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Engine ID? Sleeve valve?!?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by sideways_403, Nov 30, 2010.

  1. Does anyone know what this engine is? It's been sitting under a tree on the farm since forever. The weird design leads me to the conclusion that it's sleeve valve?!? I can't find anything that looks anything like it. Years ago granddad said what it was, I will ask him again when I see him next.

    Thanks

    Hayden

    *Solved* See post 26 on page 2. :)
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Aug 30, 2012
  2. George
    Joined: Jan 1, 2005
    Posts: 7,723

    George
    Member

    Sleeve valve Willys-Knight?
     
  3. That's what I first thought but from the crap pictures I've found on the internet, it doesn't look like it. It would of had the same "cover" on the head though.

    Thanks

    Hayden
     
  4. tommy
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 14,757

    tommy
    Member Emeritus

    Knight was the guy that designed the engine. It was used by at least 2 manufacturers maybe more? There was also a Stearns Knight.
     

  5. Truckedup
    Joined: Jul 25, 2006
    Posts: 4,661

    Truckedup
    Member

    Burt-McCollum was the other type of sleeve valve engine design.If you Google sleeve valve there's hours of reading them.
     
  6. It is a Knight engine, they were also used in Federal trucks in mid '20's.
     
  7. 1952henry
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,365

    1952henry
    Member

    Is your avatar picturing a locomotive engine?

    I was fortunate to see a complete cylinder/piston/valve assembly from a Willys at an old-time engine rebuilder's shop once. Pretty neat item.
     
  8. Edelbroke
    Joined: Dec 12, 2008
    Posts: 770

    Edelbroke
    BANNED

    Dont know what it is, but I bet that tree helped take the motor out of whatever it was in
     
  9. Wikipedia lists 9 makes of car the engine featured in. I am certain there was more though, I think Peugeot used a Knight engine at some stage?

    I have spent many a night staying up to the wee hours of the morning searching sleeve valve engines, I really like the "oddball" engine designs! :D

    Yes, it would seem to be, it doesn't have the lump you would expect from a Burt-McCollum engine. The million dollar question is.... What did it come from? :D

    My avatar is a Napier Cub engine, an experimental aeroplane engine. As I said, wierd old engines interest me! :D

    Seeing the valve ect assembly would be cool, precision engineering from the 1920s. :cool:

    Lol probably, it's a big tree now but I'd bet it wasn't half as big when the engine was put there!

    So what do you reckon guys, should I try and move the engine? I'd like to take it back home and pull it apart but I'm not sure the crank case will survive any force what so ever? I'l certainly be getting a ton more pictures of it tomorrow!

    I'm sorry for this being a bit off topic, it is however an interesting old engine and I need your help!

    Thanks

    Hayden
     
  10. jetmek
    Joined: Jan 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,847

    jetmek
    Member

    an old automotive encyclopedia i have shows a cutaway veiw of the stearns knight engine looks just like your pic. they were also popular in european cars..daimler, pugeot and minerva used knight engines
     
  11. Zerk
    Joined: May 26, 2005
    Posts: 1,418

    Zerk
    Member

    Voison made sleeve-valves too. Probably not many, though.
     
  12. The Dykes automotive encyclopaedia? I found that engine in my copy of that book, It's pretty close, not the same though, if you can, could you post pictures?

    Given how many cars Voison made, I'd say there weren't many sleeve valve ones! :D

    Thanks

    Hayden
     
  13. jetmek
    Joined: Jan 12, 2006
    Posts: 1,847

    jetmek
    Member

    yes thats the one heres a pic from the ICS textbook [​IMG]
     
  14. Thanks mate!

    Hayden
     
  15. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    Anyone interested in the Knight design REALLY needs to make the migration to Hershey someday...even those of you who need to swim a bit.
    There is a tent housing the Knight club, and within is an original dealer-demo cutaway slice of an engine allowing you to turn it over by crank and watch all the hardware moving.
    It will be perfectly clear then that we are looking here at alien technology, obviously brought here from some planet other than the one inhabited by Henry Ford...
     
