oil leaks and wep

[kvuo75]

since I end up with oiled up windscreens so many times, I must inquire:

I've just been shot, got oil all over the place.... I turn around to go back home.. should I use WEP and hurry back or bring back the power and limp back?  does it matter? common sense tells me i'd want to bring back the prop rpm and limp it home, but I'm not so sure in the game...

[NHawk]

There are too many variables to answer this question. Things like which plane, what altitude, multi or single engine plane, and how long before you could turn back for home all come into play.

But in any case wep should never be used for long periods of time. It's a common mistake for players to turn on wep to climb to the enemy and to leave it on during a fight.

[The Fugitive]

Originally posted by kvuo75
since I end up with oiled up windscreens so many times, I must inquire:

Avoid going for the HO and you most likely will not have to worry about oil leaks

Seriously, the biggest mistake in flying/fighting is to go nose to nose with guns blazing ! Its a crap shoot at best. Dive under their nose at 1200 out or so depending on speed, and begin your first, and sometimes only move. Fighters who go for the HO are in a bad position from the start, use it to your advantage!

As to your question, in the few times it matters I'll use full throttle to gain some alt to give me a longer "glide" if it looks like I have a shot at landing it. For the most part when I( get an oil leak its not a problem, as I have a spare engine..... I fly the 38   Like Nhawk said WEP should only be used for short bursts

[hammer]

The damage to engine oil can be of varying magnitudes... sometimes it goes quickly, sometimes it lasts a long time. My sense is (but there's no way to test it) is that engine settings, including WEP, do not change the rate of oil pressure loss.

As to NHawk's statement about WEP, there is no penalty to leaving WEP on for long periods other than having it run out and having to wait for the engine to cool to get it back. WEP is just another throttle setting to manage. Just remember it might not be there when you need it if you use it when you don't need it.

Regards,

Hammer

[Ghosth]

Watch your temp, if it heads into the red shut engine down and glide for a bit.
Once its cooled fire it back up again. Try to save 30 seconds worth of engine time for landing.

Hold the wep as that is just going to heat it up faster for not enough gain.

[hammer]

Originally posted by Ghosth
Watch your temp, if it heads into the red shut engine down and glide for a bit.
Once its cooled fire it back up again. Try to save 30 seconds worth of engine time for landing.

Hold the wep as that is just going to heat it up faster for not enough gain.

This works for coolant, but oil? I think once the oil pressure is gone, the engine seizes.

Regards,

Hammer

[Patches1]

I am of the belief that one should use it, or lose it. In other words, the oil will continue to leak out whether I use WEP, or not.  If I am far from base and get an oil leak, I will WEP climb as high as I can in the direction of home so that when, or if, my engine does seize up, I hopefully have gained sufficient altitude to safely glide home.

I treat fuel leaks in the same manner; burn it up before it all leaks out.

Just a thought.

[BaldEagl]

In an oil leak, if you've got enough alt to glide and shut the engine off you will stop losing oil even though it keeps smoking.  Obviously with the engine off the pressure is 0 on the gauge.

I've done this many times to assure I have power for landing or to grab a little extra alt as I approach base.

As to whether lowering throttle helps to minimize loss my sense is it doesn't as the oil pressure is dropping no matter what (i.e. as long as it has pressure it's spewing oil).

[wmills]

I have watched my pressure gauge both at full throttle and with lower manifold pressure (i.e. throttle), and it seems that I keep oil pressure longer when it's trimmed back.  In fact, I have tried it during one flight back to base, and when I ease back on it and lower the manifold pressure, it seems that the decline in the pressure gauge slows down.  Also, if I turn engine off, it seems that when I turn it back on, my gauge goes back to where it was (i.e. nothing lost).  I could be wrong becuase I don't understand the flight model, but it seems that way to me.

wmills

[4deck]

Dont use wep it does push oil out faster thats fer sure fer sure. The best tactic is to start a slow climb back to the nearest base, and when around 10k shut it off and glide till you reach about 3500-4000k above the ground, and above whatever altitude the base is at. Once you are this range, you should be in sight of the base or at a minimm 10 miles away, that should give you good enough time to get there. Hopefully u dont have a pilot wound otherwise your screwed and should have just fought the good the fight back at the area you were shot at. Cause you have a 25/75 chance of not making you only pass on the base. Once you are ready to land have the engine fired up, and you should be good to go. The other thing with a pilot wound is the fact that your blacking out sooner and sooner, and you may not have the blood left to glide home.

Hope it helps.

[trotter]

also keep in mind that different planes glide differently. some are quite capable gliders, like the pony, others fall out of the sky sooner.

[zorstorer]

Also as strange as this sounds it works


When your engine dies hit alt X (auto climb) it is also the best glide speed for distance vs alt lost.  Be sure to also drop your RPMs to a minimum.

Try it, you will like it

Be warned its a beast when you get close to landing....you are right above stall speed.  Also use the RPM's to control speed on landing...raise RPMs to cut speed and drop them to lose less speed

[Blagard]

Originally posted by kvuo75
.. should I use WEP and hurry back or bring back the power and limp back?  does it matter? common sense tells me i'd want to bring back the prop rpm and limp it home, but I'm not so sure in the game...

I am also inclined to think WEP pushes the oil out faster so I don't use it. (Spit Dweeb pilot). But in some aircraft you may get a benefit if WEP improves your climb rate by a significant amount.

With Oil or coolant loss I never attempt to cruise, I always climb unless nearby NME suggests that would be foolish! When in gliding range I always cut engine reduce RPM and glide in saving any engine useage I have left for last minute landing use.

With Coolant loss and a long way to go, I run until red hot then glide  as far as possible (never run until it siezes!) with Low RPM as before. Repeat as much as possible!

On a similar note if low on fuel I always save a few gallons for the last minute so again make use of the glide. Recently I left enough in the tank to taxi to re-arm after a long glide in!

Edit:
Forgot to say RPM back to max every time you restart engine, back to Min every time you cut it.

[Clutz]

As I see it there are two possibilities for leaks in an engine. One type of leak would be non-critical meaning a leak where there is no oil pressure. If this is the case the rpm's would not affect the speed of the leak, basically. Fly as fast as possible to get back to base. The other type would be a critical leak in an artery of the engine that is under oil pressure. In this case less rpm's should mean less oil pressure, meaning less of a leak if the engine has a mechanical oil pump. Cut back everything to conserve oil.

How the game is modeled I do not know. I struggle so to see those little guages. But, my way of thinking is get back to base as fast as possible. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. First thing to figure out is if there is a mountain in the way and make a decision is it quicker to go around or is it quicker to auto climb (alt x). If I got alt that I don't need I start bleeding it off immediately and trade it for speed and distance using auto angle mode (shift x).  Usually I will pick one of the three auto pilots and use trim to steer the plane. Point is to fly as smooth and quick as possible.

This question reminds me of one time I hit something in the road and my 85 firebird started to smoke. I got out and looked and saw a leak in the oil pan. I hauled you know what  and I did make it back home before the oil all drained out of my engine. As an example, in this case going slow would have ment I might not have made it back home because rmp's did not affect the speed of the leak. The leak was a function of time, not engine speed. I was running red lights and stop signs and driving through peoples yards, etc etc Mad man!

[CAP1]

A CONTINUATIOPN ON THIS QUESTION....IF YOU'RE IN A TWIN ENGINED PLANE, AND GET THE develop an oil leak in one of em, while you're limping home, does it do ya any good to shut that engine down on the trip home,,,,,,to save it for a safer two engined landing?