That bearing liner didn't look to be much chewed up at all. That makes me think that the grease gorilla that last worked on that engine was told "tighten the bolts until you hear a click", but he didn't have a torque wrench.
Ты кого называешь гориллой? Это была война Русские люди работали на износ по 20 часов чтобы разбить фашистскую Германию так же работали и дети на сборке танков. Не следует тебе так выражаться, поостерегись
@@Александрович-ф7щ Sigh. You completely misinterpreted what I said. Given the fantasy news and history climate there at the moment, I'm not really surprised. By "gorilla" I meant a large, strong, but not necessarily bright man. In this case I postulated that he was given instructions, but the wrong tools. He followed the instructions to the letter, but got bad results by not knowing he was using the wrong tools. In case you still think I'm making fun of Russians, I'll point out two things: 1. "Gorilla" is VERY commonly used in this exact sense in the English world to describe ANY worker, English, American, or other, that acts this way. 2. This engine was rebuilt not too long ago, most likely by someone in the UK. Therefore this 'gorilla' would be English, not Russian.
@@Александрович-ф7щ Эти гориллы прежде чем запускать мотор масло не поменяли, потом при снятии долбанули его. Но обслуживали его конечно _грязные гориллы_ без динамометрического ключа, _ага_. Ещё и сообщение это закрепил. Тьфу. Дизлайк и отписка.
There known for catching fires. Especially during WWII, the fact that it was running and driving a few months ago is "MIND BLOWING"! That crap oil should of made the tank run like shit...or not run at all.... surprised it didn't turn into Tar/sludge.
If the engine was used during combat conditions it would have failed within minutes. It's evident this engine like most WW2 tanks still in working order today are never used under what is called military power, power needed to charge across a battlefield.
If we knew anything about the story/history of this named T-34-85 than we would know if it was abused and mistreated or was really in a war/battle. If anything, this could be a T-34-85 that never made it to the front because the war ended, or its factory was damaged/destroyed.
Dude, your channel is awesome! I used to be a Diesel mechanic that worked on heavy equipment and big rigs up until I got too sick to work. Your content brings back a lot of great memories, I seriously cant wait to be out of this bed and back to work. Until then I got yall to thank for many hours of entertainment and teaching me some new techniques ill be trying out as soon as i get back in the shop! Much love and respect from Denver, Colorado :D
I'm in the same position I used to work on trucks Arthritis got me and had to give it up really enjoy his videos another channel worth watching is Chris Allen the professional struggler mobile mechanic
Greetings from Russia. You will need to center the engine with the gearbox. You can't just remove the engine and reinstall it. The plate that secures the gearbox to the tank hull is very important. It is fixed with precision bolts, which should not have a gap. This plate is unique for each tank. Be careful with the fan, do not damage it.
@@andrewsmart2949it’s not something you have to bear the weight for, nor should. Don’t forgot how it originally started. Not his fault nor is it yours nor is it mine. The world is beautiful
Any tank engine will continue running while damaged if not used at it's full military power I.e. the engine power needed to charge across a battlefield.
The knackered bits at the back are the oil scroll assembly, a sort of non contact oil seal. Most vintage engines had a similar setup. The inner collar has a coarse thread that winds the oil back in to the sump, and should run about five thou clearance. I think that boat's sailed. The weird plate is an oil flinger that keeps the oil away from the scroll. The broken housing controls the crank end float.
People like to rip on the methods in Pakistan but the results are undeniable. They just make stuff work. Absolutely no tooth paste in the tube when they are done.
I'd take it to a skilled engine machinist, you never know, they could fix it by machining new parts, welding them on and regrinding. I've seen skilled guys do amazing things to fix engines.
The projected time for the engine was about 1500 hours. They lasted 150 hours but in the real world it was closer to 30 hours. Engines made after were far better
And the specific failure isn't surprising as well because the pressure curve of the cycle is very steep while the compound crankshaft isn't balanced well. So, unfortunately, a good makeover of such an engine would have to include not just replacing some dough-grade bolts and shitty hoses but effectively reengineering some stuff. That's what you get when you take a BMW VI aircraft gasoline engine, make a tank gasoline engine out of it (M-17), then turn it into a diesel high-RPM engine.
Great video, really enthralling. Your comment of “Only one finger in the bottom” rather threw us all off. Clearly she has been round the block a few times!
How impressive for an engine its age, completely destroyed major components while not sizing operations. Did exactly what a Tank engine should, taken major damage while it keeps the vehicle moving. Hopefully you can find an engine you can use, I'm a huge fan of this project and would love to see that vehicle moving under its own power again.
as Joe was pulling the fan / flywheel / clutch assembly off the crank .. i'm sure i wasn't the only person thinking ' that looks hell of a heavy .. break out the fork-lift & an endless loop '
WOW!!!!! What a great video!!! Never in my wildest dream did I think I’d be walked through the tear down of a WWII T-34 engine which surprisingly suffered a self inflicted catastrophic event that exhibited only minor symptoms!!! My dad is a WWII vet (Marine, pacific theatre). He said most of the military equipment was designed around a projected lifespan of survival expectancy, i .e. quantity vs. quality was generally the design criteria. The equipment just wasn’t designed to last past its expected use. I don’t know what the expected lifespan of a T-34 tanker is, but I’d bet the T-34 and the Soviet operator had a lot in common on the survivability spreadsheet.
