Overhead eyeball vent blues

[0TreeLemur]

The co-pilot's side overhead eyeball vent in our J is inop.  When we bought the airplane, it kind of worked  if you futzed with it in just the right way.  This year it stopped working altogether.  No amount of futzing with it causes it to open.   Worse yet, the knurled ring assy. that one turns to open it will move into the valve body.  I seems  like the little arm that actuates the flap valve has failed or come out of its internal mount.

This morning I removed the fasteners and trim holding the headliner assy. in place to see if I could work on it.  To my disappointment, the valve body is pop riveted to the square receptacle  with limited access.  The square plastic receptacle seems glued to the headliner.  Seems like it was not built to be serviced or replaced?

I searched MS but didn't find a thread discussing this.   It seems unlikely that I'm the first to have this problem.  Can anyone point me to a thread describing the steps to fix this?   We're getting close to high dew point season here in the south, and I'd like to get this fixed for my co-pilot's comfort!

Thx.

Fred

 

 

 

[N201MKTurbo]

The Wemac valves usually stop working from lack of lubrication. They should be lubed at annual.

if you take the hose off of the valve, you can probably get enough lube in it to get it opened, then shoot lube into all its pivots, work it open and closed a bunch of times and then wipe it all down.

[0TreeLemur]

16 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

The Wemac valves usually stop working from lack of lubrication. They should be lubed at annual.

if you take the hose off of the valve, you can probably get enough lube in it to get it opened, then shoot lube into all its pivots, work it open and closed a bunch of times and then wipe it all down.

I don't see how lube fixes this problem.  I wanted to post a video showing how if you lightly push on the knurled part, it moves up into the valve body.   That seems like a broken problem, not a lube problem.   Videos not allowed in posts, it seems.

[PT20J]

 

[0TreeLemur]

Thanks Skip!  @PT20J 

What a PITA that is going to be!

Question: When I removed the fasteners from the headliner, I expected it to be free.  The forward end was, but the aft end was not free.  It acts as though there is one or more retainer clips joining the fore section of the headliner to the aft section that I cannot see.   Does removing the forward headliner require removing the aft headliner too?

As it is now with all fasteners removed, the forward end of the forward headliner only droops about 5" from the top of the airframe.   The thread you shared indicates that removal of the entire headliner is necessary to do this repair.   Also, how do those clamps work that hold the tubing to the black eyeball housing?  I've not seen those before. 

Fred

[PT20J]

1 hour ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Question: When I removed the fasteners from the headliner, I expected it to be free.  The forward end was, but the aft end was not free.  It acts as though there is one or more retainer clips joining the fore section of the headliner to the aft section that I cannot see.   Does removing the forward headliner require removing the aft headliner too?

On mine, the rear panel had a lip on the front and the front panel had a lip on the rear and the lips were screwed together with #4 screws. The only way I could get to the screws was to take most of the screws out of the rear panel and lower the front at which point you might as well take it out to avoid damaging it. I think the two panels are designed to be removed and installed as a single unit. Maybe someone else has found a way to just remove the front panel, but I just took them both out since I was going to paint everything anyway. While I had them out, I backed up all the screws that just screw into plastic (like the panels that cover the dome lights) with Tinnermans so they wouldn't strip out.

[Jim F]

1 hour ago, 0TreeLemur said:

Thanks Skip!  @PT20J 

What a PITA that is going to be!

Question: When I removed the fasteners from the headliner, I expected it to be free.  The forward end was, but the aft end was not free.  It acts as though there is one or more retainer clips joining the fore section of the headliner to the aft section that I cannot see.   Does removing the forward headliner require removing the aft headliner too?

As it is now with all fasteners removed, the forward end of the forward headliner only droops about 5" from the top of the airframe.   The thread you shared indicates that removal of the entire headliner is necessary to do this repair.   Also, how do those clamps work that hold the tubing to the black eyeball housing?  I've not seen those before. 

Fred

Hi Fred,

I have done this same fix.  My head liner had some #4 screws in from the top on the fwd. section to the aft section.  Basically, where the head liner won't release there is a fastener.   I cut all the way around the square plastic box that is pop riveted to the black 90 fitting.  Go shallow on the cut.  I drilled out the rivets and then I could get to the back of the Wemac eyeball.  I found a tiny clip ring that had popped out and jammed the Wemac eyeball.  Once the Wemac was back together I put one drop of Loctite on the clip and lubed her up and riveted the Wemec back into the square plastic piece.  I used some scrap ABS sheet and i cut the rectangular pieces and glued the eyeball assembly back into the head liner with the ABS glue.  I think Mooney started assembling the plane with the Wemac vent, crazy PITA

[PT20J]

ABS pipe cement from the hardware store also works well to glue the interior pieces.

[0TreeLemur]

18 hours ago, Jim F said:

I have done this same fix.

Thanks!   I appreciate  you sharing your experience!

Fred