ESSEX HOT AIR STIRLING ENGINE pt 3

[@daveticehurst4191]

Lyle. Thanks for all your efforts with this old engine. Glad you finally got somewhere with it. Please keep us updated over the Winter with any progress or further investigations. Regards from Australia.

[@tonymiller8826]

Looks like there's an air leak right in the burner area. The flame is being blown away on every stroke loosing heat. I'd take it apart and see if it could be welded or brazed.

[@tom87pate]

That was my first thought too.

[@kevinmartin7760]

It also should be silent, not huffing like a steam engine

[@howardosborne8647]

I also noticed that snuffing of the burner flame. That has to indicate some source of an air leak in the power cylinder right above the burner assembly.

[@SuperBowser87]

It reminds me of my ex wife. Full of hot air and refused to work!! Loved the series. I appreciate you.

[@mrpete222]

lol

[@y0utubeu5ername]

I'm sure many of us would love to see an overhaul series on this old engine.

[@billhunter5072]

I really enjoyed this whole series. It can't be considered a failure if it entertained so many people.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@timmienorrie]

Lyle, thank you for sharing your love for these old engines. There is no way I would ever see them or the details you cover without your videos.

[@mrpete222]

👍👍👍

[@scottjones7279]

Glad to see it running. Please video the rest of the the repairs on it that you make this winter

[@noakeswalker]

You could check that the displacer piston is a close but not touching fit in its cylinder. Its connecting rod gland needs to be oiled (obviously). Check that when you spin the flywheel, the power piston 'bounces' back off compression a bit - there must be no air leaks from any part of that combination cylinder - you know this of course mr.pete ! As someone else has suggested, it looks like there may be a slight leak around the burner area of the cylinder ? Great to see it trying to run in any case. It doesn't look too far off.

[@tom87pate]

I'm glad that you're not going to modify it for propane. A guy kind of becomes a steward of such an item especially when the item is that old. Neat stuff Mr. Pete.

[@Duckfarmer27]

Lyle - Good going. It will be interesting examining things further and getting it running as it should. Has a lot of miles on it, but I'm sure you'll get it running smoothly. A good winter project. Keep these interesting videos coming, really enjoy watching them.

[@delanebaumchen5608]

I just knew that it wouldn’t kick your butt. I’d like to see you in a video with that engine running a small bicycle generator. I think you should treat yourself to a cup of coffee with Baileys and some peanut butter toast. Have a great day. 😁

[@mikebarton3218]

Hi Mr. Pete, that running water makes me want to pee 😂

[@andybaldman]

TMI

[@tenlittleindians]

I commented in the last video that you would not have bought it so cheap if I'd have been at that auction. Now that we both know it needs repairs I'll still offer to take it off your hands at a slight profit. I'm in Iowa so if your feeling any sellers remorse after selling that headache to me you can always drive over here and visit it again.

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. enjoyed.👍👀

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for posting. I always enjoy your work.

[@gabewhisen3446]

Sure glad it ran after all that work

[@ypaulbrown]

Hey Mr Pete, my wife refers to me as her Hot Air Antique....great video, cheers from Florida, freezing sown here in this 32 degree weather, Paul

[@williamburdon6993]

You did a great job just getting it to work with the problems it had, I hope you had fun ,I sure did .

[@richardcorcoran1151]

I enjoyed all three parts, thanks for your tenacity. I learned something about hot air engines. Thanks, I love you blog.

[@1musicsearcher]

I’d take that as a great success. I also believe you’ve determined that the bore/piston is too worn to maintain a seal. It sure would be an interesting project to make a new sleeve & piston. Thanks for another great instructional video series.

[@danbreyfogle8486]

Great thee part series Mr. Pete. In past videos you have said you have "a lot of quit in me" but this time you stuck with it and I am pleased to see it run. Your diagnostic steps shows you have a great understanding of these things and I was pleased it worked as well as it did. At 110 years of age we all won't work as well as we did in our "natural prime"!