@@TestECull Wow! My dad was a B.A.R. operator (Browning Automatic Rifle). He said he was taught to fire short bursts and to never stand (or lay) in the same spot after pulling the trigger to avoid the concentrated fire being returned to neutralize his position. He said he was told prior to his first landing that his life expectancy was under 60 seconds. Hence my dad was notorious for telling us kids that there was only 60 seconds in a minute and we were expected to make each of them count! Also, if you weren’t moving at 60 paces a minute you weren’t moving fast enough! LOL
@@MrSeeuu Stalin's steategy, especially early in Operation Barbarossa, was to *quite literally* clog Tiger tracks with bodies until the Germans had no choice but to turn back. Losses meant nothing to him. A T34 that survived 25 hours of combat was a hero tank and it's a large part of why there are so few 76mm and Zis-S-53 armed T-34s left in the world. They all got blowed up.
@@TestECull Thank you so much for the history lesson. That data just boggles my mind. Trying to comprehend the mindset it took to not see the reality of their situation and continue to move forward under overwhelming statistics of doom is unimaginable. Being 16 years old or so and looking down the barrel of finality, I suspect hope for survival becomes your only attainable strategy. How tragic.
@@MrSeeuu It wasnt a hard choice to make. They either push forward and have a chance to survive, or they retreat and die for sure. Stalin was a cruel son of a bitch and issued orders to shoot retreating Soviet troops...
Your detailed evaluation of the engine and its components during teardown provides us with an excellent example of "automotive archaeology." One can't help but appreciate how the Russians cranked out these tanks in great numbers given the challenges and limitations created by rudimentary production processes and inconsistent quality in raw materials and components! Add to that the stresses associated with combat and primitive maintenance facilities. The Russians simply had to make do with what they had available to them. Well done, sir!
Getting an old eastern block engine just now. You might have to put that on hold for a while. I cannot believe it was still running! Calm in a crisis. Great video.
Your videos are the UA-cam highlight of the week! So close to 100K! It’s a testimony to Russian engineering that with all that damage, you still had it running, sort off.😅
@@mikehunt3222 meh, still beat ze germans and their wonderwaffen, and as currents events unfold, German cats are burning on the steppe again 😆🤣 Better is the enemy of good enough!
@@mikehunt3222 an engine that's been built 80 years when resources were scarce in Russia broke down in 2023? no way, must've been the Russian engineering 🤦♂
I served my Apprenticeship on The Spanners in The 1970s. I have worked on most of the commercial Engines that are out there and I don't think that I have ever seen an Engine with that much scrap Metal in the Sump as this one. That was something else.
Wow that much damage and it still ran No car engine couod ever do that it shows what kind of design gose into building a tank. Love ur channel keep it up buddy
Totally correct. Scroll seals in my old engineering books. BMC A and B series engine used them. Oil tight until you stopped overnight and then you had a puddle. Also known as rust preventative system. Brit motorcycles used them as well. Hence the joke that you checked your bike had oil by inserting your toecap underneath.
@@1chish I used to race a yamaha TZ750 two stroke 4 cyl in the days. They used to have labyrinth seals between the cylinders. The more air you pumped, the more effective they became. Never gave me any trouble running at 10500 revs.
I suggest you ask the Australian Armor and Calvary Museum for any advice needed as they are experts on restoring tanks. If you need any help I'm sure you can just give them a call, as they have their own restored T-34-85.
My guess was the crank had snapped. Had it in a Rolls Royce truck engine and it was still running and it had six cylinders less Some tank engine that when you see inside it
You guys might think that engine is done but it would be gold to a person or organization (with deeper pockets),. Frankly that engine could be rebuilt though it would require some custom casting and machining obviously. I couldn't even guess where one would find head gaskets for that beast!
Brilliant video and nice hoodie Couldn't watch when you lifted the fan and clutch off 😮 Then the gap on the crank measurement in fingers cracked me up 😅
Even though not for an eternity I have watched enough of what you do to believe that if you can get the parts, you and your crew can fix the T34 and of that I have no doubt. :)
That "welcome back" at the beginning, with your new microphone, made you sound like the BBC , The rest could not have been more interesting if it were the opening of an ancient tomb . Excellent!
Its not scrap yet, the main bearing shell locations can be line bored out and new shells made to suit. The crankshaft journals can be spray metalled if they are chewed up. You arent going to be facing the Panzers so you can get away with a repaired engine if you dont rip the arse out of it.
Eh it's roached. The main caps are hammered oblong as hell and that means the block's also way off in the rhubarb. You ain't gonna line-bore and shell a half inch of play out of the main bearings.
@@stephenhunter70 And before you put bearings in you line bore the block and caps so the bearings have round holes to sit in. Only, this block and these caps are so fucked up that you cannot simply line bore it, throw bearings in, and call it a day. To repair this engine you would have to build back up all the wear FIRST, then line bore it standard size, THEN put bearings in it. Given russia is still making this family of engine to this day I dont see the point; these things in one form or another are in T-80s and are anything but rare.
@@stephenhunter70 Hah. Maybe. Truly sad part of it is Russia's straight up unmothballing t62s at this point. I'm pretty sure the engine in a T62 would be a direct bolt in.
The bronze rings at the clutch end and the front end were labyrinth seals. One part should have fins and the other be smooth. It is often used as an oil retention system for harsh duty as it is more robust than a rubber lip seal. They are still used on big power generation today
holy hell how did it run in that state?! amazing. my theory is that at some point in it's life it was knocked out and then rebuilt hastily in the field from other tanks that were worse off. some serious impact sheared those bolts cleanly like that. great videos guys, keep us in the loop!
You can be sure that this tank was damaged. It is very unlikely that this tank did not participate in the battles. But one day I was at a tank factory where there are several dozen tanks from World War I and World War II. I was incredibly surprised when we rode a very well-preserved T-34 of the first version with a small cannon. A factory employee told me that this tank has never been in combat! This is very strange, because it was in St. Petersburg.
