# Opposed piston diesel engine

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opposed-piston-diesel-engine/546424>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 12, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opposed-piston-diesel-engine/546424 "2010-07-12T18:07:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![tropes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@tropes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tropes)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opposed-piston-diesel-engine/546424/21 "2010-07-14T01:47:15Z")

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Getting back to the Commer engine.  
Does anyone know how the pistons can travel in the same cylinder yet the crankshaft rods are offset on the crank?

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**Author:** ![Omphaloskeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bcef8e/32.png) [@Omphaloskeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omphaloskeptic)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opposed-piston-diesel-engine/546424/22 "2010-07-15T17:01:17Z")

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> [@tropes](#):
>
> Getting back to the Commer engine.  
> Does anyone know how the pistons can travel in the same cylinder yet the crankshaft rods are offset on the crank?

I don’t know if you’ve seen [this page](http://www.commer.org.nz/Commer_Connections/Other.html), but it has a video clip showing a cutaway TS3 at the bottom. All of the rockers have an S-curve (the crankshaft and piston ends travel in different planes), like **74westy** thought.

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**Author:** ![tropes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e5b9ba/32.png) [@tropes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tropes)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opposed-piston-diesel-engine/546424/23 "2010-07-15T17:21:01Z")

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> [@Omphaloskeptic](#):
>
> I don’t know if you’ve seen [this page](http://www.commer.org.nz/Commer_Connections/Other.html), but it has a video clip showing a cutaway TS3 at the bottom. All of the rockers have an S-curve (the crankshaft and piston ends travel in different planes), like **74westy** thought.

Thanks Omphalo. That answers my question. I hadn’t seen this video which shows the offset on the rockers.  
Tropes

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