Selfish,
with the broken thermocouple, did you have ANY temp indication?
Jellycopter,
yes, to the coastal area (Panama), and we wash the compressor all the time ( about every 10-15 hours, and especially when returning from a ocean trip or low coastal flying).
Besides this temp thing is not a gradual decay (like the compressor loosing efficiency) of temp margin, but it happens right at start-up.
It is NOT an overtemp on starting, everything under control.
But it feels to me there is some valve that gets stuck open (or not, when temps turn out to be fine), and T4 is higher than normal for the whole cycle. Sometimes it helps to shut down and restart, but if the T4 doesn't turn out "normal" after the 3rd time I would have to wait 1/2 hour for the next restart (according to POH). So normally, if I can get away with the higher temp without running red lines, I fly it.
I tell you, it is quite tricky to keep passengers cool!
3top