A but if a far shot But maybe - It was being field repaired and was struck by an 88mm shell - obviously failed to detonate but shook the internals a tad. So, gulp of vodka bit if putty and paint re fitted and off to play against the Panzers and Tigers. Should have been noted in the service logs lol. Loving your videos. High respect and regards to you all.
amazing the thing actually ran... and judging from the state those shells are in from the broken journal, it happen quite a while ago but, I'd still pull the crank and get it checked, if it is reasonably straight and replacement shells could be bought, then the caps could be easily machined on cnc, it is like a zero issue, had I been closer and not a water channel and couple thousand km away, I'd actually offer to 3d scan them and machine new ones for material cost just to see if it could be made run again I mean there is probably some more things to discover on it, but it did run... so I'm guessing it could be repaired to a reasonably reliable state still, if the crank is not all bent out of shape that is
Even if the crank is bent they can straighten it. I bet one of the bearings in the back got bad and put a lot of pressure on those bolts which look no bigger than 5/16’s and that’s what sheared them off and wiped out the rest of the bearings.
@@mikehunt3222 I think there was a leaky injector also somewhere, so could have also been (I don't know the English expression for this) hydraulic "hammer" when the piston couldn't compress all the diesel that leaked into the cylinder
@@dsfs17987 that does sound like the most plausible explanation because that would give it a good shock when trying to compress too much fuel. And we call it hydro locking.
one funny information here. T-34 engine still under using in some of T-55, T-62, T-72, T-90 and soviet/russian self propelled artilleries, self propelled mortars, APCs, IFVs, PT-76 floatable light tank. all with modified horsepower set. so you can find it's parts very easily. so if you need some spare part, search for the destroyed one of them and take some engine parts from it.
The next time you spin the nuts off studs that hold the oil sump at the bottom of an engine block, put a wooden block between that block and the top of the sump, or oil pan. Be certain that there's a gap between them so that you can put the pry bar between them. This will prevent any damage to the oil sump. Look at the damage you did to the corner of that sump. This will cause oil seepage between those two surfaces.
No, they certainly won't be using that engine, not with that block in such terrible condition. They'll be trying to find another one of them. I'll forgive you for being that obvious about that engine.
100k subscribers. Good job lads. Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. The two/one fingers remark cracked me up as well 😂
You have to give credit to the Russians for building an amazing engine like the V2, when your goal with a T34 is to always go forward no matter what, the engine damage shows a what a great design it is, the tank can still fight, amazing.
dude, that thing was one high rev away from blowing up, it is a small miracle it didn't, this wasn't going on for hours, more likely happened when he was fiddling with injection pump, he even said one or more injectors were leaking, and what most likely happened, he stopped it, but pressure in rail kept diesel leaking into a cylinder or two, and once he cranked it again, the piston went up and tried to compress that liquid, which it couldn't, and that caused the piston to push the crank down into the caps, the smaller (narrow) ones deformed, the larger one just broke apart there couldn't have been almost any oil pressure, so the damage isn't limited to just the bottom end, but it might be salvageable, he'd become a legend if me made this thing into a reliable engine again, and I hope he does just that, instead of the easy way of getting another one
Russian WW2 records show the V2 engine had a life span of 125 miles under combat conditions I.e. under what is called military power that was needed under combat conditions. The V2 engine was a good engine when not pushed beyond what was needed to get to the rail yard from the factory and from the rail head to frontline positions.
@@fasttruckmanthis isn’t wholly true. By 1943-44, the 6th guards tank army was seeing 250-300hr service intervals on their T-34 engines. This is pretty much the same as the R975 radial found in the Sherman, which in 1945 the army reported would last about 250-300hrs. The Chrysler multi bank when tested at Aberdeen in 44’ ran about 350-400. The V-2 was a fine engine that was on par with engines seen in other comparable tanks. 125 hour is simply wrong by the time it found it’s way into the 34/85
@@HE-162 the air filters were what was killing these engines. Next what was dying was clutch and gearbox. Going further into the war, V-2s were dying less and less mainly because of improvement made to air filters. Whats really funny is that as soviet tanker, you never knew what quality you'll get next as replacement, you could get a tank that drove for 400hrs or you would get one that would fail catastrophically after rolling from the train. V-2 was not in any shape or form on par with engines found in Shermans or even in fkin Panzer 4. They were rushed modernisation of BT-7m engine with pretty much no strengthening made to to push a lot more mass that was found on BT-7. It was not a miracle of an engine, it was exactly what they had on hand, and soviets packed it with all the unsolved problems that it brought with it. They had to solve problems on the go, not before setting up the production. They even fitted some number of T-34 with straight on MT-17.
Mais , ou sont passés tous ces moteurs et ces chars ?? Des milliers , Russes , Allemands , US, et autres ?? ça parait incroyable ...Bon courage pour cette restauration ...A+
Still looking for an engine here in Manchester............. When that panther tank is gaining on you...this is all you need.... Nothing like a good sandwich length strip down vid....👍 N x
my guess would be rear main destroys itself for some reason then zero oil pressure to other main bearings crank chews up the main bearing shells and shes done the grooved ring behind clutch ring looks like a oil slinger type seal Gardner used them in LXBs looking forward to T34 rebuild
Just put it back together and run as V11 ;) Might be worth reaching to some Polish places where they keep T34-85. They might have or know where to get a "new" one.
Another amazing video, I think the glue might even work 🙂 And not wanting to educate you, I have to explain anyway, that it is either Czech or Slovak, two different languages, Russian is a completely different one. With the first two I can help, if needed, since I am of the Czech nationality 🙂
It only looks like the rear main bearing cap was broken... Hope you can get another. The wear on each main bearing is most likely limited to just the main bearing shells. ( maybe just £25 a set from Halfords.) Best of luck with the repair...
There basically the same engine used in most soviet tanks and is still used in the T90. Of course, parts are in a bit of demand at the moment for some reason.
