Commer T3S

[daz59]

Thought id show you good chaps my recent purchase.

Along with a 147cc v8 that I have got running, I bought a nearly complete commer engine from a deceased estate.

Its around 25kg in weight.

I can imagine this will be a difficult engine to get running.

 

[minh-thanh]

Great .
Is it a diesel engine ?

 

[Roger B]

Plenty of fun there, a Roots blower and high pressure fuel injection

It's a three cylinder opposed piston two stroke diesel.

 

[daz59]

Great .
Is it a diesel engine ?

Yes, 3 cylinder, 6 piston, 2 stroke diesel.

 

[minh-thanh]

Roger , Daz59,
Thanks !
I searched for information about it on the internet
It's a really interesting engine .
I hope you get it running.
If you're fixing it, take some pictures

 

[Majormallock]

Only one word will doo .... WOW! Don't suppose any drawings came with it?

 

[firebird]

Only one word will doo .... WOW! Don't suppose any drawings came with it?

Hi Daz

WOw some old memories for me there.

Way back in 1969 at the age of 15 I started as an apprentice at a Commer and Dodge garage. One of the first jobs I was involved with was a TS3 engine. They suffered from broken blower shafts which were about 2 feet or so in length. They would snap at about the mid point. Getting the broken bit out was the challenge. The broken shafts made excellent punches one of which I still have in my tool box.
Thanks for showing the pics

Cheers

Rich

 

[daz59]

Only one word will doo .... WOW! Don't suppose any drawings came with it?

I do have A3 hand drawn drawings, not sure how complete they are.

 

[Steamchick]

Another big "WoW!" - from me. ENJOY!
K2

 

[Roger B]

Do you think it was sufficiently complete for the builder to have tried to run it? It looks very well made. The helix controlled injection pump with pneumatic governor looks excellent. It is hard to tell if the injectors are homemade or modified commercial units.

 

[ennech]

The full size engine made such a wonderful noise!

 

[daz59]

Do you think it was sufficiently complete for the builder to have tried to run it? It looks very well made. The helix controlled injection pump with pneumatic governor looks excellent. It is hard to tell if the injectors are homemade or modified commercial units.

I dont think he tried it, this is the only information I have, see pictures.

 

[daz59]

I guess that would make it 65cc?

 

[Mousetrap]

In my younger days during the 1960's & 70's I was a truck drive and some times had the to drive a Commer TS3 powered truck on interstate trips. So low powered and probably worn out you only had to see a hill in the distance or have a head wind and it was down to a low gear. Top speed in good conditions you may see 45 mph on the speedo. At night when the the engine was pulling hard there would be a flame coming out of the exhaust tail pipe. When the timing chain broke the engine revved way off the red line, screamed is more like it. You had to be very quick to pull the stop button before the engine disintegrated. Having said that the TS3 was known as a very reliable and long lasting engine. There was a TS4 engine which had been extensively tested ready to go into production when an American company took over (bought out) the English company Rootes Group. The Americans ditched the TS3 & and new TS4 in favour of Cummins. Such a pity as the TS4 was such an advanced engine with a such good prospects. One of the Cummins engine was used in preference to the discontinued Commer TS4 was a Cummins V8, 195 hp I drove International ACCO powered by one these engines on interstate and long distance country trips for about 3 years, never stopped having problems with the mongrel of a thing.

 

[grahamgollar]

This engine was extensively sold into the marine market as a Rootes Lister TS3. Rootes Group were the parent company of Commer and Lister Blackstone marketed these alongside their (more conventional) 4 strokes. I used to manage three vessels each having two of these as alternator (generator) prime movers. They were almost as noisy as Fodens and GM's due mainly to the Roots scavenge blowers but were very reliable. I remember one being opened up for a Lloyd's survey and there wasn't one of the six pistons with less than 1/8" wear on the OD and it had been running trouble and smoke free!

 

[theo van der linden]

I do have A3 hand drawn drawings, not sure how complete they are.

View attachment 143794

ill hope the drawings are complete, i would like to buy a copy of it

 

[ranger]

I remember, many years ago, following a Commer lorry fitted with one of these engines, or similar along a back road around Cambridge. It had a broken exhaust. I only followed it for a couple of miles or so before I had the chance to overtake it. It gave me such a headache, worse than being in the pits at a race track in the late 60’s, early 70’s during the unsilenced two stroke motorbike heyday and not wearing ear protection!

 

[GreenTwin]

Such an interesting engine.

Good luck with it.

.

 

[grahamgollar]

Further to my earlier post the TS stood for Tilling Stevens who were also part of the Rootes Group and manufactured the engines in Maidstone. There is no connection between Rootes Group and Roots turbochargers apart from the drive shaft!

 

[Steamchick]

Fascinating! Thanks for this history and stories. I look forward to following the story of this engine as you "make it go, Mister".
K2