AUTO vents do what, exactly?

[Spurts]

Why do the Oil/Radiator switches even have an AUTO setting if they won't open to cool the engine?  I find that I can manually open them and fly however I want without overheating but when they are in AUTO I am constantly pulling power while also trying to increase speed.  If open will keep the engine cool, why doesn't AUTO open them?

[razo+r]

Auto does, or at least is supposed to, keep the temps at a certain value, BUT, if you fly too slow, it's too hot outside or you are running at too high power settings, it can be that the cooling capacity of the radiators do not provide sufficent cooling for the engine despite radiators being fully open.

[Spurts]

That's just it, if I am manual open I can fly at speeds/temps/power settings that will cook the Merlin less than 60s on auto.  This isn't a radiator cooling ability issue, this is a scheduling issue.

[razo+r]

That doesnt sound like a scheduling issue but more like an user error. 

 

Are you sure you put them to "auto" and not to "close"? 

 

Might aswell add pictures or a track. 

Edited September 13, 2021 by razo+r

[Spurts]

I put them to closed once instead of open and the engine effectively seized on takeoff.  

[Spurts]

On 9/13/2021 at 3:05 PM, razo+r said:

That doesnt sound like a scheduling issue but more like an user error. 

 

Are you sure you put them to "auto" and not to "close"? 

 

Might aswell add pictures or a track. 

 

Went back and tested again.  When I look down I see CLOSE, AUTOMATIC, OPEN with the switch in the middle.  I thought that was the position for AUTOMATIC, and I was wrong.  UP is the position for AUTO.  Just did a max RPM max MP take-off and 150mph indicated climb to 25,000ft in Automatic (up) and while temps were spiked at redline or higher for the whole climb the engine never waivered.  Did the same thing in Open and had the same result.  

Thanks for the pushback everyone, I got to learn something today!