I have seen an engine that dropped a middle main bearing cap. Due to person forgetting to tighten the bolts on it. It ran fine just a bit of drop in oil pressure. Upon returning we hit a large hump in road the dropped cap flew up off bottom of oil pan and got wacked by spinning crank and jettisoned out the bottom of oil pan.
I did want to add that the breakage of the main caps is very strange given the crank output shaft (the end that looks like the origin of the failure) loads should be supported as to not present a shearing force to the crankshaft. So, perhaps something else has failed which either does not support the output loads properly or the engine to output loads are not aligned. I think it would be good to understand the exact cause of the failure because it is not the caps breaking due to normal engine combustion loads. Perhaps the engine mounts? or some other main shaft support housing on the transmission?
Absolute gutter, and after all the faffing with the fuel pump too. Mind you, you’ve got the knowledge now, and a few decent spares, so hopefully if you source another engine, it’ll all come good.
The forces involved inside an internal combustion engine even on tickover are huge, I could easily see that damage occurring in seconds the moment the rear bearing failed, I don't know what the tickover of a V 12 tank engine is but if you take 500 rpm as a guesstimate that huge,heavy crank is flying round 8 times every second and most of the wear looked very fresh.
Joe, Continue to thoroughly enjoy each episode you release especially your explanations of what you are doing. Also, nice to see progress thought each of your individual projects. I may have missed an earlier presentation but it would be nice to know the others that help you out and how they fit into the team. Great you have sourced another engine for the T34. Peter
That bearing liner didn't look to be much chewed up at all. That makes me think that the grease gorilla that last worked on that engine was told "tighten the bolts until you hear a click", but he didn't have a torque wrench.
that click being the oils pan cracking
@@DRUNKRUSSAIN2 Or the threads shearing off...
Ты кого называешь гориллой? Это была война Русские люди работали на износ по 20 часов чтобы разбить фашистскую Германию так же работали и дети на сборке танков. Не следует тебе так выражаться, поостерегись
@@Александрович-ф7щ Sigh. You completely misinterpreted what I said. Given the fantasy news and history climate there at the moment, I'm not really surprised.
By "gorilla" I meant a large, strong, but not necessarily bright man. In this case I postulated that he was given instructions, but the wrong tools. He followed the instructions to the letter, but got bad results by not knowing he was using the wrong tools. In case you still think I'm making fun of Russians, I'll point out two things:
1. "Gorilla" is VERY commonly used in this exact sense in the English world to describe ANY worker, English, American, or other, that acts this way.
2. This engine was rebuilt not too long ago, most likely by someone in the UK. Therefore this 'gorilla' would be English, not Russian.
@@Александрович-ф7щ Эти гориллы прежде чем запускать мотор масло не поменяли, потом при снятии долбанули его.
Но обслуживали его конечно _грязные гориллы_ без динамометрического ключа, _ага_.
Ещё и сообщение это закрепил. Тьфу. Дизлайк и отписка.
I mean to be fair keeping running even when catastrophically damaged is *exactly* what you want out of a tank engine!
It was most certainly on its last legs and would not last much longer before catastrophic failure.
There known for catching fires. Especially during WWII, the fact that it was running and driving a few months ago is "MIND BLOWING"! That crap oil should of made the tank run like shit...or not run at all.... surprised it didn't turn into Tar/sludge.
@@itz_lexiii_ Or it could have been in decent shape and someone ran it without the proper fluids.
If the engine was used during combat conditions it would have failed within minutes. It's evident this engine like most WW2 tanks still in working order today are never used under what is called military power, power needed to charge across a battlefield.
If we knew anything about the story/history of this named T-34-85 than we would know if it was abused and mistreated or was really in a war/battle. If anything, this could be a T-34-85 that never made it to the front because the war ended, or its factory was damaged/destroyed.
“2 (fingers) in the top but only 1 in the bottom” the missus thought that was hilarious 😂😂
Dude, your channel is awesome! I used to be a Diesel mechanic that worked on heavy equipment and big rigs up until I got too sick to work. Your content brings back a lot of great memories, I seriously cant wait to be out of this bed and back to work. Until then I got yall to thank for many hours of entertainment and teaching me some new techniques ill be trying out as soon as i get back in the shop! Much love and respect from Denver, Colorado :D
Nice, Dude. Get well soon eh.
Get well soon, Sam the Spam.
I'm in the same position I used to work on trucks Arthritis got me and had to give it up really enjoy his videos another channel worth watching is Chris Allen the professional struggler mobile mechanic
what a chad hope you get alright
to everyone who commented; thanks for all the kind words! made my day :D
The half laugh half anguished cry from you is truly haunting. . . I'm impressed at your Stoicism. I would be weeping
Greetings from Russia. You will need to center the engine with the gearbox. You can't just remove the engine and reinstall it. The plate that secures the gearbox to the tank hull is very important. It is fixed with precision bolts, which should not have a gap. This plate is unique for each tank. Be careful with the fan, do not damage it.
@@andrewsmart2949 cuck.
@@andrewsmart2949it’s not something you have to bear the weight for, nor should. Don’t forgot how it originally started. Not his fault nor is it yours nor is it mine. The world is beautiful
@@John-B-Goodenough yeah but i can apologise for my own countrys stuipidity for joining in the shitshow that should not be
@@andrewsmart2949 Kicking out a tyrant makes 100% sense to me.
@@Dave5843-d9m so do you think palastine should be given back to the palistinans?
This channel is rather special.... Not just the content but the way you present the content as well. Great stuff!
Exactly!!
Crank bearing clearances are normally measured in thousandths of an inch. This one's measured in fingers!
It's a testament to the durability of the machine that even with that level of engine damage it kept on running 😊😮
Any tank engine will continue running while damaged if not used at it's full military power I.e. the engine power needed to charge across a battlefield.
