The Secret Life of the Engine - remastered

I've been in my workshop making things ever since, and the covid lockdown was the perfect time to make some new videos, trying to pass on some of what I've learnt. So do try my new 'Secret Life of Components'
These old films were remastered and upscaled by Norman Margolus from a 1987 PAL tape made directly from the 16mm print, using machine learning software from Topaz labs. Commentary added in Feb 2021.
View all 18 episodes of the series and read about their background on my website:
www.timhunkin....
The videos are also here @ / timhunkin1

[@timhunkin1]

Apologies that the last second of the video got cutoff while uploading and I didn't notice. So my final words were: "might actually be greener than today's electric monsters"

[@zeugundso]

Don't disagree that smaller and alternative forms of transport need to be pushed more (especially in cities), but seeing how fast renewables grow almost everywhere "might actually be greener" will not hold up for too long, even for small petrol engines. On average EVs bought now are already "cleaner" over their lifetime compared to similar fossil alternatives. Changing manufacturing to EVs only when they are undeniably "more clean" even in edge cases will delay the necessary long term adoption.

[@himofthenorth-east]

Thanks for making the effort to upload these episodes, they're fantastic.

[@Lift.Tracker]

If the mistake was made during the upload process, then you should be able to sort it out. If you edit the video, you should be able to undo the trim which you accidentally made.

[@mark314158]

I have noticed on a number of other videos that the last few seconds are cut off. Possibly a KZbin bug.

[@fyrrydr4g0n]

i mostly agree, but getting the world to believe that doing that is better for them is going to be one hell of an uphill battle. I drive an electric car (evalbum.com/322) every day because it is perfect for short daily trips, and it spends enough time at home in between trips to fully recharge. Here in the United states, my situation is very common; you drive your car to work, it sits around while you're at work, you drive it home, maybe do some errands on the way home or on the weekend, and other than that, the car is parked at home. Training people to treat their car like their smartphone (plug it in when you park it for the night) has worked for some people, but many problems still persist. Some can be fixed by education and training, but the battery raw material and recycling problem is still in its early stages. That is the main reason I still use lead-acid batteries; they are 80 - 95% recyclable, because they have been around the longest and lead has long been known to be among the worst elements to dig up and refine. As far as the particulates from tires and brakes being a problem, I don't know of a good way to get around tire rubber particulates problem, but I know that regenerative braking takes care of some of the brake pad particulate problem, but not all of it, as it shifts it onto the drive tires.

[@cmmartti]

On his website, Tim says that: > Its best to watch the new versions with an ad blocker installed on your browser. I don't receive any of the income from the ads but am unable to remove them because KZbin automatically detects the theme music which is copyrighted. The income from the ads is split between Google (who own KZbin) and the copyright holder. Its fair enough for Google to make some money, its obviously expensive to host so many videos and KZbin does provide a unique and accessible service. However, copyright law has become deeply corrupt. It now rarely supports the creative people who originated the material but instead the money goes to multinational companies, in this case, The Universal music Group.

[@SINGAPUR201191]

so glad im using brave browser

[@Rick-O-Shay60]

That being said, Install an ad-blocker as a browser add-on. I never see any of the adds you speak of.

[@fjccommish]

The artist who created the music sold it to someone who sold it to Universal. If Universal didn't make money, the artist wouldn't have been paid in the first place.

[@cooldogbearbutt3806]

@@fjccommish Fark.

[@cooldogbearbutt3806]

Well done Tim.

[@Ateesh6782]

Being from Hungary, I never saw this series but I am completely hooked now. His attitude is so down to earth and so enthusiastic at the same time that you are just completely immersed.

[@trefwoordpunk2225]

It's all so quintessentially British! The serious nature of the commentary combined with the eccentric off the wall animations (I just love the voices) really are so unique and something very much missing with todays LOUD SHOUTING LOOK AT ME style of presentation. Tim and Rex are just amazing in this. And look at Rex with his balls of steel flying up high in the car.....health and safety wouldn't let that "fly" these days!!! This realy is a look into a forgotten era...as much as a brilliant informative and entertaining program!

[@SwindonSwine]

I remember watching this on Spektrum TV in the late 90s. It was called "Így működik..."

[@jasminespencer3992]

I was hungry too, then I had dinner.