[@mrpete222]

👍👍👍

[@modtwentyeight]

Thank you for your efforts Mr. Pete. An education in 3 parts.I truly hope you get this running over the winter. Stay warm and safe.

[@4SafetyTraining]

Never give up, it will run…

[@mattthescrapwhisperer]

Well even though it was semi successful, it was still an enjoyable series. I say go for the overhaul!

[@lathammarx1458]

Great series on that Essex Hot Air engine, looked like alot of different issues that were conspiring against you including some spite mowing. Very cool demonstration.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@2dividedby3equals666]

It was very interesting nevertheless. I quite enjoyed all the troubleshooting. Thanks for sharing and take care!!

[@johnquinn3899]

Hey Mr Pete a very interesting series. Thanks for all the prep work and your presentation’s on all your videos. I know you’re a patient and reasonable person. Put it to bed !!!

[@joemcgarry1106]

It seems that that Essex engine would benefit from a thorough reconditioning. I am sure you could find someone with that interest. This video series was a 100% success. Thanks Lyle.

[@mrpete222]

👍

[@MyHeap]

Great series Mr. Pete. Thank you for sharing with us. :-) Joe

[@EuroclydonEng]

Great videos! Thanks for saving this little piece of history.

[@mrpete222]

😀

[@Rusty_ok]

Glad you made some progress. Thanks for posting.

[@dz-pg5dy]

Nice to see all of the things i see in this video, hope this art survives the coming electric mind control games. Ive seen things like this at a scrap yard. Fixable yet the lazy or arrogant throw it out because it dont have a "wow" factor. Or wont make them rich.

[@phooesnax]

Thank You Mr. Pete.

[@tonypike5785]

You will get it running but it needs to be opened up and each part checked for leeks i think. Thanks for the video.

[@andybaldman]

That’s the problem. Vegetables in his engine.

[@tonypike5785]

@@andybaldman ok pall, your smarter that i am.

[@andybaldman]

@@tonypike5785 Nope, I just know how to spell. (It's 'you're' and 'pal', btw.)

[@tonypike5785]

@@andybaldman thank you

[@stevesimon1994]

I would love to watch you disassemble and restore this engine.

[@ken9503]

Mrpete, this may sound silly but I think the reason the connecting rod kept coming of was because the piston was installed upside down. That Web that holds the piston pin would not let the rod move out away from the crank pin. I know you fixed it with a screw in the crank pin. I know you put it back together the same way it came out but I'm thinking Bubba may have put back together 180 from where it was originally designed. Just a thought from an 80 year old repair/ job shop machinist (retired).

[@brianhostak3961]

Thank you Mr. Pete !!

[@llapmsp]

Progress is progress. I have no dobt that you will make it run properly. Have a great weekend.

[@bcbloc02]

I look forward to the rebuild series and seeing this thing run like it should!

[@mrpete222]

I enjoyed your video on that engine block that you were machining.

[@The_Smith]

Thankyou Mr. Pete.

[@angelramos-2005]

That is a good progress on the old engine.Probably now there is nedeed some refinements and tune up.Very pleased with the resaults and there is hope.Thank you.

[@sharg0]

With how the power-piston and bore looked I have my doubts about the sealing properties which should explain some, or all, of the need for increased thermal input. And I doubt that can be restored without the need for new parts. Oh well, to measure and inspect is to know, best of luck with finding a clear answer Lyle. Edit / addition: It is quite amusing (for me) to read all the comments that seem to think you don't understand the working and symptoms of these engines (or should one cry?)

[@mrpete222]

lol

[@445supermag]

There's still something funny going on inside the furnace area, could be just like the water jacket that there's a big blockage of soot.

[@frogjunk]

Heck yeah! I was wondering if you were going to continue this series. Thanks for your time!! I really enjoy your videos!

[@mrpete222]

👍

[@P61guy61]

Glad you might work on it some more. It is very interesting to see how you troubleshoot this. Is there an air leak between the cylinders and the burner area? When you spin the engine at 7 min 51 seconds, the flame seems to be disturbed by air being moved. Possibly a loss of compression? Could it be corrosion in the burner area that perhaps silver solder could seal. Anyway, that’s my two cents.