To be fair, it depends. How long has it been running like this, how long would it continue? I'm inclined to think it was about to get far worse.....
Хоть один адекватный комментарий…👌🏻
The knackered bits at the back are the oil scroll assembly, a sort of non contact oil seal. Most vintage engines had a similar setup. The inner collar has a coarse thread that winds the oil back in to the sump, and should run about five thou clearance. I think that boat's sailed. The weird plate is an oil flinger that keeps the oil away from the scroll. The broken housing controls the crank end float.
These oil control systems were in common use up to the mid 1960s
Watching you pull that giant fan off the crank was the most genuinely suspenseful thing I have seen in a long time...😳
Glad to see/hear the body mic. Nice move.
A street mechanic from Pakistan would weld that broken piece back on and have that engine running in no time , I've watched their repair video's
People like to rip on the methods in Pakistan but the results are undeniable. They just make stuff work. Absolutely no tooth paste in the tube when they are done.
And it WOULD be broken again in no time, being worked on by those hacks....
2 fingers in the top and stuggle with one in the bottom, hey.
Yeah, I think a lot of us can relate to that.
It didn't sound that bad at all. Amazing with that much internal damage. That's one tuff old SOB!
Loving the journey on this tank and the Minion talkover when you speed it up; currently in hospital and it's keeping my spirits up.
I'd take it to a skilled engine machinist, you never know, they could fix it by machining new parts, welding them on and regrinding. I've seen skilled guys do amazing things to fix engines.
Well, the best-projected runtime for V-2 engines was 1000 hours, the typical worst - 300 hours. So it doesn't seem like a huge surprise.
The projected time for the engine was about 1500 hours. They lasted 150 hours but in the real world it was closer to 30 hours. Engines made after were far better
And the specific failure isn't surprising as well because the pressure curve of the cycle is very steep while the compound crankshaft isn't balanced well.
So, unfortunately, a good makeover of such an engine would have to include not just replacing some dough-grade bolts and shitty hoses but effectively reengineering some stuff.
That's what you get when you take a BMW VI aircraft gasoline engine, make a tank gasoline engine out of it (M-17), then turn it into a diesel high-RPM engine.
Scrap for sure.
@@gilleyb1900 Or one hell of a coffee table :)
Just waiting for someone selling you another duff engine saying it ran great 😂
I am loving the restoration of the t34
Nice to see more detailed mechanical work, and the digging in to see what's wrong.
Wow that is unbelievable it was running and driving in the tank with that amount of damage
Some engines have a lot more resilience than people give them credit for
Quite impressive indeed although that is precisely the level of reliability of a tank engine, that should be able to run till it's last breath.
Well at least the crankshaft was not seized at all !!! It had plenty of play to run freely😄
Great video, really enthralling. Your comment of “Only one finger in the bottom” rather threw us all off. Clearly she has been round the block a few times!
I love that the crank has so much play that the piston skirts have hit the engine casting below🤣
How impressive for an engine its age, completely destroyed major components while not sizing operations. Did exactly what a Tank engine should, taken major damage while it keeps the vehicle moving. Hopefully you can find an engine you can use, I'm a huge fan of this project and would love to see that vehicle moving under its own power again.
as Joe was pulling the fan / flywheel / clutch assembly off the crank .. i'm sure i wasn't the only person thinking ' that looks hell of a heavy .. break out the fork-lift & an endless loop '
and when he revealed his plan .. i was only slightly less worried , but as he said , nobody died
Just discovered your channel last week and it’s totally unique.
Great content, great banter with everyone.
WOW!!!!! What a great video!!! Never in my wildest dream did I think I’d be walked through the tear down of a WWII T-34 engine which surprisingly suffered a self inflicted catastrophic event that exhibited only minor symptoms!!!
My dad is a WWII vet (Marine, pacific theatre). He said most of the military equipment was designed around a projected lifespan of survival expectancy, i .e. quantity vs. quality was generally the design criteria. The equipment just wasn’t designed to last past its expected use. I don’t know what the expected lifespan of a T-34 tanker is, but I’d bet the T-34 and the Soviet operator had a lot in common on the survivability spreadsheet.
25 hours was considered long in the tooth for them. They were literally considered to be disposable.
@@TestECull Wow! My dad was a B.A.R. operator (Browning Automatic Rifle). He said he was taught to fire short bursts and to never stand (or lay) in the same spot after pulling the trigger to avoid the concentrated fire being returned to neutralize his position. He said he was told prior to his first landing that his life expectancy was under 60 seconds. Hence my dad was notorious for telling us kids that there was only 60 seconds in a minute and we were expected to make each of them count! Also, if you weren’t moving at 60 paces a minute you weren’t moving fast enough! LOL
@@MrSeeuu Stalin's steategy, especially early in Operation Barbarossa, was to *quite literally* clog Tiger tracks with bodies until the Germans had no choice but to turn back. Losses meant nothing to him. A T34 that survived 25 hours of combat was a hero tank and it's a large part of why there are so few 76mm and Zis-S-53 armed T-34s left in the world. They all got blowed up.
@@TestECull Thank you so much for the history lesson. That data just boggles my mind. Trying to comprehend the mindset it took to not see the reality of their situation and continue to move forward under overwhelming statistics of doom is unimaginable. Being 16 years old or so and looking down the barrel of finality, I suspect hope for survival becomes your only attainable strategy. How tragic.
@@MrSeeuu It wasnt a hard choice to make. They either push forward and have a chance to survive, or they retreat and die for sure. Stalin was a cruel son of a bitch and issued orders to shoot retreating Soviet troops...
Your detailed evaluation of the engine and its components during teardown provides us with an excellent example of "automotive archaeology." One can't help but appreciate how the Russians cranked out these tanks in great numbers given the challenges and limitations created by rudimentary production processes and inconsistent quality in raw materials and components! Add to that the stresses associated with combat and primitive maintenance facilities. The Russians simply had to make do with what they had available to them. Well done, sir!
