Name That Piston?

[QuinnF]

Last week I was in Anacortes, WA and happened into what must be the coolest of cool hardware stores. Sagging worn wooden floors, owned by the same family since 1913, full of all kinds of arcane stuff.

Had a great time browsing through all kinds of stuff that I really needed, but probably couldn't cram in my carry-on bag, until I spied, with my beady eyes, an odd piston, photos of which I attached. I HAD to have it.

Never seen anything like it. 4" bore, heavy cast iron, 7 rings. Clearly for a heavy duty DI diesel engine, but what's with the oddly shaped depression in the piston crown? Note that the depression is teardrop shaped and has a gap on each side. What's with that?

Piston is unused, stamped inside Zollner 812. Googling that turned up nothing relevant other than Zollner is a German manufacturer.

Anacortes is a seaport, lots of shipbuilding, fishing activities there, so I thought it might be a piston for an older marine diesel, or maybe for a tractor engine that was marinized as many were in the past.

Any help?

Thanks,

Quinn

[smgussey]

Just a wild guess as far as the top of the piston... Looks like the injector fired from the side and that was a quench area to ignite the fuel?

[QuinnF]

That's possible, but what about the gap on the other end of the depression? Someone on another forum suggested the other gap might be for a spark plug for gas starting. Dunno, but I think you can see why I HAD to have it since the pencil cup on my desk was all worn out!

Quinn

[K D Redd]

I think the opening son each side on th piston are for an injector on one side and a pre-combustion chamber on the other. Old Oliver/Waukashau diesel fuel system was something like this ONLY the injector squirted the fuel across a recessed exhaust valve into the pre-combustion chamber.

Kent

[ronm]

Originally Posted by K D Redd

I think the opening son each side on th piston are for an injector on one side and a pre-combustion chamber on the other. Old Oliver/Waukashau diesel fuel system was something like this ONLY the injector squirted the fuel across a recessed exhaust valve into the pre-combustion chamber.

Kent

That's what I was thinking-maybe a variation of the Lanova system dicussed below....

[QuinnF]

Update: My wife-to-be drove 126 miles each way back to that hardware store an bought me the remaining 4 pistons for my birthday. She knows me well!

The old gent behind the counter said they came from a BUDA diesel engine, but couldn't remember the model.

Bore is 4".

Wonder if that jogs anyone's memory. I'd really like to know which engine had such an oddly shaped cavity in the piston.

Thanks,

Quinn

[ListerDiesel]

I'll check the piston catalogues when we get back home (In the USA until Thursday) but we have a Buda-Lanova parts list as well, that would likely be the engine.

Peter

[QuinnF]

Thank you, Peter. This has really been bugging me. Beautifully machined cast iron piston. The skirt thickness is fully 1/4" thick with a reinforcing rib. Whoever designed it was clearly interested in ruggedness.

Quinn

[DirtbikePilot]

Originally Posted by QuinnF

Update: My wife-to-be drove 126 miles each way back to that hardware store an bought me the remaining 4 pistons for my birthday. She knows me well!

The old gent behind the counter said they came from a BUDA diesel engine, but couldn't remember the model.

Bore is 4".

Wonder if that jogs anyone's memory. I'd really like to know which engine had such an oddly shaped cavity in the piston.

Thanks,

Quinn

I think she's a KEEPER!!! That was really sweet of her!

[ronm]

Buda makes sense-there were a lot of Buda Diesels used in fishing boats in the Northwest. I found this out several years ago when looking for a set of main bearings for an 844 Buda, in my cousin's HD-21 Allis-Chalmers dozer. The only ones we could locate ANYWHERE came from an old guy around Seattle somewhere, that was re-babbiting bearings, he wouldn't send us a set until we sent the old shells to him & he found them usable. Fairly disagreeable ol' fart, but he helped us get running...If I remember right, he was operating under the name Buda Engine Co. the 844 pistons didn't look like yours, it was a direct injection. I do know Buda used the name Buda-Lanova on earlier engines.
Have to agree w/ Dirtbike on the lady, as sweet as my wife is, she would have a hard time finding pistons to be a proper b-day present...

[ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by ronm

Have to agree w/ Dirtbike on the lady, as sweet as my wife is, she would have a hard time finding pistons to be a proper b-day present...

Most of my immediate family are pretty good with presents, Rita bought me a nice engine indicator, badged Ruston for last Xmas

Peter

[OneWelder]

Question - could this be out of an air compressor - the old ones always had big domed pistons in them

[ListerDiesel]

The Buda-Lanova book that I have is for a much larger range of engines, 6-3/4" bore.

The Specialloid piston catalogue has 4" bore Buda engines listed, but only one has a special piston top listed, "Transport & Marine Diesel".

It's from a 6-cylinder engine, the piston is 158.25mm long, compression height 3-3/4", 1-3/4" between bosses, floating gudgeon pin of 1-3/8" diameter, 4 piston rings 1/8" thick, 2 slotted rings 1/4" thick.

Niether Hepolite or Brico list such a piston for Buda.

Peter

[QuinnF]

Peter,

Thank you for taking the time to look that up. I guess I have to head back to Anacortes and talk to the guys in the shop. It's only 1100 miles away right now! Linda said the fellow she talked with was very definite about it being from a Buda, so maybe I can tease some more information out of him.

So what do you guys think? I've been thinking maybe I'd make some kinetic art out of the five pistons. Maybe hang them from the ceiling as a mobile or something. Use push rods as spreaders and maybe hang some engine intake/exhaust valves among them for interest's sake.

Have to use some stout wire, though!

Quinn

[Larry Rusch]

Well, now that you have the pistons - why don't you just hunt down the rest of the parts and assemble a complete engine????

[QuinnF]

Looking at the way those pistons are made, the complete engine has gotta be something special!

Quinn

[ronm]

Originally Posted by Larry Rusch

Well, now that you have the pistons - why don't you just hunt down the rest of the parts and assemble a complete engine????

I don't know about Quinn's luck, but if it was me, I'd find a 6-cyl. block, & I'd still be lookin' for one piston...

[QuinnF]

I'm one jump ahead of you. There were only 5 available. There wasn't a 6th.

Maybe that's why they were being offered for the princely sum of $5/each.

Quinn

[QuinnF]

Originally Posted by ListerDiesel

The Buda-Lanova book that I have is for a much larger range of engines, 6-3/4" bore.

The Specialloid piston catalogue has 4" bore Buda engines listed, but only one has a special piston top listed, "Transport & Marine Diesel".

It's from a 6-cylinder engine, the piston is 158.25mm long, compression height 3-3/4", 1-3/4" between bosses, floating gudgeon pin of 1-3/8" diameter, 4 piston rings 1/8" thick, 2 slotted rings 1/4" thick.

Niether Hepolite or Brico list such a piston for Buda.

Peter

Hey Peter,

I just re-read your post and took another look at the piston and I think you're onto something.

It's, as you say, 4" diameter, 6.25" high, 1 3/8" wrist pin, and 3 3/4" compression height (center of wrist pin hole to piston crown). Piston rings from top down are as follows:

4 compression rings:
1/8"
3/16"
1/8"
1/8"

2 oil rings:
3/16" slotted
then the wrist pin, and beneath it, then
3/16" slotted

and a 2" piston boss, not a 1 3/4".

The piston is a Zolner, perhaps an aftermarket piston for that engine.

Peter, is there any more specific information about which engine model that piston was for, or its configuration?

Thank you,

Quinn

[ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by QuinnF

Hey Peter,
I just re-read your post and took another look at the piston and I think you're onto something.
Peter, is there any more specific information about which engine model that piston was for, or its configuration?
Thank you,
Quinn

I'll take another look later, I don't think there was anything more specific but I do have other books to look into.

Peter