[@TheWingnut58]

There are two areas that would draw my attention....the orifice seems too big causing the flame to be burning rich, and therefore cooler.....there also seems to be a small leak in the cylinder within the heated area disturbing the flame. Really good seeing you giving the old Essex a little TLC and bringing her back to life.....I'm sure if you continue you'll have her running like the proverbial Singer sewing machine....

[@mrpete222]

👍👍

[@garrockwaters304]

Some years ago I bid on one of these with no cooling system at an auction. It did not look real good but it went for over $1,300! (without tax and fees) You might do well to sell it as is, could bring a lot especially with that cooling system. I suspect that this engine was actually used to run something for a long time. The piston bores or pistons are most likely shot and that's why the guy stopped running it. This is a very desirable engine for collectors like me.

[@mrpete222]

Thank you for watching. I will certainly be selling it within a year or so when I get sick of it, lol.

[@swansong1851]

I really enjoyed this video and your attempts, Tubalcain. This was no failure at all. You had to get inside the head of the original designer. You also had to establish the amount of wear. None of us know the run-hours on this motor and you did very well. I'm sure you will crack it and I look forward to see it running then. Greetings from Cape Town.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@douglasbollinger8678]

After the appropriate amount of cool-down time, I'm sure you can get this antique Essex running fine if you wish! It will be good content for the channel and you still got an original engine cheaper than a set of Myfordboy's castings delivered to the USA. While Bubba's radiator seems to work fine, I would definitely replace his crazy white gas burner setup with the gas burner Myfordboy uses as it's cleaner, more controllable and much safer. You could also easily make a simple alcohol burner like every other Essex engine seems to have. It's important not to get to complacent with liquid fuel burners. Back when I used to be more active with Coleman lantern collecting, a fellow on the forum posted a picture of his fettle shed burnt down to the ground from a careless flame next to a can of white gas. The shed, all his repair tools and 75% of his lantern and stove collection were completely lost. No loss of life, thankfully, but I'm sure the withering look he received from his wife after the firefighters left made him wonder if he should have stayed in the shed.

[@mrpete222]

👍👍

[@marcp1180]

I saw the black lips and wondered if Naamah got upset with you. 😆 These are very interesting videos, thanks for sharing them.

[@mrpete222]

I kissed my wife after she was eating licorice

[@dustyduds3953]

anxiously awaiting the overhaul series...you can bring the engine down to the basement, excuse me, studio A; so that you don't freeze.

[@mrpete222]

Yea

[@phillipyannone3195]

You are getting there. Now maybe investigate the burner. I don’t know if it is like a blow torch or a ring with holes to evenly distribute the heat. I would think it would be a delicate balance.

[@jamesspinks716]

Still willing it to run. Remember no one else knows as much as you, once you show us we’ll all know. Thank you.

[@davidduerr7150]

Mr. Pete, Love your videos and I am a big fan. I was very interested in this video series as I used to work for the company that made this engine. They used to be called WH Smith and they are still in business in Springville NY, a small town south of Buffalo, NY. The current name of the company is Winsmith. They make speed reducers and have a website. I worked there as a Manufacturing Engineer and CNC programmer. Thanks Dave

[@mrpete222]

Thank you, interesting that the company still exist

[@davidduerr7150]

@@mrpete222 Its amazing they have lasted all these years. So many great companies in Buffalo are long gone and probably in China?

[@davidwalizer2424]

it appears to have a compression leak, the flame flickers every stroke, Thanks Lyle

[@christurley391]

Is it possible there is a leak in the burn chamber as the flame was puffing out the left side as it tried to run? Thanks for the video.

[@johnmettler995]

Lyle, the hot chamber may be coated with excessive soot, that could be acting as an insulator. I've had good luck using Heet in the yellow bottle. Methyl alcohol seems to burn hotter. We kids out here couldn't tell you the name of our guidance counselor by cracky we all remember the name of our shop teachers.

[@mrpete222]

👍👍

[@RRINTHESHOP]

Nice it runs.