The firing of each cylinder would have been like hammer blows to the crankshaft.
It did well to keep running.
Hope a replacement can be found 🤞🙏
Getting an old eastern block engine just now. You might have to put that on hold for a while. I cannot believe it was still running! Calm in a crisis. Great video.
Your videos are the UA-cam highlight of the week! So close to 100K! It’s a testimony to Russian engineering that with all that damage, you still had it running, sort off.😅
But it’s probably the Russian engineering that is the reason it broke in the first place.
@@mikehunt3222 meh, still beat ze germans and their wonderwaffen, and as currents events unfold, German cats are burning on the steppe again 😆🤣 Better is the enemy of good enough!
@@mikehunt3222 an engine that's been built 80 years when resources were scarce in Russia broke down in 2023? no way, must've been the Russian engineering 🤦♂
@@korana6308 reverse engineering all right.
And that thing still ran. Incredible !
(I Wonder how many more miles it would av ran for.)
Thanks for the video mr Hughes
All of a sudden I hear Moriarty from Kelly's Heroes exclaiming "It's a piece of junk!!"
I served my Apprenticeship on The Spanners in The 1970s. I have worked on most of the commercial Engines that are out there and I don't think that I have ever seen an Engine with that much scrap Metal in the Sump as this one. That was something else.
What a shame. Sorry to see that the main bearings are that worn out. I wish You guys well on Your new quest of finding a replacement engine.
Wow that much damage and it still ran
No car engine couod ever do that
it shows what kind of design gose into building a tank.
Love ur channel keep it up buddy
That seal is probably a labyrinth seal. Designed to seal using centrifugal force. Very common on old engines
You Sir, are correct.
I call them screw seal.
Totally correct. Scroll seals in my old engineering books.
BMC A and B series engine used them. Oil tight until you stopped overnight and then you had a puddle. Also known as rust preventative system.
Brit motorcycles used them as well. Hence the joke that you checked your bike had oil by inserting your toecap underneath.
@@1chish I used to race a yamaha TZ750 two stroke 4 cyl in the days. They used to have labyrinth seals between the cylinders. The more air you pumped, the more effective they became. Never gave me any trouble running at 10500 revs.
Still found in the sectional shaft seals of a lot of turbine engines, though more modern engines tend to use brush seals where possible.
I suggest you ask the Australian Armor and Calvary Museum for any advice needed as they are experts on restoring tanks. If you need any help I'm sure you can just give them a call, as they have their own restored T-34-85.
MASTER MILO he has 5 of those and is in the netherlands.
@@janmachiels5905 he knows how hard it is now to get those engines i think hes not gonna sell one, and they are not the same
@janmachiels5905 hé has spoken mastermilo before about this engine asking questions about it. So i think hé knows how many engines hé has
My guess was the crank had snapped.
Had it in a Rolls Royce truck engine and it was still running and it had six cylinders less
Some tank engine that when you see inside it
Your expansive array of fire extinguishers is confidence inspiring.
They have them for a reason. They had a bit of an incident earlier lol
Hi Joe, I've looking forward to this video!! Away we go!!! Ah, what a shame, tough break. John
What a mess! Amazed that thing still ran..
You are absolutely correct. There is some main bearing failure. One rear bearing even came off. You need to turn the crank and get new main bearings.
More to the point how did you get hold of one of Lord Mucks hoodies ?
He must hold you in high regard ! Great video mr Hewes 👍
You guys might think that engine is done but it would be gold to a person or organization (with deeper pockets),. Frankly that engine could be rebuilt though it would require some custom casting and machining obviously. I couldn't even guess where one would find head gaskets for that beast!
"Very low hours, runs, drives, hardly smokes" Jack will buy it :)
Compulsive viewing - thank you and looking forward to seeing if a decent replacement can be sourced.
MasterMilo has some spare engines lying around 👍
@@rjansen6874 the MasterMilo channel still exist .
Brilliant video and nice hoodie
Couldn't watch when you lifted the fan and clutch off 😮
Then the gap on the crank measurement in fingers cracked me up 😅
Whilst it was last still running, you could have dropped an egg into the sump, it seems to work on radiators
Brilliant video as always
That is an impressive piece of engineering, respect. Considering it's so old. I hope you can get the tank running again, cheers from Finland :)
Master Milo has 2 or 3 engines in his stock.
You never know he may be up for some swaps lol
Jes .master Milo have 4 on Stock
Even though not for an eternity I have watched enough of what you do to believe that if you can get the parts, you and your crew can fix the T34 and of that I have no doubt. :)
I can’t believe it even ran with all that engine damage 😂😂
That "welcome back" at the beginning, with your new microphone, made you sound like the BBC , The rest could not have been more interesting if it were the opening of an ancient tomb . Excellent!
I was on the edge of my seal during the teardown. Really great and well filmed and edited. Interestng to see where you go next. Coolio!!
Top tip: When bringing dormant engines back to life, the oil pressure gauge is your friend.
Its not scrap yet, the main bearing shell locations can be line bored out and new shells made to suit. The crankshaft journals can be spray metalled if they are chewed up. You arent going to be facing the Panzers so you can get away with a repaired engine if you dont rip the arse out of it.
Eh it's roached. The main caps are hammered oblong as hell and that means the block's also way off in the rhubarb. You ain't gonna line-bore and shell a half inch of play out of the main bearings.
@@TestECull The shells all need to be replaced, not line bored.
