I am almost 9 months into my first plane purchase. Since about a month after we bought it, (me and a partner) we have been chasing gremlins.
First it was an engine stumble on take off. We drained and cleaned the tanks thoroughly. That still didn't completely fix the problem. In the meantime, the WX turned colder and the digits on the NAV/COM wouldn't display when cold. First trip to the Avionics shop = $$$
Next, and still working on engine stumbling issues, which had migrated from at takeoff to 10 mins into flight, we replaced/rebuilt the carburetor. Cool thousand for that.
Latest find? Oooh, it keeps getting better, let me tell ya. Loose nut on a thru-bolt on the #4 jug. Mechanic torqued it yesterday and guess what? Won't torque.
Anyone care to guess what that means? How about splitting the case and helicoiling everything? Hurray! (my sarcasm must be dripping by now). Bad mechanic (on field) estimate: $7,500. Good mechanic, 50 miles away: $3,300. Plane will be down a month.
If this doesn't fix it, we're selling the S.O.B. and trying again. (I hope). We know there are things in annual coming, but this first year has been nothing but worry and money with just a dash of flying fun.
