Posted on 11/08/2023 7:29:10 AM PST by Red Badger
It took about an hour of work to make it run again, but the 14-liter engine now purrs like a big cat.
We usually associate twelve-cylinder engines with high-end cars and the occasional SUV like the Audi Q7 V12 TDI, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, or the Bentley Bentayga. However, these powerhouses have a long history of serving a far more utilitarian purpose at a work site. Such is the case here of a Detroit Diesel Series 71, a two-stroke engine that was available in both inline and V configurations.
The smallest of the lot was a single-cylinder, 1.2-liter unit while the largest one was a V16 18.6-liter behemoth. Left to rot for many years, this rusty ol' dump truck has the V12 variant with a 14-liter displacement and about 425 horsepower on tap. The 12V-71 was offered in naturally aspirated and turbocharged configurations with output varying between 394 hp to 525 hp.
In the age of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, a nearly hour-long video might seem like overkill, but we reckon it's worth every second of your time. In the prime of its life, this massive 852-cubic-inch engine hauled heavy loads at a quarry in Queensland in northeastern Australia. The Wabco Haulpak dump truck sadly didn't get the retirement it deserved as it was left for dead to make way for newer, more advanced big rigs. Such is life of heavy machinery.
It should be noted the Detroit Diesel Series 71 used a gear-driven Roots blower but it was still technically called a naturally aspirated engine by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Being dormant for an extended amount of time and exposed to the elements, it doesn't come as a surprise this dump truck had a rust hole in the intake. There was still some diesel in the tank but a fresh batch was added along with a fuel injector cleaner. The ever-dependable WD-40 was also used and a pair of batteries was installed.
If you want to jump to the best part of the video, that V12 roars again from the 54:20 mark.
Source: Bruce in AUS / YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zdtlvxBA6Y
“it was to a little kid who rode around in family cars till then—”
When I was a little kid my father’s 32 Ford with a flathead V8 was a beast!
well you were fortunate- good for you
Years ago I had a brother going through a rough patch. T-boned in a car wreck his arm was broken so he couldn’t work. And his car was totaled so he needed another ride, as cheap as possible.
A friend of his gave him a car - a 1966 Lincoln Continental - that had been resting in the damp Pacific Northwest woods for over a decade. We dragged it out of the woods and I set to determining whether or not the beast could be rejuvenated.
I did the Marvel Mystery Oil trick down the holes to get the motor unstuck and got it running with not much more than a tune-up kit and a new water pump.
My brother drove the beast for about 18 months while recovering and building up a fresh head of steam. All it ever required was regular infusions of gas - lots of gas!
https://www.youtube.com/@DieselCreek
Matt takes heavy equipment that's been abandoned for 20 years & gets them up & running.
Fun channel!
Vise Grip Down Under...
Great Story!
My husband and I ran a Delta 88 into the ground that way too. LOL!
Some of our old fire trucks had 2 stroke Detroits in them. Every morning we would pull everything out of the equipment bay and wipe up about a 3’x5’ pool of oil. On Saturday we put 3-5 quarts of oil in them.
That was considered normal leakage and consumption.
If you matted the throttle from a stop it would blow a black cloud of smoke that would block out the sun, and you about had to mat it to get it rolling.
Ah, the good old days.
Lubricate. Most misused product...ever. 🤣
We used to recover junked outboards that had sunk in saltwater either at a dock or in the harbor and written off by insurance. We used fresh water, then isopropol alcohol followed by drying then a soak in a 55-gal drum of MMO to free the engine up. 1-3 months to get a new/used outboard engine. Most ocean-working ppl on the island had 3 or more outboards to swap when one had a problem.
Those engines were really on a Magical Mystery Tour! :-)
EVs do exactly the same thing, no?
Yeah, riiiiight....................
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