[@christopheruy6398]

Sorry for the mistyping, I was reviewing what was written when it was sent by mistake. So I Ned to explain that newer Essex engines that have been posted seems to start in less than a minute. This means that it does not take that long to get enough heat to start the engine. Since your engine has seen better days. It also seems that there is a lot of oil in the chamber as it seems to be doing two jobs, Lubrication and sealing. So the longer the warm-up time the more chances the oil inside is also vaporizing - increasing the chamber pressure much more quickly. So it might be useful to make an experiment by bypassing the burner supplied with the engine with the torch you used at the later part of the video. It should be done with the engine at room temperature. It would be prudent to test the engine if it would run at the very first minute to give you a chance to see how long it will run from there. Experimenting with little tweaks her and there will tell how much more modifications will be needed. I am just glad that it started. It is in the best hands to make it better. I was looking at your videos on the other engines you have. I particularly was interested in the Rotor Vaccum. I looked around for leads and found a manual that said whattheproblem might have been. I was trying to find a way to get the information to you when I started to read the comments and saw that you had sold it at Ebay. Is it possible to contact you? I was interested in bidding on your last auction. However we needed to ask permission from my relatives in the states if it would be alright to ship to them. I know the auction is finished however the items I wanted to bid for was not sold. My thanks to you and congratulations again.

[@mrpete222]

Thank you for some great suggestions and ideas concerning the Essex. Yes I sold that little vacuum engine years ago, it was quite frustrating. For that matter so is the Essex, lol. I am too old to be frustrated anymore. I will be running lots and lots more items for sale on petebay. Keep watching

[@PaulSteMarie]

Great video! Be careful with that white gas and a faulty burner.

[@oldhick9047]

"Hot air antique" is my wife's pet name for me.

[@natekelly4667]

Maybe turn the water flow down so it doesn’t wick heat so fast. That will give more heat to the cylinder.

[@gavmansworkshop5624]

Bit of blow-by there. Totally worth fixing the clearances and somewhere on the piston crown, punch your mark to say you were there with a date.

[@ElectronPower]

Nice to see it running :) I don't know why I thought that the radiator side was the cold side, when you've got cold, running water on the other. That's why I recommended cold towel on the radiator fins, last time, but I can see now, that it's the other way around. Blow torch on the hot side does seem to help, doesn't it? Maybe something's off with the furnace, as some have suggested in comment section of the pt. 2 video. Also, is it possible that the timing is off? Anyways, thanks for not giving up and even semi-success is a good thing. At least we've seen it running for a while. Thanks for showing that little engine in the end, too :)

[@christopheruy6398]

Hi Mr Tubalcain, I have been holding myself back since you posted the second video. I was hoping that you would try what you did. However I am hoping you could have explained the modification to the burner. Why it seems that it is now burning cleanly. It is important to know that it would run despite its condition. It will be easier to understand how to be able to make it better from this point. I was hoping though that since the oil reserve was a source of a leak and since it did not contain any. That you would have retained the cork instead. The issue of the oil burning is of concern as it would throw off the amount of gas that is present in the chamber. I would think since it is sensitive on the amount of pressure in the chamber there would be a buildup. As it gets hotter. In fact there are a lot of engines that have release ports that expel excess gas to make the engine run for longer. The oil reserve looks like it was a modification. I was viewing your post on the hit and miss engines that you sold and it seems to be similar. I also noticed that the oiler sits on a base that does not mate with the oiler. It is essentially resting on the fins. The screw is the mating part. Unless the screwing the mating part is tapered and the female part in the casting is deep enough to make the seal it will fail to give a proper seal. It would be likely that the oil is the reason that there is a temporary seal. If the oil is sealing it, as the engine gets hotter and the piston goes back and forth the seal will erode till there is enough blow by to stop the engine. Another is the fact that the main piston body does not seem to form a seal. So "Congratulations," the engine works. It seems that it will need your skills to make it better. If you could - make a piston that is quite similar and sleeve the backend of the casting to make a better slip fit. Make a more streamlined extention. It would be interesting to see How much of a difference it would make. I know that the engine is quite used. It is finicky, however the startup times of theme wet ones unless they also preheated it, was less than a minute. However as we know if the balance of heat is not controlled the engine will not work for long. So since you have basically got it to work. I think the reason the engine is with you is due to the fact that you can make it run better. So My Congratulations to you. It is a good start. Thank you again.

