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2 cylinder air cooled Italian (?) diesel engine

JoeE.

Titanium
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Location
Kansas
I saved this little diesel from scrapping today. I don't think it has very many hours...no hour meter.

For some reason, my phone isn't taking very clear pictures, but anyway.

VM Motori, made in Italy is what the tags seems to imply. How "Detroit" ends up on the label, I don't know.

Doing some searching, I've found most info searching for "Sun Model 2105E1". I'm curious what to call this thing if I was to go looking for things like filters or, maybe, an injector or the like. I have a feeling it's going to be daunting describing what I've actually got here... not like I can go to NAPA and say "Hey, I've got this little Sun 2 cylinder diesel...." Surely calling it a Detroit or VM Motori isn't going to get me anywhere.


I've found a Sun service manual for this unit... 575 pounds, 33 horsepower.

This engine is mated to a hydraulic (vane, I think) pump and it powered a big piece of railroad equipment. It's got an adjustable pressure relief valve plumbed into it's circuitry.

I'm going to use it to power my new logsplitter.

Right before they torched it out of the machine, I tried starting it... it coughed and hit once or twice and that was it... I stopped trying. The fuel tank had fuel... but the battery was weak.
I'm unfamiliar with diesels of any sort. Can you guys give me any suggestions on things to do to help get it going?
I see it's air cooled... air flows through an oil cooler and around the cylinders. Direct injection.

I'm going to power wash it as soon as I can so I can get a good look at the unit. Nothing worse than messing with some filthy, greasy item trying to coax it back to life.

It's filthy, greasy from hydraulic fluid leaks and being exposed to the grit and grime of a railroad atmosphere... not from engine oil leaks.

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detroit bought VM or vice versa some time ago, hence the name. The unit is a 70's Taglioni design (Ducati) and very reliable. It's likely got air in the injector lines, so crack the injector flare nuts open a fraction and crank until you get clean diesel. There is not much else to go wrong on these engines.
 
Supply with good clean fuel (through a filter), open the bleed screw on the injector pump and prime until the air is out. Then crack a high pressure injector line if it still won't start.

For any diesel you pretty much only need air + fuel + decent compression to make them run.
 
Good little engines the VM.
Notorious for oil leaks, and they vibrate alot, shaking things til they break.

I remember rebuilding one, was told i would never stop it leaking oil. I won, but only for 2 weeks, it cracked the oil cooler!
 
Good little engines the VM.
Notorious for oil leaks, and they vibrate alot, shaking things til they break.

I remember rebuilding one, was told i would never stop it leaking oil. I won, but only for 2 weeks, it cracked the oil cooler!

Yup, that's a VM :D
 
Good little engines the VM.
Notorious for oil leaks, and they vibrate alot, shaking things til they break.

I remember rebuilding one, was told i would never stop it leaking oil. I won, but only for 2 weeks, it cracked the oil cooler!

Must be why the "Detroit" name was added....:D

FWIW I'm not up on all engines, but the cylinders & pushrod covers, make it look like a duetz air cooled.
 
At one point AVCO sold VM engines in the US. They put them in Wonderbread delivery trucks in the Philadelphia area. There was a water-cooled model IIRC in which the crankshaft inserted lengthwise through a tunnel in the block. Each main journal had a big split disk on it to carry the bearing shells and fit in the tunnel.
 
When you bleed the pump/injectors take a whiff.

I've had many more than a few "unknown", but otherwise decent looking diesels go through my hands that had gasoline run through the fuel system. It happens all the time.

If I ever built another log splitter I'd run the smoothest, quietest engine I could find. Mine has a 20HP Briggs on it and it's not pleasant to listen to all gad damn day, but I might take that over a 2 cyl diesel.
 
This solenoid. Red arrow....

Since I've not had the engine running, I don't know if when the engine's running the plunger is extended or retracted.

What's the function of the solenoid?

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The center blue arrow points to the throttle lever. The outer two blue arrows are idle speed and high speed throttle adjusting screws.
 
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There's the hydraulic pump. I found no numbers or identifying marks on it.

The photo of the pressure reduction valve came out blurry, so I didn't post it.
 
First...the pump is for certain a Vickers vane pump.....simple pumps ,if the rotor isnt notched ,you can fit a new vane kit ,(if needed)....pressure around 12-1500psi......Next.....the injector pump seems to unitized in the engine as a cambox......anyhoo,it will have a throttle lever ,stopping lever ,and liklely a cold start device. that will allow the rack to extend beyond the smoke stop....cold start is only needed in freezing weather,if the compression is good.The plunger device may be a speed controll ,or it might be a stopping lever....that will have to be figured out......Incidentally ,never run a small diesel not tied down/mounted ...it will throw itself over at stop....My other point is to start the engine with a open intake..if it runs away,simply block the air inlet to stop it.
 
Well, it's taken me two days of googling to discover that I can't find much of anything parts wise on these things. Really not much of anything.

VM Diesel

VM Sun Diesel

Sun 2105E1 Diesel

It runs me around in circles! No matter what I type in, the same stuff comes back up in the results ;)

Found 1 or 2 videos on youtube with these engines... but nothing informative.

I tried VM Diesel fuel filter and get a hit, but the site it takes me to is in Europe, I think.
 
Have fun... I worked for a place that owned an Antonio Carrero tractor with a 3 cylinder VM turbo diesel. A governor spring broke and it took me THREE MONTHS to finally get one.
 








 
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