We don't seem to hear the same stories about the linear engines like the Rolls-Roce Merlin that you do about the radials. Did the Merlin really have a better reliability record ?
I had two tours involving 3000 hours on the Lincoln Mk 31 based at Townsville, Australia in the Fifties. Engines were RR Merlin 85 and 102's. During that time I experienced 30 engine failures - these were called blow-backs usually at high power. Each required an engine change. Other pilots on the squadron also had engine failures so from that I can say with some certainty the RR Merlin in Lincolns wasn't that reliable.