Here are recent notes and some photos from Mark of the TS4 including a sound file made shortly after it was started. As far as is known, it last ran in 1968 or 69 when it was used briefly to power a stand-by generator in the Rootes factory at Coventry. That makes it almost 40 years since it has been running.
Following an extensive back-to-brand-new restoration, the Rootes TS4 prototype TS OE 65 was started for the first time at 7:00pm (Sunday 20 July 2008 NZ time) in Auckland, NZ. It was test run for 10 minutes and the engine runs very strongly.
Some of you may know that Mark Erskine in Auckland tracked down one of the 4 remaining TS4 4 cylinder prototype Rootes Diesels to where it was in storage in Ireland and imported it here to New Zealand a number of years back (the other 3 are in all museums in England and will in all probability, never run again).
Mark has worked solidly in his spare time for a number of years to restore this engine back to the way Rootes Diesel Engine Division would have built it, - it had had various modifications made in testing through being a spare 'test' engine, and Mark has had to make various components up along the way in consultation with Don K.
His dedication and commitment to seeing this rebuilt and running as a testament to the vision and work of the Rootes Engineers is simply tremendous and has to be commended by all in the old truck world and particularly all Commer enthusiasts. I would hesitate to guess at the hours he has poured into this project and he must be commended for single handedly and single mindedly working to achieve his goal.
I am guessing that Mark has put in some long hours lately expressly to have the engine up and running for Don's birthday, and an hour after first having it running, he rang Don and without telling him what was up, held the phone up to the engine and fired up it for him. As it had no exhaust system attached, I don't know why Mark used a phone, Don could probably have heard it in Bedfordshire!
It has always been Mark's intention that this engine will be installed in a Commer and be a working exhibit of this remarkable piece of engineering. This will be the only TS4 motor running and working out of the 4 prototypes that were not destroyed under orders from Chrysler. Personally, I am already trying to find an excuse to head up to Auckland.
If you want to read more of this remarkable engine, check it out here
Well done Mark and thank you for ensuring a very important part of the Rootes Diesel Engine Division history has been preserved and will be available for so many enthusiasts to enjoy and marvel at for years to come.
Notes and photos from Mark
I am sure you will join with me in congratulating Mark in the superb job he has done on rebuilding and restoring this amazing motor back to the way it would have been produced if put into production. A simply stunning job Mark.
And now to see and hear the engine in action! Click on the play button below the picture. You will need to have Quicktime installed on your computer to see and hear it. To go to a download page to find and install Quicktime on your computer;
PC Users, click here
Mac Users, click here
‘This shows the new inlet and outlet manifolds I designed and made for the engine. The engine had arrived with these items missing and they were fabricated using historical photos of the engine as guidelines. Although the blower looks the same as the TS3 blower, the impellers, drive gears, internal clearances and RPM overdrive percentage are all quite different and unique to the 4 cylinder.
Also shown is the new air chest cover that incorporates the angled injector pump mounting. Rootes Diesel Engineering Division were intending to mount the inline pumps on their side (as per 3D-199) but Chrysler took over and closed down the project before this occurred. My design for the modified air chest cover and angled pump mounting was approved by the former Rootes Diesel Engineering Division Design Manager, Don Kitchen and the former the former Rootes D.E.D Development Engineer, Bill Seaman.’
‘I mounted the fuel filter at the back of the engine to keep the height down and to place the filter in a more convenient place for changing filters in the future. Rootes had originally mounted the filters at the front of the engine, and this resulted in having to remove the passenger seating, lift the floor panel and reach into a confined space change the filter which always resulted in spilling diesel on the top of the engine. The new position means you just lean in between the back of the cab and the head-board to change the filter and the lift pump lever is also accessible from this location.’
‘The TS3 starter motor is used on the 4 cylinder and it certainly knows there is an extra cylinder to push against. The rocker cover in shot has been repaired - it arrived in NZ with large square holes cut in the side - presumably for monitoring oil pressure and other engine functions while on dyno. The rocker covers look very similar to the TS3, except the 4 cylinder covers are longer and cast in thicker aluminium.’
‘I moved the F.I pump forwards on the engine and turned it on it's side so that the injector pump delivery ports were as close to the injectors as possible to make the injector pipes as short as possible. The injector pump had been mounted vertically and at the rear of the engine (refer to original TS OE 65 photos), so the injector pipes had to be very long to reach # 1 cylinder and with all the other pipes having to be the same length and the original test bed notes showed the long pipes caused secondary injections to occur during test bed running. The new arrangement overcomes this problem.
In addition to shortening the injector pipes, the inclined mounting of the injector pump allows the engine to be installed under the floor in a Commer without having to modify the floor panels.’
‘The injector pump driveshaft was designed and made by retired diesel tech, John Banham using (new) components that would have been used for this purpose in 1967. John also bent the injector pipes to my designs and swaged the ends.
In order to make up the new low pressure piping between lift pump, filter and injector pump, I had to first make a tube bender that would draw Bundy tube around in a tight radius bend without collapsing the tube. All other tube benders I looked at gave a much larger radius bend which was not in keeping with the appearance I was looking for.’‘The finished result of my fuel injection modifications / development was always intended to look like Rootes Diesel Engineering Division had conceived and produced the work and I am pleased with the result.’