[@stevescarsfish2175]

I remember watching this episode on PBS when I was 10. My dad let me take a old lawnmower apart that wasn’t running. It took me about a week and I had it running. Learned about carburetors and Magneto ignition systems. It’s a shame we have turned into a throw away Society. Funny how many things people throw a way and it’s something easy to fix. A broken wire or blown fuse. Thank you Tim for everything you do. My condolences for Rex

[@DoctorShocktor]

Was never on PBS

[@cobre7717]

@@DoctorShocktor how can you say it wasn't on public television?? pbs is in many countries other than the particular country you may live in.

[@WJCTechyman]

@@cobre7717Strangely when you say that, I watched PBS' WNED station out of Buffalo which has a higher viewer rate in Ontario, Canada than it does in its State of New York. Granted, we also have TVO as a provincial public broadcaster as well.

[@PatrickKQ4HBD]

So many of our inventions are made with microscopic features. Once parts got smaller than the human scale, home repair was doomed. The best you can hope for is swapping out macro scale components. Tires and brakes will never follow the same shrinking trend as the transistors in the car stereo, for example.

[@vsvnrg3263]

where tim gets a face full of oil (12:11) is great but my very favourite point is where both tim and rex both try to extinguish a potential wildfire (3:19) while not attracting the audience's attention to it. the closing comments about tyre and brake dust are extremely important for the future of mankind. electric bicycles are probably our best choice.

[@frykasj]

Now I just need James Burke's "Connections" series remastered, and I can die a happy man.

[@GlutenEruption]

…and “the day the universe changed”. 3 shows that did more to shape my childhood and ignite a lifelong love of science and engineering than almost anything else I can think of.

[@txkflier]

Exactly. Connections was a great show also..

[@ghostmanscores1666]

Both were very inspirational growing up. This and Connections.

[@nottiification]

I always loved the voice-acting in the animated bits... so brilliantly understated.

[@cleanmachine08]

Growing up in Australia I was introduced to the secret life of machines series by my father, a (now retired) mechanical engineer. He also VHS taped a number of episodes and passed them onto a friend of ours, a similar age to myself. Both myself and they friend are now in engineering careers, and give a lot of credit to your series for this. Thanks!

[@siliconinsect]

I have most of them on Betamax after Dad gave me free reign of our old VCR.

[@Djamonja]

Yes, it's a fantastic show, more instructive than anything nowdays.

[@cooldogbearbutt3806]

Congratulations to all of you, being able to watch it so early.

[@paulmcdonald7535]

you're totally right. a high-efficiency turbo diesel plug-in hybrid tiny car would be the greenest solution. Also, if it could supply backup electrical power to your house in an emergency, then it would be the most indispensable machine ever created. (especially if it could run off used fryer oil/bio-hydro-diesel)

[@michael-dm2bv]

In the 1990's the U.S military replaced a military Hummer engine with a 1.9 litre VW diesel running a generator, with a small bank of lead acid batteries and an electric wheel motor at each tire and they were getting 40 MPG and it was way faster than a factory hummer.

[@craiggilchrist4223]

Met Tim once. One of the most friendliest people ever. Great sense of humour.

[@floratubbs5142]

Love the inventor being constantly blown out of his own workshop.

[@evilcanofdrpepper]

And what about the stone henge recreated with cars?

[@floratubbs5142]

@@evilcanofdrpepper Which, if I recall correctly, they reuse at the beginning of the next episode which is about the car.

[@RCAvhstape]

And the guy waving a loaf of bread in his face.

[@force311999]

@@evilcanofdrpepper there are several car henges around the world there is an older one with 1950s cars in a desert

[@der.Schtefan]

These videos, even if slightly dated, are far superior to most of the content explaining technology on TV today. Made with so much love and passion for engineering, it makes me proud to be one myself. Thank you a thousand times for uploading them!

[@fjccommish]

These videos don't explain modern technology.

[@MCW1955]

The remastering is fantastic. So clear. They look better now than when they were broadcast. My favorite scene is knocking a hole in the oil filter. I laugh every time I watch it. Thanks for taking the time to do these. I sure miss Rex, I’m sure his soul is happy and free.

[@paulmcdonald7535]

To Rex

[@enzoperruccio]

19:08 God I love the Celica with a pick up bed on the back 😂. Rex was truly a genius.

