obviously has had an issue. This seems like putting a chain back on a sprocket . Jim, perhaps you can give him a recommendation or give a hand here

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20 minutes ago, mike_elliott said:

I have had a few clients do well with Jake, but Jim obviously has had an issue. This seems like putting a chain back on a sprocket . Jim, perhaps you can give him a recommendation or give a hand here

I shared videos with the owner this evening with my experiences...I really don't know anyone else in the area...I am currently looking for routine mx as well as an annual to be done soon....

problem is almost everyone says they will be at your plane at lets say 9am...and by 2pm three days later you have still not heard from them and then they dont answer the phone.  Or you fly in someplace all prearranged days or weeks prior to get something simple done as an oil change then you end up waiting for nearly 8 hours for things to get going then have to spend an unscheduled night....

I have open checkbook mx and have tipped good mechanics well beyond with dinners etc...still hard to find someone....its just not fun anymore

I am flying to the west coast of Florida  tomorrow to bring some friends over to pick up their plane....they cant get the work done here either....

I have a good friend here at the creek with a Mooney....he flys a guy in from Los Angeles every year for the annual....

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If the trim position indicator moves when you turn the wheel, the chain and forward gearbox are working. You can easily check the chain by removing the plastic chain cover in the cockpit (three small Phillips screws).

If the trim indicator moves with the wheel, then something is disconnected somewhere along the trim shaft. Installing a GFC 500 trim servo requires disconnecting the trim shaft and it’s possible something didn’t get back together correctly. If it’s not the chain or gearbox, check the integrity of all the u-joints along the shaft in the belly and tail.

If you can find a problem and fix it, set the trim indicator to takeoff with the wheel and turn the trim shaft so that trim assist bungees hold the elevator in alignment with the stabilizer before connecting everything up.

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If the problem is the chain and the chain is not broken but just came loose, you will need to adjust the tension after reinstalling it. Here is the procedure in the service manual:

Screenshot2024-04-17at7_01_44PM.png.a37f5688ea61df6dd6be8ed6306ffaad.pngScreenshot2024-04-17at7_03_20PM.png.40c2a8cb0b6b748fdb34893fc7d4d589.png

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I have had a few clients do well with Jake, but Jim obviously has had an issue. This seems like putting a chain back on a sprocket . Jim, perhaps you can give him a recommendation or give a hand here

Daytona Aircraft Services also has a shop at Spruce Creek (7FL6), Jake oversees that too.


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Unless you have found competent help by now, drop the belly pan, have somebody move the trim wheel in the cockpit, scoot under the belly, see if the trim chain moves the sprocket of the trim gearbox and if yes follow the trim tube back, something is disconnected

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17 hours ago, Jim Peace said:

I shared videos with the owner this evening with my experiences...I really don't know anyone else in the area...I am currently looking for routine mx as well as an annual to be done soon....

problem is almost everyone says they will be at your plane at lets say 9am...and by 2pm three days later you have still not heard from them and then they dont answer the phone.  Or you fly in someplace all prearranged days or weeks prior to get something simple done as an oil change then you end up waiting for nearly 8 hours for things to get going then have to spend an unscheduled night....

I have open checkbook mx and have tipped good mechanics well beyond with dinners etc...still hard to find someone....its just not fun anymore

I am flying to the west coast of Florida  tomorrow to bring some friends over to pick up their plane....they cant get the work done here either....

I have a good friend here at the creek with a Mooney....he flys a guy in from Los Angeles every year for the annual....

I go to Cole Aviation in Dalton, GA for oil changes...shouldn't be too long of a flight from DAB. 

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On 4/18/2024 at 2:31 PM, daytonabch04 said:

I go to Cole Aviation in Dalton, GA for oil changes...shouldn't be too long of a flight from DAB. 

In My C model it would take half a day to get there....I wish I had your Bravo.......someday

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On 4/17/2024 at 7:30 PM, mike_elliott said:

I have had a few clients do well with Jake, but Jim obviously has had an issue. This seems like putting a chain back on a sprocket . Jim, perhaps you can give him a recommendation or give a hand here

Been using Daytona Aircraft Services for over 7 years. They have been maintaining my 201 for the past 4 years and my Sierra before that. Jake and Curt have been great to deal with! 

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On 4/17/2024 at 8:27 PM, Jim Peace said:

Just as Joe Biden told the Iranians this week.....DON'T

If you do not care about a shop taking responsibility when they screw something up then by all means, go to a certain MSC at Daytona Beach. However, after watching a friend's aircraft get totally screwed on major work, I would not let these people work on my kids bicycle, much less an aircraft.

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