An early Centaurus would still need time to become reliable

Would the Bristol Centaurus avoid its service problems if installed in an aircraft earlier?

Probably not; a new engine still needs a substantial development period before it becomes dependable.

The answer separates an engine's availability from its readiness for dependable service. An early Centaurus installation would probably continue to suffer faults. Engines require running time, maintenance experience, and repeated modification before crews can rely on them operationally. Merely attaching the powerplant to a suitable aircraft cannot bypass that development cycle.