Marine engine on Ebay Item number: 4626689225

[John Davis]

Marine engine on Ebay with oval Detroit tag. Is this a Caille Marine Engine? original carb? Who made this carb? Looks like it has a freeze crack on the cylinder.

John

[Andrew Mackey]

The engine is a Detroit, and appears to be a late model, about 2 HP It does appear to have a cylender crack, from the photo. It has been heavily painted, especially over the flywheel rim, which appears to be heavily pitted. The engine is fitted with a mixer - it appears to be an early Lunkenheimer, but it is missing several parts: The speed limiting hold - a brass piece used to keep the speed control adjustment needle from turning with engine vibration(top of mixer), The fuel adjustment needle is missing its dial as well as its hold as well, and the engine is missing the entire exhaust system. The exhaust system consists of a muffler, with a water cooling provision, that injects water into the engine cylender, as well as the exhaust within the muffler.(the water injection increased engine efficiency by 20%, under load). The engine will run without it, but its loss detracts from engine value and originality. As of now (4/1/06 - 10 AM eastern) the price is right - $158 . The crack should be repairable, a good machinist should be able to turn the flywheel, The mixer probably will work as-is (and parts can be made or found), and as I stated before - the engine will run without the factory muffler.
Andrew

[John Davis]

I just recieved in a email these photo's from Doug, He says the mixer looks like a essex. Notice the essex mark shown in the photo. He did not say what brand engine he thought it was.

What happened to the theory that Detroits have 3 holes in the flywheel and Cailles have 4 ? Guess this theory doesn't always work?

John

[Andrew Mackey]

John,
I had 3 detroitMarine engines - 2 had 3 holes, the 2 HP had 4. Columbia also had 4 holes as well. There were 7 or 8 detroit style engines designed by Benjamine Middleditch-: Middleditch, Termatt&Monahan, Detroit, Sandow, Columbia, Bessemer, immediately come to mind. From the castings, they could have all come from the same factory - foundry. Middleditch founded a lot of companies, and was a prolific inventer - but he had little business sense. At 1 time, he had 3 businesses running at the same time, selling virtually the same engine! If the carb is an essex, it was probably not original, although I had heard that sometimes Detroit sold engines sans induction - to be added by owner (mixer,carb, or injecter) I wish GEM had not lost my artical on the middleditch engines.
Andrew

[John Davis]

Andrew,

I was incorrect when I said Caille had 4 holes in the flywheel. I should have typed Termat & Monihan. My mistake...

John

[John Davis]

Andrew,

Some of the guy's on OldMarineengines.com forum say this engine is a Termat & Monihan because of the grease cup on the end of the crank shaft at the flywheel end. They say Detroit didn't have this kind of lubrication through the crank. Also that they have never seen the oval Detroit tag before. What do you think? Still a Detroit?

John Davis

[Andrew Mackey]

John,
Possibly, early. My 2 HP appeared to be possibly tapped for a gease cup. When I got it, it had the brass end cover with an alemite fitting on it, instead of the usual special bolt. I figured it was to provide initial lubrication, until the oiling system took over, as the engine was fitted with the detroit twinned oiler. With the Alemite fitting, it would have been impossible to lube the rod on the fly. All my engines though, had the regular Detroit tag. I was offered a canadian owned 2 HP, I will have to look and see If i still have the gents letter, in my Detroit paperwork. If i remember right, that had the oval tag. I will have to look it up.
Andrew