Now that I have been flyingfor the first time in true summee heat I definetly have some concerns about engine temps. I left Las Vegas this morning temp was already about 95F and my oil temp was stayin uncomfortably close to redline the entire climb. I leveled off for a short while to bring the temp down and then proceeded to climb again and temp climed again. CHT was also running quite warm so kept boost on and ran a little rich to keep CHT down. Long term this can not be good for engines running these temps. What has anybody else expeiences been? Solutions? If I get the new front fairing and move the landing light does anyone know if that helps?
Prepare to scream
Solutions?
Howard,
DISCLAIMER:
In this post, I am posting ONLY about what I’ve read, and what I think; I am neither recommending nor suggesting anything, except perhaps that reading, thinking, and understanding are good things. Any action you take or fail to take is entirely your responsibility! If you do not believe that you are your own person, and will make decisions that make sense to you, please stop reading this post now!____________________________________________
I am a believer in what I call “The Principles of Engine Management” outlined by John Deakin in his http://www.avweb.com/toc/columns.htmlAVweb Columns like this one, http://www.avweb.com/articles/pelperch/pelp0008.htmlPelican’s Perch: Go Ahead, Abuse Your Engine! Some of the methods Deakin proposes sound radical, yet they make a lot of sense (to me). I’ve always liked common sense supported by data, and (to me) this is what Deakin presents in his articles.
Please do NOT try the methods outlined by Deakin until you (a) have read and understood what he’s getting at – for me, that took some patience, (b) have appropriate engine monitoring equipment, © have decided FOR YOURSELF that this is good for your engine.
I have done these things, and I’m very happy the results – which, as it happens, include significantly cooler CHTs in the climb (at the expense of some performance – I never deviate from standard maximum power practices for takeoff). Again, that’s me; I’m posting this to present an author for whom I have much respect, in the hope that after reading what he writes, you will come to your own, well-read, conclusions.
Below are some extracts from the abovementioned article. Again, these are waaaaay out of context, so don’t act on anything you see here unless you’ve read the whole article (and preferably, other Deakin articles) and you still think it makes sense!
- Mike.
Extracts from http://www.avweb.com/articles/pelperch/pelp0008.htmlPelican’s Perch: Go Ahead, Abuse Your Engine! by John Deakin.
Picture this, if you please. A normal takeoff with my IO-550, full throttle, 2700 RPM, full rich. We lift off, get the gear up, and reduce RPM to 2500 for noise, accelerate to 120 knots for the climb. I really like the higher speed, for cooling, and for visibility. Fuel flow is about 28 GPH at full power, drops to 25 GPH after the RPM reduction.
But, now the wild one, prepare to scream. At about 1,000’ agl, still wide open throttle, 2500 RPM, I reach down, grab the red mixture knob, and firmly and quickly pull it back to about 15 GPH! I have done this with a number of very experienced pilots, and most of them jump right out of their skin, in horror.*
Furthermore, I want to make it perfectly clear I’m not recommending you run your engine this way! It is immoral and fattening, will deprive the big oil companies of their rightful revenue, make aviating much cheaper, and may well grow hair on the palms of your hands! I want no lawsuits, here!
With those notes of caution firmly in mind, let us return to the graph. Why aren’t we burning this engine up? Full power, with a very lean mixture? Really goes against the grain, doesn’t it. But you have to realize, the engine is not really pulling full power! We have leaned it out so much that even with full MP and 2500 RPM, our power is back significantly. Additionally, we’re so lean, that excess air is doing the cooling, instead of excess fuel.
The engine is running cooler (380F instead of 400+F), cleaner (no excess fuel), and cleaner and cooler is “better.” This is reason enough to do this, but there’s more.*…
Now that I have been flyingfor the first time in true summee heat I definetly have some concerns about engine temps. I left Las Vegas this morning temp was already about 95F and my oil temp was stayin uncomfortably close to redline the entire climb. I leveled off for a short while to bring the temp down and then proceeded to climb again and temp climed again. CHT was also running quite warm so kept boost on and ran a little rich to keep CHT down. Long term this can not be good for engines running these temps. What has anybody else expeiences been? Solutions? If I get the new front fairing and move the landing light does anyone know if that helps?
it needs a larger exit for air.