Dakota Purchase: Major issues or concerns to look for when purchasing a Dakota

SeekTL

Hello all,

Not sure if there is a better place to post this request. If so, let me know and I will repost.

I'm seeking a PA-28-236 and want to know if there are known issues and/or areas of concern when considering a plane for purchase. I get as much information from the owner before I review the logbooks and then confer with an AP mechanic. That being said I'd appreciate any advice or suggested reading materials to make the inspection process worthy.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Eric

jacobsja

Cannot think of anything specific to the Dakota per what I have read about that lineage. Seems that it shares many Cherokee care and feeding items and there is fairly good coverage of history from more reputable aviation web sites.

At the risk of insulting, getting information from the current owner is definitely a great start. But, don't use the current A&P for a pre-buy inspection. Or do the pre-buy inspection in the owner's hangar. Find another A&P with Cherokee experience (and preferably had never worked on that specific plane) within a reasonable flight's distance for the pre-buy.

SeekTL

Flying to the pre-buy is a good idea. I was thinking about having it done at the local field but your idea is better.

Thanks!

cherokee383

I never do prebuys on planes I've worked on for the same reason I tell people to bring them to me. Another set of eyes is always a good idea. It also helps you know they aren't intentionally missing something on the plane. the 235 and 236 aircraft are very similar to the other cherokees in the fact that they are very easy in maintenance. Check the spars and check logs for damage history. If there is a large entry on replacing wing skins or structure that would be a big flag something happened. Flying to a prebuy location is best because you get to see how the plane does, although a lot of owners wont let you do it solo. If they don't let you do a test flight at all I'd be very skeptical as well.

FlyTheCourse

https://piperowner.org/talk/discussion/comment/1448977#Comment_1448977

In an effort to find good sources of information for my plane what reputable aviation websites are you referring too? Thanks.

swankaj

When I was looking at Dakotas, I noticed that they all seemed to have a different mixture of bare aluminum parts versus green chromate ones. My understanding was that during manufacture, if a bare aluminum part was not available, a chromated one was used. Expect to see a mixture of parts, and a mismatch does not necessarily indicate a repair. Common corrosion areas I saw were right behind the exhaust on the belly or near the battery box drain on the belly. Also, seems most of them have some sort of warping of the fiberglass cowling. The majority were manufactured the first couple of years, and there is a serial number break on many parts after the first couple of years as shown in the parts catalog.

RobertSummers

Dakotas are great planes. I owned one for two years during my ppl training. There's nothing special about the Dakota in terms of the inspection. One concern you should be aware of is the D-Mag, which is a single point of failure. This can be solved with dual replacement e-mags, but there are varying opinions about that equipment. Good Luck.

planewrench

I'll just add my comment on the dual mag. A properly overhauled d3000 Bendix is a very good mag. I know cuz I've got one on my airplane. And there's awful lot of navajos that have the dual mag that sit and cook at 500° for hours on end without any issues. They certainly had a checkered history when they started but they've matured into a very good source of ignition. Again the key is a proper overhaul , not from the guy in the back room of the hanger.. The t82rg I flew for a couple of years had it too. In general Bendix mags take a licking and keep on ticking.. I have some great pictures of Bendix mags full of oil and they still worked. That generally doesn't happen with the Slicks, just a counterpoint. Carl

MichaelKoller

One area of concen is the engine mount is prone to cracking with that big O-540 hanging out front.