Main Gear Door Play

[Endre Holen]

First time doing the annual on a M20F. The gear doors have some play in the down position. Looks like it is coming from the bearing in the rod ends holding the doors. Is there anything to do with that or normal?

[N201MKTurbo]

You can try shortening the rear rod so the front rod is pushing and the rear rod is pulling. This should tighten them up. Make sure to swing them and make sure they close properly.

[Hank]

Be careful adjusting gear doors. My new IA tweaked my nose gear door because he "didn't like how it closed." On pickup, the gear thumped and perked the yoke, so I went to see Joey Cole and he told me I was lucky that the gear came down instead of jamming. 

That was the only time that IA touched my plane, but he may have seen me pass overhead a few times since then.

Leave Mooney-specific tasks to Mooney specialists.

[PT20J]

Sounds like the rod ends are worn out probably from lack of lube. I’d replace the worn parts and keep them lubricated. 

[Endre Holen]

Yeah I think they are a little worn. Where can I order the rod ends. New to the plane so trying to figure out who has parts

[PT20J]

Aircraft Spruce should have them. I’ve never had much luck matching part numbers. Seems every manufacturer has their own numbering system and I’ve never found a comprehensive cross reference. I just go by style and dimensions. Maybe @EricJ or @N201MKTurbo have a better way.  

[Fritz1]

think these are special, shafts milled flat, ordered a pair from LASAR for the Bravo a couple of months ago, they had them in stock, could not find them anywhere else

[PT20J]

You'll have to look at the IPC for your airplane. The IPC for my J calls out Mooney part numbers for the two main gear door links. The links appear to be a female rod end welded to a tube that is threaded for a male rod end at the other end to provide length adjustment. If yours is the same and most of the play is in the male rod end, it would be a simple matter to buy a standard rod end to replace it. If there is play in the welded end, you could either buy the Mooney parts through LASAR, or it would be fairly simple to have one fabricated using the original as a model to create an owner produced part. You'd have to check to see which way is most cost effective.

[MikeOH]

What is the appropriate lubricant for the rod ends?  Yes, I'm a bit lazy so I haven't looked at the MM but, IIRC, you still need to 'convert' some of those specified lubricants to presently available product.

Is Tri-Flow ok?

LPS?

Or?

[bluehighwayflyer]

I use Tri-Flow on all of my rod ends.  And “general purpose oil” on all of my control surface bolts.  

[PT20J]

45 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

What is the appropriate lubricant for the rod ends?  Yes, I'm a bit lazy so I haven't looked at the MM but, IIRC, you still need to 'convert' some of those specified lubricants to presently available product.

Is Tri-Flow ok?

LPS?

Or?

I once asked RBC and they responded MIL-PRF-81322 grease. Kind of hard to apply to rod ends without zerk fittings. My M20J SMM says Tri-Flow and that's what I use. It is less oily that LPS-2 and should attract less dirt.

[00-Negative]

Crap! I switched about a year ago and started putting LPS everywhere. I think it was something I read on MS that made me switch. And LPS-2 smells better! 

-David

[N201MKTurbo]

50 minutes ago, 00-Negative said:

Crap! I switched about a year ago and started putting LPS everywhere. I think it was something I read on MS that made me switch. And LPS-2 smells better! 

-David

Using either is way better than using nothing.