[@mrpete222]

Thank you for a very good comment and some good pointers. There’s three videos were made months ago. I hope they get back to it pretty soon. I will take the whole thing apart.

[@williamparker8318]

Mr. Pete, rip er down and refurbish her! Notice I didn't say rebuild? I'm wondering if that brass sleeve isn't removable and can be reversed to give you a fresh bore on the piston side (If it truly does run to the cooler side). Also I think (that's debatable) the brass end of the piston can be remade by turning a cylinder and brazing a cap in the end. This machine is a piece of history and can be made functional again. Oh, while yur at it, use some of that expensive new fangled paint that comes in a aerosol can and make her purdy. Keep it up Mr. Pete! I keep telling myself that hard work only keeps us young!

[@mrpete222]

👍👍

[@MrAndrewKayton]

There seems to be an air leak in the combustion chamber. When the engine is turned over the flame goes around the edge of the combustion chamber.

[@stevebosun7410]

Hi Mr Pete, it looks very much like you have a compression issue in the power piston/cylinder.

[@samdunston6296]

Dont give up that easy.....

[@Erik_Swiger]

As the power piston was moving back and forth, the flame of the burner kept "blowing up," getting bigger and brighter with every stroke. Shouldn't the burner be sealed-off from the cylinders? I wonder if there's a leak somewhere between the cylinders that's causing problems. This is assuming, of course, that I even know what I'm talking about with Stirling engines. I just don't think that burner flame should be affected by the piston movement.

[@mrpete222]

Agreed

[@sharstool2251]

No Remorse Lyle, just more toys for big boys

[@mrpete222]

Yes

[@dannywilsher4165]

I enjoyed!

[@chuckfischer7202]

A small push nut might keep the connecting rod in place. The flame just looks lazy. The pressure is fixed by the tank elevation, so ??. Fuel type, jetting, draft, combustion air? The yellow flame will cause soot & carbon in the furnace. Would it prove anything if the butane flame was directed into the furnace rather than the cylinder? Seems it all depends on the right amount of heat at just the right spot. Intriguing and frustrating.

[@ssboot5663]

Are you sure that the fuel supply wasn't changed to that reservoir can and really meant to be a pressurized canister like the pump up gas fired blow torches? The system the way it is set up seems a little "funky" to me.

[@goranfotovic97]

Great video Mr Pete, I want to ask you can you explain in futures videos or maybe build one Manson hot air engine? I think you are the best in the detailed explanation. Regards from Croatia.

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@BrianEltherington]

Looks like your cooling system had “Silicate Drop Out”, a condition where the silicates in the antifreeze precipitate or fall out of solution.

[@cns688]

Have you thought of using a tank half the size of the one you are using at the moment ?

[@garybrenner6236]

The way that orange flame flickers when the engine is running you must have an air leak in that central area!

[@davelister796]

Love the mystery of, what's wrong with it. If you really have buyers remorse, it seems that you could find a willing buyer in this comments section alone. It would really be neat if someone could restore this to factory condition, but I realize that might be unlikely. (I don't think Keith Appleton (model steam engine guy) works on sterling engines). Love your videos. Thanks!

[@mrpete222]

Thanks

[@markdresser8592]

At 8:00 it looks like flame is shooting out of the fire box in time with the movement of the piston. Is there a leak between the fire box and the cylinder?

