From Jalopnik · Michael Frank · · 1m
Pickup Truck Starts 102.4-Liter Engine Like Lawnmower
A vintage military engine requires a truck to start it like a lawnmower.
In brief
A vintage military engine requires a truck to start it like a lawnmower. A 102.4-liter Mirrlees Blackstone JS8 engine, built for the UK Air Ministry post-WWII, failed to start with compressed air and needed a truck to rev it. Originally reported by Jalopnik.
102.4-Liter Engine
A 102.4-liter inline-eight-cylinder turbodiesel engine was delivered to the UK Air Ministry in Scotland after World War II.
Generator Purpose
The engine was used as a generator on a Royal Air Force base, producing 24 horsepower per liter.
Rust and Water
After decades of rust and water damage, the engine had frozen valves and no oil.
Air Start Failure
Compressed air failed to start the engine because diesels require high pressure to ignite through compression.
Truck Revs Engine
A Ford F-Series truck wrapped around the flywheel to rev the engine and start it.
In short
A 102.4-liter Mirrlees Blackstone JS8 engine, built for the UK Air Ministry post-WWII, failed to start with compressed air and needed a truck to rev it.