@@stephenhunter70 And before you put bearings in you line bore the block and caps so the bearings have round holes to sit in. Only, this block and these caps are so fucked up that you cannot simply line bore it, throw bearings in, and call it a day. To repair this engine you would have to build back up all the wear FIRST, then line bore it standard size, THEN put bearings in it. Given russia is still making this family of engine to this day I dont see the point; these things in one form or another are in T-80s and are anything but rare.
@@TestECull Me neither maybe the communications breakdown right now with Russia might have a bearing on it.
@@stephenhunter70 Hah. Maybe. Truly sad part of it is Russia's straight up unmothballing t62s at this point. I'm pretty sure the engine in a T62 would be a direct bolt in.
Thanks always learn something new from your great videos I have had 2 engines go bang that was some going Mr Hewes
Genuinly impressive that it ran for as long as it did.
Whatever I expected of today. It wasn't seeing a T34 engine get taken apart so thank you very much for making my day.
Keep up the good work. You guys are awesome.
The bronze rings at the clutch end and the front end were labyrinth seals. One part should have fins and the other be smooth. It is often used as an oil retention system for harsh duty as it is more robust than a rubber lip seal. They are still used on big power generation today
holy hell how did it run in that state?! amazing. my theory is that at some point in it's life it was knocked out and then rebuilt hastily in the field from other tanks that were worse off. some serious impact sheared those bolts cleanly like that. great videos guys, keep us in the loop!
You can be sure that this tank was damaged. It is very unlikely that this tank did not participate in the battles. But one day I was at a tank factory where there are several dozen tanks from World War I and World War II. I was incredibly surprised when we rode a very well-preserved T-34 of the first version with a small cannon. A factory employee told me that this tank has never been in combat! This is very strange, because it was in St. Petersburg.
A but if a far shot But maybe -
It was being field repaired and was struck by an 88mm shell - obviously failed to detonate but shook the internals a tad.
So, gulp of vodka bit if putty and paint re fitted and off to play against the Panzers and Tigers.
Should have been noted in the service logs lol.
Loving your videos.
High respect and regards to you all.
amazing the thing actually ran... and judging from the state those shells are in from the broken journal, it happen quite a while ago
but, I'd still pull the crank and get it checked, if it is reasonably straight and replacement shells could be bought, then the caps could be easily machined on cnc, it is like a zero issue, had I been closer and not a water channel and couple thousand km away, I'd actually offer to 3d scan them and machine new ones for material cost just to see if it could be made run again
I mean there is probably some more things to discover on it, but it did run... so I'm guessing it could be repaired to a reasonably reliable state still, if the crank is not all bent out of shape that is
Even if the crank is bent they can straighten it. I bet one of the bearings in the back got bad and put a lot of pressure on those bolts which look no bigger than 5/16’s and that’s what sheared them off and wiped out the rest of the bearings.
@@mikehunt3222 I think there was a leaky injector also somewhere, so could have also been (I don't know the English expression for this) hydraulic "hammer" when the piston couldn't compress all the diesel that leaked into the cylinder
@@dsfs17987 that does sound like the most plausible explanation because that would give it a good shock when trying to compress too much fuel. And we call it hydro locking.
@@mikehunt3222 locking, don't know why I couldn't remember that, thank you.
@@dsfs17987 probably just a brain fart. I get lots of those the older I get.
one funny information here. T-34 engine still under using in some of T-55, T-62, T-72, T-90 and soviet/russian self propelled artilleries, self propelled mortars, APCs, IFVs, PT-76 floatable light tank. all with modified horsepower set. so you can find it's parts very easily. so if you need some spare part, search for the destroyed one of them and take some engine parts from it.
The next time you spin the nuts off studs that hold the oil sump at the bottom of an engine block, put a wooden block between that block and the top of the sump, or oil pan. Be certain that there's a gap between them so that you can put the pry bar between them. This will prevent any damage to the oil sump. Look at the damage you did to the corner of that sump. This will cause oil seepage between those two surfaces.
They are not going to re use the sump I think it's busted.
No, they certainly won't be using that engine, not with that block in such terrible condition. They'll be trying to find another one of them. I'll forgive you for being that obvious about that engine.
Whew, when you first started yanking on that squirrel cage fan with your feet under it I was nervous! So glad you decided it was heavy!
Definately want to see you pull the crank on that!
100k subscribers. Good job lads. Really enjoyed this one, looking forward to seeing what you decide to do. The two/one fingers remark cracked me up as well 😂
You have to give credit to the Russians for building an amazing engine like the V2, when your goal with a T34 is to always go forward no matter what, the engine damage shows a what a great design it is, the tank can still fight, amazing.
dude, that thing was one high rev away from blowing up, it is a small miracle it didn't, this wasn't going on for hours, more likely happened when he was fiddling with injection pump, he even said one or more injectors were leaking, and what most likely happened, he stopped it, but pressure in rail kept diesel leaking into a cylinder or two, and once he cranked it again, the piston went up and tried to compress that liquid, which it couldn't, and that caused the piston to push the crank down into the caps, the smaller (narrow) ones deformed, the larger one just broke apart
there couldn't have been almost any oil pressure, so the damage isn't limited to just the bottom end, but it might be salvageable, he'd become a legend if me made this thing into a reliable engine again, and I hope he does just that, instead of the easy way of getting another one
Russian WW2 records show the V2 engine had a life span of 125 miles under combat conditions I.e. under what is called military power that was needed under combat conditions. The V2 engine was a good engine when not pushed beyond what was needed to get to the rail yard from the factory and from the rail head to frontline positions.
Many engines will keep running for a short while with major damage. It's nothing to do with Russian engineering.
@@fasttruckmanthis isn’t wholly true. By 1943-44, the 6th guards tank army was seeing 250-300hr service intervals on their T-34 engines. This is pretty much the same as the R975 radial found in the Sherman, which in 1945 the army reported would last about 250-300hrs. The Chrysler multi bank when tested at Aberdeen in 44’ ran about 350-400.
