Ebay Gas Engine - Military Standard -1A08-4 - NEW w/ Manual

I'd like one just to see how the intake box is built, looks like it could be made super quiet.Would look great on a military bike build.
 
Mil-specs are very stringent. Should be a tough motor. I like the rope start too.
 
Mil-specs are very stringent. Should be a tough motor. I like the rope start too.

Mil-spec is nothing special. Some of the specs are very stringent, many aren't that hard to meet. For true rough service I would expect a flathead engine, not overhead valve, especially for an engine made in the 80's. In the 3rd world, flathead engines are the norm for small gas engines due to the ease of repair and rebuild.

We don't know what the original specs that this engine had to meet were. Obviously the engine would have had to meet power, fuel efficiency, weight, reliability, and cost factors, but we don't know in what order they were prioritized in.

The biggest thing I would be worried about is access to replacement parts. In the military, parts are never a problem

Just trying to advice caution, just because something is Mil-Spec doesn't mean it's automatically good.

Now onto the plus: After some research I find that the manufacturer, Teledyne also owns Continental Motors, which is a major manufactures of piston aircraft engines. Aircraft engines have used overhead valves since WW1, so the company that made these knows how to build OHV engines.

I find the compression ratio is listed at 6.0 to 1, which is something that could have been accomplished with a flathead engine, however they must have used OHV to improve the flow in the engine which would improve power and fuel efficiency with minimal impact on reliability at the RPM range this engine operates at. The low (for a 4 stroke) compression ratio was done to improve reliability by reducing the stresses on the moving parts and reduce the temperature of the cylinder head. It appears to use pushrod OHV which implies a gear driven camshaft, as used on many aircraft engines and NOT a chain driven OHC one, which is also good for reliability.

I also find that these originally sold to the USG for $893.00 each in 1987, so either someone made a killing on kickbacks or these engines were well built.

So, at first I was skeptical, but now, upon further research, that these engines might be something to look at. I still have concern about replacement parts, but at least the companies that built them are still in business.

Now just to figure out how the hell I could hook that up to a bike. :whistle:
 
Good point. That would be perfectly doable provided you pre-heated the fuel to get it above its flash-point. That's usually done by wrapping a length of appropriately heat resistant fuel line around the exhaust pipe. Start the engine on gasoline and then switch to kero when things warm up.

Safety Note: Before someone reading this even attempts something like this, make sure you understand the difference between "Flash-Point" temperature and "Auto-Ignition" temperature, they are NOT the same thing. Actually, having to look up the difference between the two terms is a good sign that you shouldn't try it.
 
I'd contact Teledyne to see if parts are readily available . One thing that seems to be overlooked ... Military Generator Engines run at a constant speed, and vary field current to regulate output, this is done for noise reduction. To use the engine on a bike would require some governor modifications to permit throttle response. Also, as an aircraft powerplant builder, the design is probably optimized for a limited RPM range, and may lack flexibility. While way too big to be ' legal ' the idea of a military powered, military themed bike is tasty !
 
Yea, I should have mentioned that it would need to be modded for that. One other thing I was looking at was to connect this to a car alternator and use it to charge a battery bank. My diesel generators are 120 so require a separate battery charger, which isn't good for efficiency. Something like this should be able to put out 500 watts continuous on a belt drive configuration.
 
How much does the engine weigh ? EBay ad said ' local pick up ' I'm going to write this engine off as too cool to use on a bike.
The Electro motive concept sounds cool, using a car alternator makes perfect sense, pulleys could ensure adequate speed at preferred RPM.

Here's a balbustorious idea, an electro motive trike, could jump dead batteries, provide emergency lighting, and lay down three strips of rubber [ assuming all 3 wheels are powered ] Wish I had more monolopy money to play with, and a place to park it.
 
Back
Top