Multifueled diesel/gas/engine??

[SteveH]

A friend of mine was telling me of a 50's vintage military deuce-and-a-half that had no spark plugs and was able to run on gasoline, kerosine, diesel, and a number of other fuels. I was unaware of any compression ignition type motor being able to use the lighter fuels like gasoline to run on. Anyone out there heard of this beast? I would like to get info on it if possible.

Thanks,

Steve H.

 

[DT]

I haven't heard of that particular engine in a deuce and a half, but I have heard of a similar engine in an old british suv type thing (can't remember the name)

The only catch was for each tank of different type of fuel, you would have to add a certain amout of oil to lubricate the injection pump, etc.

I myself have run a 50/50 mix of oil and diesel in a 6. 2 with no ill effects. (Indirect injection engines have a single large hole in the injector nozzle, unlike a direct injection engine which has many smaller holes, to more greatly atomize the fuel... idi engines are therefore able to inject thicker liquids (oil) without plugging, or getting stuck open. )

 

[fest3er]

Haven't heard of that particular beast. However, a friend of mine in IL has, I believe, a FarmAll tractor that starts on gasoline, then is switched to diesel once it is warm enough. Dunno the particulars, only that it really works.

Fest3er

 

[Grey Wolf]

International Harvester used to make them. A friend of mine had an air compressor with such an engine, the carb and manifold were on one side of the block and the injection pump and injectors were on the other side. Like fest3er said, it was done that way to get heat in the engine and when warm you would move a lever to go from Gas to Diesel. Pretty simple and economical to run!

 

[Hummin Cummins]

We had one in a deuce that we used as a brush/tanker for wildfires. We never ran anything but diesel in it though. It sure was a monster to drive, but not much got in our way

 

[Joe G.]

When I was a kid I worked in the woods in the summer. We had a TD16 International "cat" that started with gasoline and switched to diesel. LOTS of smoke when it was switched over with a lever on the dash board. No problem to start like the old Cats were. They had a gasline pony motor as a starter that was started with a pull rope. I worked for one outfit for a little while that had one of those. Getting the pony motor started took a lot of blue air. Didn't dare laugh while the cat skinner was starting it!

 

[tgbol]

I remember the old Cats--Pull the compression release, yank and yank on the pony motor, engage the pony clutch to get the Cat spinning, disengage the pony clutch release the compression release and putt--putt,putt--putt,putt,putt--etc. and that was on a WARM day.

 

[WDaniels]

learned to be a cat skinner on an old 1942 D7 cable rig that came to Alaska over the Alcan when they built it. Also had the pony motor, but must have been a newer one than the rope pulls. It had a crank just infront of the diesel exhaust on the left hand side. I weighted 135 soaking wet and could only pull it over once on the compression stroke by bracing my right hand on the diesel exhaust and pulling with all my might with my left. If it didn't start, you were there along time. My friend who weighed 275 to 300 could just twirl that thing over and over always told me I was gonna break my arm, until it kicked back on him and broke his wrist in 3 places. I just kept doing what I was doing and stayed unharmed.

 

[roadranger]

MultiFuels

I have personal experience driving both the natural aspirated multifuel in the 2 1/2 tons, and the turbocharged versions in the 5 tons in the early '70's. Both engines were made by Continental and were equipped with knock sensors to change injection timing, and fuel was injected into a throated cup built into the top of the piston to control the burn rate. These engines would burn anything from Hi-Octane Aviation Gasoline down thru Kerosine, and in any combination available that you could pump into the tank. They ran the best on #2 Diesel, as they de-rated power due to retarded timing on the Gasoline side. Service life on these engines was less than spectacular (at least in the USMC) and generally needed rebuilding or blew up at around 50,000 miles.