The Canadian Fairbanks-Morse 1.5hp hit/miss engine

[skippyelwell]

I was at the Georgian Bay Steam Show this morning, I go every year mostly for the swap meet.
It's getting smaller every year as the old guys move on. I did find a few nice tools and a 1.5 hp Canadian Fairbanks-Morse 500rpm hit/miss engine. I have wanted one for decades but the prices have always kept me away, I found one this morning I could afford, it's a fixer upper but that's fun part.

Technically it's not a hit/miss but a throttle governed engine, it's missing the magneto which might be hard to find.
I started tearing it down this afternoon. 221lbs made 1918

 

[phaxtris]

Awesome, i love these old engines, i would like to find one to restore and use as lawn art.....i would probably be the only guy inside calgary city limits with an engine for lawn art

I assume you plan to get it running ?

 

[Chicken lights]

I was at the Georgian Bay Steam Show this morning, I go every year mostly for the swap meet.
It's getting smaller every year as the old guys move on. I did find a few nice tools and a 1.5 hp Canadian Fairbanks-Morse 500rpm hit/miss engine. I have wanted one for decades but the prices have always kept me away, I found one this morning I could afford, it's a fixer upper but that's fun part.

Technically it's not a hit/miss but a throttle governed engine, it's missing the magneto which might be hard to find.
I started tearing it down this afternoon. 221lbs made 1918

The "old guys" can't be replaced

You can find other "old guys", sure they can fill the void a little

If you find an "old guy" hang on tight and absorb as much as you can. They have so much life knowledge to pass on

I'm guilty of having an old guy say I shouldn't do something, I do it anyway, but go back and say you're right, that ended poorly

 

[skippyelwell]

I assume you plan to get it running ?

Oh yeah, it may end up costing twice what I paid for it to get it running but it's money better spent than going on holiday.

 

[Proxule]

it's missing the magneto which might be hard to find.

Warning.... will not be cheap. Just a rebuild kit for with wico EK magneto with coils and internals are 200 USD ish.
The fairbanks ran several different types of magnetos depending on year and HP.
What model are you after. I will do some digging for you.

You have the original drip oiler / glass, Impressive!
I applaud you for correctly using the term throttle governed engine lol

 

[skippyelwell]

Warning.... will not be cheap. Just a rebuild kit for with wico EK magneto with coils and internals are 200 USD ish.
The fairbanks ran several different types of magnetos depending on year and HP.
What model are you after. I will do some digging for you.

You have the original drip oiler / glass, Impressive!
I applaud you for correctly using the term throttle governed engine lol

Yes I've heard they are not cheap, one of the old guys at the steam show said that original magnetos weren't that reliable and expensive but it's possible to modify the ignition system to a more modern and simpler coil/battery system.
I saw many modified systems at the show.
I believe the engine came with a Wico but having a look around the net last night I found the same engine using an American Bosch AB 33 ED-1.
Do you own any hit/miss engines?

 

[Martin w]

Excellent!
I got rid of mine. The only one I have left is a single cylinder Vaughn Flex Tread crawler unit. It has a Wico magneto, I think.
You can probably run it on a Model T buzz coil and a 6volt lantern battery. It won't be original, but it'll work until you can rebuild the original.

 

[Martin w]

I was buying parts from a guy in Vermont before Covid. I will try and find his number for you. He sells reasonable and is very knowledgeable on different throttle governed engines. You can also join SmokestaK online

Smokstak® Antique Engine Community*

Hit and miss engine collecting, restoring vintage engines, antique engine and tractor shows, old generator restoration.

www.smokstak.com

 

[Ishmael]

Does it need an EK? I think I have one lying around. PM me if you're interested and I'll have a look.
If you're going the temporary buzz coil route, I have quite a few of those and can donate one to the cause.

 

[phaxtris]

Does it have any way to generate power ? A simple waste spark setup with a Hall effect could get you going as well

 

[Proxule]

Do you own any hit/miss engines?