[@BlahBleeBlahBlah]

I had to give that Celica a double take haha - I was confused for a second. Rex (R.I.P.) and Tim inspired a generation, myself included :-)

[@roeng1368]

I used to love this series as a child/teenager. The distinctive music really takes me back. Its a pity the tv stations don't make things like this now. Have kids no interest in how things work or operate anymore ?

[@jamesporter4749]

I fully agree. Most kids these days are busy with Facebook and x boxes. Sad really

[@dualityk]

The kids just watch individual tinkerers making videos on this very service instead of watching TV.

[@cannaroe1213]

There has been a push to normalise being completely unteathered from reality, from how the world around us actually works. The reason is due to the specialisation required by all of us to get a job. It requires we accept other people's specialist products will do what they say they'll do. To an extent, if you learn how and why it works, which is not your job, you are taking on some responsibility for making sure its correct. People are repulsed by this uncompensated responsibility, and are the first to say they never really had that responsibility in the first place. From this perspective, curious tinkerers are a nuisance, and when China ships a product that no longer has the quality it once had, well that sounds a lot like the customer's problem, if they keep buying them.

[@MakeSomething]

This was fantastic! I love the commentary at end! Thank you!

[@criggie]

Concur - The value of hindsight is enormous.

[@AkiaraDolls]

This show is a real piece of art and a source of information. Thank you for keeping it there and thanks to Mr. Tim Hunkin for making it.

[@Johnny_RB]

This old auto mechanic is very impressed with this. Everything is spot on correct, I like that.

[@jonwatkins254]

The Best Teacher On Earth!

[@gregntammie]

I absolutely love your videos Mr. Hunkin. I never saw these Secret Life of videos growing up in America. So retro now. Your arcade games are fabulous. Being an automation technician I understand how they work, but having the creativity, engineering and fabrication skills to make it all WORK is amazing. Thank you, sir!

[@IvorMektin1701]

I watched these in the late eighties or early nineties on the Learning Channel or Discovery, I can't remember which.

[@TheOtherBill]

@@IvorMektin1701 I thought it was PBS but when I researched it I found out it was on both of those cable channels.

[@bowieinc]

Originally, I skipped some of your video topics that I felt I had a pretty good understanding of. Then, when I ran out videos to watch, I went back and watch the other ones and I actually learned a good deal on each one of the topics that I “thought I knew“. Thank you

[@cooldogbearbutt3806]

They're great like that, yeah.

[@alfredotorres3553]

My experiences is, the first time around you can't pick up all that it is about and when you come back is when you can comprehend the full picture.

[@hadir3704]

I was 10 years old when first time saw this movie, now that kid no more around changed to a Bald 43 years old guy, but still enjoying watching tim and all his other movies.

[@egon2875]

My college lecturer introduced me to these back when I was a first year apprentice (1993!) And loved them all since then. Im going to show my boys when I get home. they dont age. Perfect!

[@c42cly]

I remember seeing the gunpowder/ petrol cannon in a technology lesson at school aged 11, it's stuck with me to this day! Watching this is the first time I have seen it for about 30 years; as I watched it was just as enjoyable as the first time! Also the clip of a car driving with just the chassis and engine, no bodywork. I remember it as if it was yesterday. Just shows how interesting things that show how things work stick in your mind and give understanding of the world around us. Thanks you tought me so much from that.

[@PibrochPonder]

Thumbs up for the remastered versions. They are a lot sharper than the other version on the net. Also I LOVE the extras at the end.

[@vulpsturm]

I remember watching these as a kid. I cannot ever forget that ending theme music.

[@bgrigg07]

Tim, thanks so much for doing this. '''Secret Life Of..." deserves to be enshrined as a National Treasure.

[@69Dartman]

I saw this series when the family first subscribed to cable and we all loved it and watched every episode the TLC played till it disappeared. Loved your naration and the attitude of the show, thanks for the fun education. 👍😎

[@markpitt5248]

Love these remastered episodes! I hope Tim will consider remastering “Why Things Go Wrong”.

[@DawnOfTheComputer]

This was always my favorite episode as a kid. I was nuts for engines. Glad to see it got the 4K treatment too!