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

Hi Mr Pete Two observations that may be mentioned in the other comments. 1/ When you got the engine running with the gas torch, and the white gas was still burning, on each stroke the flame was puffing, possibly suggesting a leak in the air tube between pistons? 2/ When you put up the patent description, the bottom lines reads "In the same cylinder operates the displacer-piston B, but so loosely that air passes freely between it and ...?"(page ends on screen) This is incomplete and I presume you have the rest, Could this be suggesting that the hot air is supposed to bypass the displacer piston(but not necessarily escape the engine)? I know this does not make sense, because it needs to pressurize to cause the working piston to move, but I'm just reading the written detail on screen, I don't know what is supposed to happen inside the engine. Regards Bob W

[@mrpete222]

You are right, I think there is a leak. And the displacer allows the air to move from one side to the other

[@Bobs-Wrigles5555]

@@mrpete222 Thank you for the reply. While I was laying in bed(just like you) I had another thought, if the chimney and the central bore through the burner are coated in soot as evidenced by the continued burning after fuel cutoff, then that soot will be insulating the center tube from receiving heat from the burner, except as conducted heat from where the metal of the burner touches the center tube, which maybe why the working piston housing gets hot too quickly. Just a thought, although it seems you may have a disassembly job coming up to fix the leak etc :), happy tinkering Bob W

[@panaviaman]

I prefer your engine😁😁😁👍

[@8ank3r]

Not be be a negative nancy but you need to NOT oil the cylinder it makes too much added drag. That being said it is a fine motor and you have done a good job with it.

[@johneverson2433]

DONT GIVE UP ! I think it’s time to tear down the whole machine and check out all of the components while you assemble it back. (If bubba did one thing wrong then he might have done something else wrong)

[@TheBradmarriner]

Mr. Pete .. is air liking out

[@sarrington2005]

Oh I’ve been trying to find a way to message you, you mentioned in your previous video you had several of your sterlings you made, I for one would love to get one of your creations.

[@wewillmakeit3615]

To me it looks like there might be a hole/leak burnt though from the burner into the cylinder. When the engine runs, there are flames beeing pushed out the burner sideways. That might also be why that brass sleeve is inside the cylinder. Or rather why it is so uneven looking.

[@RealDeanWinchester]

At seven minutes and 50 seconds a flame shoots out the bottom when you rotate the flywheel. You've got a hole or crack in the bore somewhere.

[@mrpete222]

That is what I was thinking

[@RealDeanWinchester]

@@mrpete222 if the crack is in the brass liner you might be able to fix it with solder. Be aware of the melting point of the solder you use.

[@tayro7265]

Why is the heat in the middle? As I understan they opperate via a thermal imbalance. That's why you water cool one cylender while heating the other. Isn't having the fire in the middle exposing the cooled cylender to unwanted heat?

[@mrpete222]

I rather agree with you. All of the engines I made have the heat toward one end

[@tayro7265]

@@mrpete222 It's almost like you need to turn the expansion piston around, move it's cylinder out, add a heat-sink head and "put the heat to the head". I think they got half way through the build and realized they screwed the pooch and said Good enough.

[@azlandpilotcar4450]

Is it possible that the original fuel and lubricant was whale oil?

[@debztully1339]

Yeah!

[@simpleman283]

👍

[@davestrong6472]

Caution, do not watch if you have a bladder control problem

[@rogerwilliams2817]

Too soon for any "buyers remorse." "If it's not broke, you may be able to fix it anyway."

[@mrpete222]

Yes

[@Skoda130]

What does "tubalcain" mean?

[@epindigozylacone5730]

There appears to be a vacuum leak in the burner. I can see the fire get blown out of the bottom of the burner from time to time when it's running.

[@wilburstalker-li4nr]

go the the DNC plenty of hot air there

[@trialnterror]

Morning sir

[@millomweb]

The burner on the engine is so unconvincing. It should have a better fire than that. Your additional heat is too close to the power piston & cylinder - that's why that was smoking. Aim your additional heat up where the burner's supposed to be providing heat - in the err, firebox ??? :) I'm guessing that's bog-standard car coolant antifreeze - in which case it is toxic - don't drink it and more importantly don't let your pets drink it. It's not a nice death for them.

[@silverbullet7434]

Shouldn't the fire be more inside where the tubes and exhaust are located?? Most of the heat Is outside the engine! .