I have been known to dabble in engines, Yes

Thread 'A "quick" project'

Aug 13, 2023

Yeah, so..... Maybe a bit longer than a quick project
So I have been at this little stationary engine for a little more then 200 hours! With help from folks from all over!


When I received this engine, it was truly a hunk of scrap, According to a fellow I come to consider my mentor ( Nathan K ), This is normal - normal. Considering this engine is from 1928 and the farmers that used them would have picked this up from the manf, or factory using a horse and buggy...

• Proxule
• Replies: 40
• Forum: Your Active Projects!

• 
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[PeterT]

There was a decent collection of hit & miss & similar engines running at Pioneer Museum in Stoney Plain when I was up there. I think its called Harvest Festival but I don't see it listed right now. The Edmonton model engineering guys, AMEN (which is now less than a handful) had a table set up. There is another part of the museum close by where they have antique cars & other events that may or may not coincide with the same weekend. Anyway, hit that & Reynolds Museum in Wetaskiwin on the way home, makes for a nice autumn Alberta day.

HOME | Pioneer Museum

www.pioneermuseum.ca

 

[Larry_C9]

We had one of those on the farm when I was growing up. It always ran pretty good. Years later I found it sitting in a shed. Cleaned up the big old spark plug, make sure it had oil in the crankcase, give it some fresh gas and give it a good crank and away it would go. As far as I know we never had any problem with the mag. I have no idea where it is now.

 

[skippyelwell]

I just registered with Smokestak forum yesterday.
This motor seems to have had everything to do with ignition removed, the governor is still there thankfully.
So I'm going to have to figure out exactly what was on the engine and see if I can buy those parts or some other form of ignition.
Apparently from 1915 to the early 20's Fairbanks/Morse was using several different types of ignition systems on different hp engines and was changing them around from year to year so it is a little confusing exactly what is missing.

I started tearing into it this morning, scraping a hundred years of crud off of it, pulled the crank off and the piston out, the bearings and the journals are in pretty good shape.
The connecting rod was installed up side down so no oil was being caught by the oiling cup, surprisingly the wrist pin and bronze bushing are okay, I guess there was enough oil splashing around to cover it.

There are some thin water marks on the journals and cylinder walls from sitting out in the rain but they should polish off alright.
I'm kind of afraid to remove all the crud that has built up under the cylinder rings just in case it results in lower compression. It might be the crud that is making the compression as good as it is.

 

[Tom O]

Every once in a while on marketplace there is a guy with quite a few of these engines I’ll keep an eye open

Magneto Ignition for Gas Engines - Sparkplug Magnetos

The WICO EK is one popular example of a HIGH TENSION spark plug Magneto. From the WICO MAGNETO Type EK Instruction Book, The Type ONE Drive...

www.old-engine.com

Here’s a facebook group

Log into Facebook

Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.

www.facebook.com

 

[skippyelwell]

Did some dismantling this afternoon, the carburetor is pretty rough but the air valve is usable.
The head will take some work, some little boy in the past dumped many a handful of sand in the coolant hopper, the water passages are all clogged with sand and clay.
It's like cement packed under the cylinder, I suspect the head got very hot in the last days of its working life.

Not sure what I'm going to do for a head gasket, the one that is on it is homemade but out of what I'm not sure.
It is stiff but there is no metal in it and definitely some asbestos coating on either side.

I think that is barley in the exhaust port.

 

[PeterT]

The piston ring thickness was very substantial by todays standards. And the lower ones don't look any different (ie oil control) so all for compression seal?

compared to....

 

[phaxtris]

apparently Teflon sheet works pretty good .010 to .030, but i would try just about anything I had, maybe that grey water pump style gasket material.

Its a very low compression engine, its not going to take much to seal it up, no fire rings needed here. Annealed copper sheet would probably work pretty well also

 

[skippyelwell]

Right, low compression, forgot about that.
Just after I posted I found a place on ebay selling head gaskets for this engine and they are quite thin.