[@NaoPb]

I remember as a child, watching tv with my dad. And the show ended with the sight of cars arranged like Stonehenge. My dad has since passed away and I've been searching for years to find the name of that show. I'm sure this is it.

[@plunder1956]

This was such an original series when first broadcast. Even issues that dominate our world today were expressed in it. I want to say thank you to these two very sensible & original men.

[@RichardDzien]

The original KZbinr. Delighting the world with dangerous experiments.

[@Dmander816]

This is perfect timing as I have my dinner in the oven and it needs 30 minutes.

[@StrawbyteWorkshop]

It's lovely to see these restored, especially the little insights at the end from Tim. It's incredible the energy density in petrol and the ease at which it can be delivered to the car and carried. But I suppose we can't continue to dig-up the remnants of long dead plants and animals for that convenience. But there is something ingenious regarding the combustion engine.

[@Soapy555]

I couldn't "like" it back then. Love it even more now. Thank you Sir

[@spacy7test812]

Always been a fan Tim one of Englands greats

[@5roundsrapid263]

He’s so right about electric cars. They’re efficient, but not much more than a very efficient fossil fuel powered car. I remember cars getting up to 50+ MPG before SUV’s took over. The “greenest” thing to do is keep an efficient older car running.

[@radarhec]

Grate old show !!!

[@warmarin]

I wish shows like this were broadcasted in my country (Chile) while I was a kid, but it's never too late to enjoy them, thanks!

[@briancox2721]

I do NOT have the recreational psychoactive substances required to appreciate this show.

[@Johnny_RB]

Ha!😂

[@martinvadpoulsen4384]

Both good British humour and still very informative. The comment on going green by electric propulsion seems spot-on with the ongoing transition nowadays. Cheers from Denmark. 🍺🍻

[@rickys7883]

it's crazy how prescient Tim's observations were about green tech and cars back when I saw this in the early '90s on public TV. Equally as mind blowing is that nothing much has changed regarding cars and pollution today.

[@chrisattrubdotcom]

So - many - pixels!!! thank you so much! This series is one of my all time favorites.

[@RCAvhstape]

Love this. On that last point, 25-30 years ago we had cars that could get over 40 mpg with a conventional gasoline engine, comparable to a Prius today, but demand for more luxury amenities and mandates for more safety crap and so on killed them.

[@DoctorShocktor]

“Safety crap” LITERALLY saves lives and permanent injuries. Don’t be dumb. Also a Prius gets nearly SIXTY mpg, not forty, and isn’t even the modern standard for a major hybrid which is closer to 75.

[@MrRafa1919]

I love you Tim, with all my heart and soul! You are an amazing engineer, a true innovator and a wonderfully humble human being. Greetings from Greece by an Electrical / Electronics Engineer.

[@legendarydave333]

Tim I’ve been following you since the original series aired. God bless you! I like your outro that points out the follies of EVs. Their pollution is hidden by the falsity that there is a pollution trade off. Thank you!

[@user-bg4wk6nh3b]

Wonderful... I'm a grown man wishing I could watch these with my dad.

[@OldCanadianguy953]

I remember when these shows were first aired. I’m glad they’re still available here.

[@colaoliver1587]

I watched this series with my young son in the 80's. It's a truly delightful and informative series unencumbered by any health and safety rules. I'm glad to see Tim made to old age. My son was sure he and Rex would blow themselves up one day.

[@glowplug4762]

For better or worse, Horsepower has been an unspoken religion here in the US since before the creation of the V8 engine. The average Joe toiling away in his garage or driveway for hours on end. Looking forward to the next ride of a lifetime or just simply enjoying creating something that on occasion seems to take on a life of it's own. Granted it's not for everyone but for some it's a passion beyond no other, a challenge, a purpose, a culture, a religion.

[@jeffbranch8072]

This just popped up in my feed today. I loved this series! I'm an automotive electrical engineer and was in my mid-to-late twenties when this series was made. Just one of the things that I loved about the series is that errors weren't edited out as is the norm for so many shows. That just made this series so much more genuine and believable.

[@SciHeartJourney]

I ❤ these videos! I especially loved that Druid funeral for the ICE at "Autohenge". 🤣

[@jc-d6179]

The devotional sequence at the end is wonderful. Elevates the programme to a different level.

