Unknown experimental air blast injection engine

[nar]

This looks like someone’s home-built project engine, probably from the 1940’s or 50’s. It uses a gear pump to pressurize the fuel in the tank where it flows constantly past a needle valve then into a small tube in the head where it looks like a timed, outward opening compressed air valve blew the charge into the cylinder. It’s a twin cylinder 2-stroke & it must use the blast air for scavenging? A friend found it in a junk yard in Freeport, Illinois after they had torched off the front rocker arm & support. These pieces & both air valves are missing.

I was planning to work on it a little this winter & wondered if anyone knows what the base/cylinder was originally? It has uncooled cylinders so maybe it started out as a vacuum pump or steam engine? The only markings on it are on the crankshaft with the numbers “22203B” cast on it. A friend said the flywheels might be Fairbanks? They are 13” diameter & have “0J13(&?)A” cast on the spokes & they have a 3-hole bolt pattern with holes about 3.75” apart. I’d like to get a belt pulley for it. The gear pump has “035091” cast on it.

To help with ignition, the head has round tube heating elements wound around on the inside with the connection terminals on the side of the head. Where would I find replacements for these?

Any info on this is appreciated, thanks,

-Nick

[nar]

The flywheels definitely look off a headless Fairbanks. It’d still be nice to know what the cylinders/base was from.

The last pic shows the heating element tubes inside of the head.

-Nick

[nar]

Got a little further with the thing. It looks like in a last attempt to get it to run someone had bolted big extensions to the top of the pistons to raise the compression as much as they could. Whoever did it didn’t check things very good. One piston touched on the head at TDC & with the extensions, neither exhaust port opened.

I still haven’t found any more out on it but did get it cleaned up & together. Had it throttling nice but when I got a video it didn’t show it running very good. (Found out later the one cylinder was way rich & the other lean.)



It’s a little messy with the fuel…my dad had the fire extinguisher ready just in case.

[BuckeyeMan]

That's cool Nick. Never seen anything like that, and it's starts easy. Great for when the bugs get bad............DH

[Matthew Guy CLarke]

Nar, I wonder a few things. The first thing is FBM flywheels are more like16-17" ?,did you mis-state at 13". They do look like headless flywheels. I have seen some odd pumping arrangements by FB,they made water pumps,anhydrous pumps,and others. With the cylinders the way they are,they seam to have never had a jacket,which could mean water pump. I also saw an anhydrous pump similarly set,they made ice,and cooled meat lockers in the old dåys. The problem with that was if a line broke,every one that was near by,died a horrible death,and it did happen,and this pump obviously did not have a jacket,most compressors run hot,but some liquids compressed become very cold.So there would be not jacket for cooling when pumping cold liquids.
I will get out my old FBM books,and look for something like it,if it's FBM,it's in a book some where. I would think the way the head is,that it was made that way,and that some one did try and make an engine out of it.
I would toss all of their efforst,and make a head,or two heads,put a tin cover around the cylinders,and make a vapor cooled engine,like a Waterloo Vaporcooled. Maybe a side shaft,or a gearless would be good.Of course it does look pretty neat the way it is,if it pleases you. To much on top and behind for me,and I don't like anything that doesn't run on an ignitor either.
By the picture showing the bottom,am I correct to think they tried to make it two cycle?
The heating elements would be like glow plugs (tungsten wire) for dieseling.Are they and the injector and componants appearing as added on ?If the rear hanging pump has been put on ,then I would say it was definately not an engine,but a pump.
And finally,can I buy it,I have made several little engines,and like building things. Neat find,the junkman didn't win this time,idiots.

[Sad Iron]

It's dirty, messy and smokey
I think Dad would approve...

lol

[Wayne Grenning]

Nick, Now you and the HVID guys can have smoke wars at CPM!

Interesting piece, how long did it take to get running? - Wayne

[Elden DuRand]

Nick:

Your engine is intriguing!

I assume it first started running on air and only when fuel was applied did it start making smoke.

T'were it mine, I'd try really hard to find out more about the design and see if I could it to run reliably as designed. After all, it is probably of a type that is unique and it would be a shame to modify it.

Take care - Elden
http://www.oldengine.org/members/durand

[Ronald E. McClellan]

Nick That is an interesting engine. It is a piece of history in engine design. I wouldn't change anything other than getting it running which you have already done. I have a couple of questions. That double head (looks like aluminum) do you think that it was made to make it into an engine? (not part of the origonal compressor)? Were the ignition tubes electrical operated? Are you using them or did you use something else? If so what? Ron

[nar]

Matthew, thanks for the info & help trying to identify it. The cylinders look like they’ve never had a cooling jacket around them. The pistons in it look original & have 5 wide, nicely machined step-gapped rings on each so it might have been an anhydrous pump at one time. It’ll be interesting to see if you find anything in your book!

I was wrong on the flywheel diameter, it’s about 17” diameter with a 1-3/4” wide rim.

The aluminum head looks like it was made by whoever was turning it into an engine. There’s some nice pattern work to it. The gear pump mounts on a steel bracket on the back & was probably added on. The thing that’s unusual is that the driving pulley & crankshaft are one piece & made right into the crankshaft. The mounting boss for the push rod is cast on the cylinder so it originally had something there too.

Thanks for the suggestions (& it would look neat with igniters in it) but the goal was to try to get it back close to how it was & have a running engine. Someone had a game plan when they were building it. The only piece I didn’t put back on it is a steel bracket that looked like it may have held a board, maybe for the glow plug controls. It covers up the neat stuff.

Wayne, Can’t wait, Coolspring will be a black haze that year! I’m sure this thing will make it out.

It didn’t take too long to get it together & it started first try on air & then gas. It looked worse than it was (& kept me out of the bar a couple weekends) jk.

Elden you’re right, it starts on compressed air & then runs on fuel when that valve is opened. The fuel flow is constant so you have to somewhat adjust it to the speed. Nothing turned up on Google patents.

On its second run it was throttling good but didn’t get that on film. The video shows the 3rd run & after listening to it again, it wasn’t hitting the best.

Ron, The original heating element tubes were open terminal, 110v. I hate getting shocked so the ones in it now are 12 volt. A warning: I found out not to use older elements with magnesium oxide (white powder) inside of them. After only 2 years they can draw in enough moisture to blow-up though the metal casing. While checking one, one of mine did & was lucky to have safety glasses on.

-Nick

[Joel Mosley]

Hi Nick,

Just a thought on the smoke. Are you burning mixed gas? If so, is it necessary since the engine cylinders are lubicated with an oiler and greased on the rods and mains. Detroit, Sandow, Bessemer and many other 2 cycle engines run on unmixed fuel. It may run better and cleaner that way.

Awesome engine thanks for sharing.

Joel

[Mike Monnier]

Originally Posted by nar

(& kept me out of the bar a couple weekends)

There's a bar in New Washington????

Cool engine and enjoyed seeing the video!