  16. 1950ChevySuburban
    Joined: Dec 20, 2006
    Posts: 6,187

    1950ChevySuburban
    Member Emeritus
    from Tucson AZ

  17. oj
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 6,454

    oj
    Member

    Federal truck? Whats' that?



     
  18. the-rodster
    Joined: Jul 2, 2003
    Posts: 6,945

    the-rodster
    Member

    Or do a google search :)

     
  19. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    There ain't no substitute for turning that crank yourself, watching the strnage happening live and hearing the odd little gorping sounds of the oil film...I visit the thing every year.
    Hmmmm...hot rodding...just need a rattail file to change post timing....
     
  20. captainjunk#2
    Joined: Mar 13, 2008
    Posts: 4,420

    captainjunk#2
    Member

    wow the k.i.s.s. principle wasnt followed there , to many moving parts , but i dig odd engines so it is interesting ,
     
  21. Sorry guys, dunno how I missed all this, I guess I'm just special.

    At the Whiteman park car Museum in Perth there's a sleeve valve engine like that, all cut away and you crank it over, I don't think it was a dealer demo one though. They've also got a Model T engine that's all cut away, I remember turning that T engine over when I was about 3, it's been there since forever. There's some really cool stuff there.

    As the sleeve valve engine on the farm, I'd really like to take it home but I'm afraid the crankcase will just collapse. Do you think I should have a go at moving it?

    Thanks

    Hayden
     
  22. Whippet also ran sleeve valves
     
  23. plym_46
    Joined: Sep 8, 2005
    Posts: 4,018

    plym_46
    Member
    from central NY

    Supposidly they went through a lot of oil. Making the quiet operation and long maint interval questionable in light of the need to top up the crankcase so often.
     
  24. Manche
    Joined: Dec 11, 2010
    Posts: 111

    Manche
    Member

    damn, If some pt me in charge of designing an automotive engine, I'd go single sleeve valve per cylinder like in this one:

    No valve float, no super hot engine parts causing self detonation which is great because you can compress a crappy full a lot and give a bonus of efficiency and power

    [​IMG]
     
  25. Stutz also had a sleeve valve engine in certain models say SV-32
     
  26. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    I believe that the Super Marine Sea Fury fighter aircraft. Successer to the Spitfire and very fast Reno racer had a large sleeve valve engine. I could look it up. Or I guess anybody can Google these things today.
     
  27. RichFox
    Joined: Dec 3, 2006
    Posts: 10,020

    RichFox
    Member Emeritus

    Here it is. 3270 cubic inches. Fastest single piston aircraft in production. Sleeve valves rule.
     

    Attached Files:

  28. Okay guys, I talked to Les(my great uncle) about it, he said it was a Willys.

    He said he pulled the motor and gearbox about 50 years ago, the gearbox is in a shed and appears to be in good condition. He kept on saying "I should've put the motor in the shed". I agree with him!

    He said it ran when he pulled it out and put it there, apparently it was a very sweet runner but the car was well past its prime. :)
     
  29. Bruce Lancaster
    Joined: Oct 9, 2001
    Posts: 21,681

    Bruce Lancaster
    Member Emeritus

    There is a bit on the late war/early postwar sleeve valve fighter engines in the late editions of Ricardo's work. I think Sir Harry decided that the poppet valve had reached its limits about then...
     
  30. volvobrynk
    Joined: Jan 30, 2011
    Posts: 3,587

    volvobrynk
    Member
    from Denmark

    I don't see the sleve valves at all, is it the two small things In the side of the crank housing?

    The only sleve valve engine I ever saw, was a Yamaha 50cm3 2stroke bike engine. They put the sleve In between the carb and the crankcase, to make a more control of timming. Worked like a charm, but desapired after a couple of years.

    I always had a hard-on for Odd-ball engineering. Nice find, it would be so cool to take it apart, so we could see the internal marvels.
     

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