The V-2 was a fine engine that was on par with engines seen in other comparable tanks. 125 hour is simply wrong by the time it found it’s way into the 34/85
@@HE-162 the air filters were what was killing these engines. Next what was dying was clutch and gearbox. Going further into the war, V-2s were dying less and less mainly because of improvement made to air filters. Whats really funny is that as soviet tanker, you never knew what quality you'll get next as replacement, you could get a tank that drove for 400hrs or you would get one that would fail catastrophically after rolling from the train.
V-2 was not in any shape or form on par with engines found in Shermans or even in fkin Panzer 4. They were rushed modernisation of BT-7m engine with pretty much no strengthening made to to push a lot more mass that was found on BT-7. It was not a miracle of an engine, it was exactly what they had on hand, and soviets packed it with all the unsolved problems that it brought with it. They had to solve problems on the go, not before setting up the production. They even fitted some number of T-34 with straight on MT-17.
Mais , ou sont passés tous ces moteurs et ces chars ?? Des milliers , Russes , Allemands , US, et autres ?? ça parait incroyable ...Bon courage pour cette restauration ...A+
Kharkiv model V-2 coffee table. 👍
Every time these ancient buggers get pulled out of some random places and THEY STILL WORK with a bit of elbow grease. IT'S ALIIIIIVEEE!!!
Such a shame the Tonk was running so nice!!
Hope you can find a good one thats not so expensive
Still looking for an engine here in Manchester.............
When that panther tank is gaining on you...this is all you need....
Nothing like a good sandwich length strip down vid....👍
N x
How the living F"*% was that running and sounding so good, it was trashing itself ????
I knew they were tough, but this is crazy as it ran when in bits , unbelievable , maybe the fastrack engine will fit😊
A masterclass in taking things apart. And with each step more horrors revealed.
my guess would be rear main destroys itself for some reason then zero oil pressure to other main bearings crank chews up the main bearing shells and shes done the grooved ring behind clutch ring looks like a oil slinger type seal Gardner used them in LXBs looking forward to T34 rebuild
Just put it back together and run as V11 ;)
Might be worth reaching to some Polish places where they keep T34-85. They might have or know where to get a "new" one.
Absolutely enjoy seeing the nuts and bolts (or the lack there of) of a piece of history.
Another amazing video, I think the glue might even work 🙂 And not wanting to educate you, I have to explain anyway, that it is either Czech or Slovak, two different languages, Russian is a completely different one. With the first two I can help, if needed, since I am of the Czech nationality 🙂
The three ball clutch lift bearing system was used by Triumph / BSA on the clutch of the Trident motorcycles.
Personally I love it
@@MrHewes I was looking forward to seeing how many times a BB drops out while reassembling 😉
Loving the sweatshirt, “ Lord Muck “!
Мы построили эти танки для боя не для того, чтобы прослужить долго. Спасибо за восстановление нашего старого танка.
Все так. И этот В2 дал старт большой серии моторов которые до сих пор крутятся например в маленьких тепловозах на узкоколейках.
It only looks like the rear main bearing cap was broken... Hope you can get another. The wear on each main bearing is most likely limited to just the main bearing shells. ( maybe just £25 a set from Halfords.)
Best of luck with the repair...
‘Struggle to get one finger in the bottom’ 🤭.
Thanks for another great video. Congrats on 100K subscribers. Cheers from Brisbane Australia
Can you even get new parts or new old stock for them. Good luck man
There basically the same engine used in most soviet tanks and is still used in the T90. Of course, parts are in a bit of demand at the moment for some reason.
@@spodula I know were to get parts get . Should be lots
I have seen an engine that dropped a middle main bearing cap. Due to person forgetting to tighten the bolts on it. It ran fine just a bit of drop in oil pressure. Upon returning we hit a large hump in road the dropped cap flew up off bottom of oil pan and got wacked by spinning crank and jettisoned out the bottom of oil pan.
It's not always a bad thing to be able to fit 2 in the top and 1 In the bottom 😂😂
I knew it wouldn’t just be me that wanted to comment on that… 😂
Me too! Started laughing as soon as he said it.
Giggidy
I did want to add that the breakage of the main caps is very strange given the crank output shaft (the end that looks like the origin of the failure) loads should be supported as to not present a shearing force to the crankshaft. So, perhaps something else has failed which either does not support the output loads properly or the engine to output loads are not aligned. I think it would be good to understand the exact cause of the failure because it is not the caps breaking due to normal engine combustion loads. Perhaps the engine mounts? or some other main shaft support housing on the transmission?
You do know
.you can get a T34.TANK.MANUAL.FROM HAYNES..YES THATS CORRECT. I JUST GOOGLED IT.AND ITS IN ENGLISH.😅
Almost 100k! And as always amazing video!
North Korea has tons of spare engines ask uncle Kim .
Absolute gutter, and after all the faffing with the fuel pump too.
Mind you, you’ve got the knowledge now, and a few decent spares, so hopefully if you source another engine, it’ll all come good.
Well, something must have been wrong for a very long time. This isn’t damage from half an hour. Good luck finding a new one guys!
The forces involved inside an internal combustion engine even on tickover are huge, I could easily see that damage occurring in seconds the moment the rear bearing failed, I don't know what the tickover of a V 12 tank engine is but if you take 500 rpm as a guesstimate that huge,heavy crank is flying round 8 times every second and most of the wear looked very fresh.
Joe,
Continue to thoroughly enjoy each episode you release especially your explanations of what you are doing. Also, nice to see progress thought each of your individual projects. I may have missed an earlier presentation but it would be nice to know the others that help you out and how they fit into the team. Great you have sourced another engine for the T34. Peter
Looks like the crankshaft bearing bolts were over torqued
Too many ugga duggas.