[@Togidubnus]

Really enjoyed seeing this again after so many years and after having quite forgotten about it. And also, great to see Tim still doing all this stuff today. Perhaps an update could include repeating Stanley Meyer's conversion of an ICE to run on water. He actually got this to work but was assassinated for doing so (may require stepping up on security).

[@AlRoderick]

Mostly good points at the end there. I can't help but feel the way that general motors in particular is pushing huge EVs like a new Hummer is just a way to keep doing things the same way they always have, and it's all massively extractive. Especially here in America where I live, if we've got a chance to make things better we need to cut down the number of cars and replace what's left with mostly EVs, and use the smallest ones possible for whatever purpose they're being used for. An electric assisted bike lets you get a lot done inside a city, and the batteries on those are small enough you can take them off when you park and just charge them up from a regular wall socket in your house.

[@DoctorShocktor]

Good point on the EV bikes, the are proving to be a valid replacement for all kinds of intercity vehicle use. Regarding GM, they may not ultimately be the EV answer, but the reason they’re currently selling large EVs is because they are the test platforms for their new battery systems which use far less problematic metals than current EVs. There are two dozen more GM models coming in all sizes, you’re pointing attention far too early.

[@MrAlex3461]

Old TV programmes were inventive and demonstrative.

[@misterbonzoid5623]

Pure joy Tim. Thank you for making the world a better place.

[@threeinone6977]

I remember these the first time round - Enjoyed them then and all this time later, now, Thanks Tim, Sorry to hear about Rex. P.S. I also still have the Pamphlets/Notebooks which I bought in addition to the series somewhere.

[@andrewprettyquick2070]

Tuftridden cam.... lovely finish on the white metal.

[@kdmq]

Your horses pulling your carriage away while stealing an engine is the 19th century version of your daily driver breaking down while you're working on your project car.

[@dj-kq4fz]

Sagan, Burke, Hunkin, the most influential science and tech tele productions of all time. Thank you!

[@21stcenturyozman20]

Loved the 'carhenge' near the end! Brilliant stuff.

[@aenoymotors]

I love how Rex talks about going 80,000 miles with no faults... Of course it's a Toyota! They make a great product.

[@crusherbmx]

I never saw these when they were new, I assumed they were made in the 70's at first, then I looked it up, I was kind of shocked that a show made in the late 80's and early 90's looked so dated. That's now even a long time ago in my head. I guess I'm just getting old,

[@AA-69]

This guy is a Legend 😂I wish he'd lived nextdoor to me 😘🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@DaryleTilroe]

All I can say is that I hope those few thumbs down are just slips of mouse.... Tim Hunkin is an international treasure and The Secret Life series inspired a generation or more of scientists and engineers.

[@DaryleTilroe]

PS. as well as introducing those generations to Dave Brubeck!

[@ArmchairRamb0]

I love the time capsule, appreciate you explained gas burns in an engine, it doesn't explode. If it did, you're engine would certainly not run Favorite part: cartoon character Europeans yammering at each other. Never gets old.

[@bikepacker9850]

It's amazing, these big production videos from 40 years ago are about as well made and produced as a well made, one man KZbin video today. Like most documentary videos, it is the personally of the presenter that does most of the work, not the production values. Thanks Tim, love ya work.

[@jeeptrail08]

Love Tim. Great commentary and I do agree with you Tim about electric cars. I dont think they are looking at the bigger picture of the pollution transfer to the power plants as you your self stated when you originally filmed this episode but also the bigger pollution problem with the batteries themselves and all the strip mining that will have to be done to achieve the necessary minerals to produce the batteries but also the chemical contamination from the mining process and manufacturing process.

[@farmerfuller87]

Epic tv gold thanks Tim

[@franktuckwell196]

I saw this amazing series the first time around, but still reckon if i had had Tim Hunkin as one of my school teachers, not only would i have paid far more attention to what was going on, i may have actually learned something as well.

[@DKT1st]

Great to see again. Just brilliant.

[@binarydinosaurs]

I KNEW there was an ep where a radiator went pop, nice to see it again after all these years 😁 splendidly entertaining so thanks Tim, and of course RIP Rex.

