2020-05-01 Plane & Pilot

planeandpilotmag.com 61

Let me say this: A friend who will help change the
engine mounts on a Mooney is the sort you should keep
on your holiday card list. To change the isolators on a
Cessna 172 with a very similar Lycoming O-360, it’s a
pretty straightforward process. Hook the hoist to the
engine’s lifting lug, loosen the nuts on the isolators,
wiggle the engine enough to work out the old rubber,
replace with new, and put it all back together.
Just getting the cowl and the doghouse—Mooney
owner slang for the plenum that keeps the cooling
air moving the right way over the cylinders—takes
about as long as swapping the mounts on a 172. With
the engine supported from the lifting hook, we had to
unbolt the engine mount from the firewall, disconnect
most of the wiring and con-
trols to the engine, and slide
the engine forward a couple
inches. Like with the engine
bay of a late-model sports car,
space is at a premium, and
the lower-left isolator bolt is
an interference fit with the
pilot’s left footwell for the rud-
der pedals. Plenty of Mooneys
are out there with holes drilled
and patched where mechanics
tried to make shortcuts for the
process and wound up making
a lot of extra work instead.
Nick and I are both first offi-
cers on the Airbus 320. Our
hourly pay rate, if applied as
a shop rate, would make the
most expensive repair stations

seem a bargain in comparison, but we weren’t paying

ourselves in anything other than the camaraderie of

friends united in task while we caught up with the

months since we last met and recounted the stories

of some adventures we’d survived together.

I’d hoped to have Nick back to the hotel with time

for a nap before he headed to the airport; instead, we

managed to kill most of the day telling stories, dropping

wrenches and knocking out one of my most dreaded

projects on the Mooney.

And we had a great time doing it.

EXTRA-TOUGH DONUTS

But wait, there’s more. If you call now, we’ll throw in

The author

(foreground)

and flying buddy

Nick, in the heat

of battle with

ancient Mooney

engine mounts.

Phone 239-405-6117 • http://www.aerox.com