<VV> CHT Re: valve seats and "Ping"

[jvhroberts at aol.com]

 1. A CHT gauge won't tell you how far to drive. 
2. I carry spare belts and tools, and don't worry about this. 
3. We don't drive fighter aircraft. 
4. I had water injection. To be effective, I filled the tank twice for every fill up. Obviously, it worked but was the view worth the climb? And what the hell was I doing adding water for cooling to an AIR COOLED ENGINE??? 
5. Everyone is smart enough to use intercoolers NOW. And that's been the case for a very long time. 

So, what was your point again?

 

John Roberts
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: FrankCB <FrankCB at aol.com>
To: jvhroberts <jvhroberts at aol.com>; patiomatt <patiomatt at aol.com>; virtualvairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Thu, May 17, 2012 4:40 pm
Subject: Re: <VV> CHT Re:  valve seats and "Ping"


John,
     Of course I didn't NEED the CHT gauge to tell me there was a problem!!  But I did NEED the gauge to tell me how far I could drive before I had to cool off the engine by shutting down and lifting the engine compartment lid.  How far would YOU have driven a Corvair one time on 3 cylinders and another time with NO functioning fan????   The CHT "told" me how far I could drive each time before I had to pull over and cool off so the engine was not damaged.
     Since the average driver will simply not bother to add water to a water injection system, the mfrs. all use intercoolers which are virtually idiot proof.  Oldsmobile found that out the hard way when they installed water injection briefly on their turbocharged Jetfire engines in 1962-63.  It's hard enough for the average driver to remember to add engine OIL when needed.  I remember seeing a woman at a gas station once with NO oil showing on her dipstick and the attendant had to add 3 quarts of oil to replenish the level.  And yes, he DID push the stick down all the way into the tubing.
     If water injection was good enough for 20,000 of our fighter planes during WW 2, it's good enough for me.
But maybe "they" weren't "smart enough" then to use intercoolers????
     
     Frank Burkhard
     Boonton, NJ