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DB-601 failures
Has anyone else noticed the DB-601 engine shakes and seizes after about 15 minutes? I am now experiencing it on a regular basis, even though oil and coolant temperatures are within their normal ranges, and I am not using full throttle predominently either. What's going on? I never had this problem before. Has someone snuck in a "high likelihood of failure probability" code or what?
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Did you over rev the engine in a dive. You must be mindfull of the prop pitch.
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Prop pitch in the E-4 never goes above 2500 rpm that I've noticed, but I used to rev the E-3 to 3000 rpm without problems. I suspect treachery....
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IIRC max RPM for any 109 in the game is 2486. Go beyond and damage is certain. Even though the E-4 has an automatic prop pitch don't expect it to be flawless since I find it a bit sluggish at times. It is very likely that you overreved and that is the result. Or, equally possible, that you maybe overcooled your engine ...
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Are you serious? Overcooled? Funny you should mention that....
I used to always rotate the radiator handle 3/4 of a turn closed from fully open after take off, and didn't have any problems. Lately, I've been leaving it wide open, and getting failures. Or maybe it's because the oil cooler was open more. I'm not sure, but I'm going back to almost closed for oil and partly closed for coolant rads.
Still, the coolant temp spikes most of the time after shutting down. I like to sit back and look at my baby, but when the steam starts pouring out, it's time to exit.
This brings to mind.....are we ever going to see our arms and legs in the ****pit picture? Like in the game "Lock On"? It's weird because you can see yourself in the outside view. Even if the flight suit didn't match the gear I chose, wouldn't bother me. It would be nice to at least see yourself getting out (in external view) after a flight. Vehicles need drivers too.
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Over-cooling, especially at altitude, was a big problem with WWII period aircraft.
For example engine damage from over-cooling was the main reason the p38 was deemed as unsuitable for the ETO. Although the idiots at places like the History Channel claim, wrongly, it was because of "insufficient cabin heating", which leaves you to wonder how on earth they heated the Stringbag open ****pit during winter time North Atlantic night ops.
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Sitting behind a hot engine wearing a winter coat? Just guessing...
But you're right; "insufficient cabin heating" does seem like a lame excuse.
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"For example engine damage from over-cooling was the main reason the p38 was deemed as unsuitable for the ETO. Although the idiots at places like the History Channel claim, wrongly, it was because of "insufficient cabin heating", which leaves you to wonder how on earth they heated the Stringbag open ****pit during winter time North Atlantic night ops."
Actually, it was both. The P-38 was designed and built in Burbank, California (LA), where winter is merely a disreputable concept. American oxygen systems of the prewar & early war period were not as good as the RAF’s, so extended high altitude flights were an exception rather than the rule, and the shortcomings of the Lightning’s cabin (Ha! Avoided the AutoCensor!) heating system were somehow overlooked or ignored. The P-38’s center pod was well away from the two engines, and the heated air piped in was totally inadequate, even with the pilot bundled up in a state of the art electrically augmented flying suit; on top of the cold, all that extra padding and insulation turned a nominally roomy cabin into a miserably cold cramped space, and the necessary gloves made closely spaced (and not particularly convenient in the first place) controls even more difficult to operate.
Additionally, the piping of the pre- P-38J/Ls for the turbosuperchargers (and if I recall correctly, the oil coolers) was actually too efficient at high altitudes, and caused no end of overcooling troubles during long range high altitude escorts.
I've been told by more than one P-38 driver that it was always cold at higher alts, but once it was withdrawn from escort duties in the ETO, the shortcoming of the cabin heating was much less of an issue.
cheers
horseback