Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (January 2002, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Wed, 2 Jan 2002 21:26:28 -0600
Reply-To:     John Rodgers <jhrodgers@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Rodgers <jhrodgers@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: Boxer Engines
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

All the recent discussion of various boxer engines and what constitutes a boxer engine, has prompted recall of an interesting but not popular piston aircraft engine. It was certified for aircraft by the FAA, but just never got off the ground..LOL!!

Anyway, I have been internet surfing tonight to try and find info on a special engine, the maker and name of which I can no longer remember.

Anyway, this thing was designed to present very little frontal area, so as to allow more streamlining of the engine cowlings. The pistons were double ended! Yup, like I said, double ended. Like a long tube with a flat on each end. A slot was cut into the tube. There were no crank throws for piston rods. The crankshaft had a waffle plate mounted on it and the slots of the pistons were fitted to the waffle plate. There were cylinder barrels that housed sealed end of the pistons. The piston cylinders were arranged in a circle around the crank shaft. There was a multi cylinder head at each end of this thing, with a spark plug for each cylinder. Once off the ground with this thing, the pilot could turn off the ignition switch and fuel to one end of the engine, and continue cruising with greater fuel economy.

The combustion pressure would force the piston slot to press against the waffle plate, forcing the waffle plate and it's associated crankshaft to rotate. In operation, the piston with its two operational ends, would force the crank to rotate.

So, here we have a single piston with two working ends opposite each other, and there could be up to 8 or 12 pistons. Being the ends were opposite each other, does this qualify to be called a "Boxer"?

Oh yes, I think it was water cooled, at least the heads.

John Rodgers 88 GL Driver.


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.