A friend of mine has acquired this military truck. Inside there is a plate that tells the different kind of fuels that can be used simultaneously.
How does an engine like this work with spark plugs, ignition, fuel filters, timing, compression, etc. And why aren’t they more prevalent if the fuel requirements are so versatile?
The multifuel engine is basically a four-stroke cycle diesel engine.
Has the capability of operating on a wide variety of fuel oils without adjustment or modification. The fuel injection system is equipped with a device called a fuel density compensator that varies the amount of fuel to keep the power output constant regardless of the type fuel being used. The multifuel engine uses a spherical combustion chamber.
google ‘multi fuel engines’. Polaris makes a very slick one for military use.
What would happen if you did use aviation grade gasoline? Is it just too volatile? Would the engine explode?
I think it wouldn’t work because the octane is so high. This means that you’ve got to put it under a lot of pressure to get the full amount of energy out of the gas. I’ve driven deuce and a halves that allow, IIRC, J-A and J-A1 (which are jet fuels, and are actually more like kerosene than gasoline).
As an aside to the actual operation of the 5-tons…
In a “slightly” modified twin to that truck that I have spent quite a lot of time with, we use about 75% diesel and 25% gasoline. All diesel, she smokes like you can’t believe. All gasoline, engine runs kinda funny. The 75/25 seems to work well. It’s mixing that ratio in the tank that can get tricky.
There are multi-fuel engines that will accept some aviation fuels, too. Easily google-able.