[@normanboyes4983]

Tim this is so wonderful to watch again, thank you. Your contemporary perspectives and little secrets are just the icing on the cake.😀👍

[@atomvirginia5706]

If u never knew what an engine was, after this you will know what it is but also how it works. Where it started and where it is going. Love this guy

[@Gazdatronik]

I love seeing Tim’s dirty fingernails, much like my own. After watching these videos when I was in high school, I now have a great command of machines at my job. It may have been 25 years, but the physics still work today. Not a day goes by that I don’t internally reference these episodes as I go through my daily routine making the machines work. I love my job.

[@DanielEMacKay]

I love the whole series, but I love this one the best. The piece with the fuel injectors shooting flames is GORGEOUS. And the very old car. And the startup of that 1895 stationary engine was so beautiful.

[@chrisleach2048]

I got hold of a VHS of the original series of The Secret Life of machines when I was about 14 (1988?). This was probably the start of my engineering career and many hours of fun tinkering with stuff - Thanks to Tim and Rex for the inspiration!

[@BM-jy6cb]

Thanks very much Tim H. for releasing this. Your retrospective at the end is really interesting (although ended rather abruptly!). I hope you can find the time to do the same with at least some of the other videos of the series, which i loved back in the 80's!

[@AlRoderick]

Check the channel, he's already done the first six earlier this year.

[@frankowalker4662]

This was such an entertaining and educational series. I'm enjoying them all over again. I realy love the animations. :) Thank you Tim.

[@gs425]

Thank you for allowing us to watch this again, and in far better quality. as always the commentary at the end makes the thing come alive, but it did seem to cut off quite suddenly I noticed. .

[@edwardfletcher7790]

Thank you very much for uploading these remastered gems from the original series Tim !!

[@Scuba72Chris]

This series of videos are pure gold. Thanks for uploading them, Tim.

[@wally379]

I could listen to Tim talking about the making of these programs all day!

[@780brando]

I remember watching the secret life of machines as a kid, it was one of my favorite shows. Its great to see it here & that Tim is still making videos! Thanks Tim!

[@rustymotor]

Loved the original series years ago, great to see it back and enjoy the extra content at the end. Thanks Tim for bringing the episodes back again!

[@QuietMikeW]

These remasters look so good, especially if you play the original side by side, its amazing. so glad that series 2 and 3 will be done also.

[@joro8604]

prophetic. Great to resee these gems.

[@Rick-O-Shay60]

I thought for sure one of the things remembered while filming this episode, was the mouthful of oil you took on while poking a hole in the engine's oil filter! Anyways, Thank You sir, for another fine episode of your wonderful program.

[@BerlietGBC]

I always love the fact you covered the religious aspect of the internal combustion engine witch with the rise of EV seams to have gained more supporter I have loads of older friends that constantly defend the internal combustion engine while finding any spuriously vague facts to rubbish EV. I’ve enjoyed massively re watching all the series thank you

[@craig162]

I watched all of your shows many many years ago and loved them. I'm going to watch them all over again. Thanks

[@THEMACINTOSH25]

I like Tim and Rex’s forward thinking as they have built up their historical knowledge.

[@gordonwiley2006]

Honestly, your final point combined with more versatile public transit is probably the real winner ecologically.

[@telemedic2000]

Thank you Tim, for doing these films justice. I caught these on the learning channel in the Uk many years ago, the vhs tapes long worn out. The idea that you have gone back and discussed them with a modern view is brilliant. To watch you and Rex make these, made me think that you truly enjoyed what you did, the pair of you like cheeky schoolboys! Good friends. Take care, Tim. Stay well, and once again, THANK YOU.

[@kaveia]

the burned car Stonehenge 24:01 is the first art installation that moves me.

[@jolxmrh329]

Thanks Tim ❤️

[@user-gn9tc2yp9d]

Amazing as always and lovely to see Rex and his creations!. This was fantastic! I love the commentary at end! Thank you!.

[@0ddba1l]

Was a great show Tim ... I met Rex a few times when I was doing Robot Wars. I am also not sold on electric cars, bikes yes but not cars. Once they burn they can't be stopped easy by removal of oxygen like petrol or diesel. For me it is diesel that rules due to how long they last and efficiency of them. Also 30 times less C02 than petrol if you are concerned about that.

[@MikeBramm]

I remember watching this show on PBS back in the 1980's. Great stuff.