Unknown Engine dug out from Japanese field

[kiha1314]

Hi all, I am new to here and I would like to get help to sort out what engine is this.
Friend of mine living in Japan who has small grape field has dug out a rusted WW2-era aircraft engine 5 months ago, with several other metal fragments from same era.
Engine's condition is not so good, rusted and many parts are lost. There are no factory mark on the engine itself.
The engine is suspected to be a Radial engine, and the field where engine has been dug out was used to be one of the biggest IJA's airfield in Osaka.
My friend and I really would like to know what is this engine, and hope that anyone can help to sort this out.

P.S. In the same time, B-29's AN/M2 from tail gun turret has been dug out in the same place.

 

[kiha1314]

Moreover, I would like to know what is this. (Suspected engine parts)

 

[MiTasol]

Hi all, I am new to here and I would like to get help to sort out what engine is this.
Friend of mine living in Japan who has small grape field has dug out a rusted WW2-era aircraft engine 5 months ago, with several other metal fragments from same era.
Engine's condition is not so good, rusted and many parts are lost. There are no factory mark on the engine itself.
The engine is suspected to be a Radial engine, and the field where engine has been dug out was used to be one of the biggest IJA's airfield in Osaka.
My friend and I really would like to know what is this engine, and hope that anyone can help to sort this out.

P.S. In the same time, B-29's AN/M2 from tail gun turret has been dug out in the same place.

You are right that it is a radial and I can add that it is a two row radial but I cannot see anything distinctive that suggests a maker or model.

 

[Michael Hope]

Hi all, I am new to here and I would like to get help to sort out what engine is this.
Friend of mine living in Japan who has small grape field has dug out a rusted WW2-era aircraft engine 5 months ago, with several other metal fragments from same era.
Engine's condition is not so good, rusted and many parts are lost. There are no factory mark on the engine itself.
The engine is suspected to be a Radial engine, and the field where engine has been dug out was used to be one of the biggest IJA's airfield in Osaka.
My friend and I really would like to know what is this engine, and hope that anyone can help to sort this out.

P.S. In the same time, B-29's AN/M2 from tail gun turret has been dug out in the same place.

I am note an engine expert, but what I see is the output shaft with the splines where the propeller would mount, and then the piston connecting rods, if it was a B-29 engine there would be a gear reduction box in between these two parts, so it appears to be a direct drive engine. Also if it was from a crash, then there would be a propeller hub still on the shaft, which is not there. Also if you look at the connecting rods, there are no piston pins in the holes from what I could see. In my opinion this was a partial disassembled engine that was discarded at some time.

 

[Michael Hope]

Moreover, I would like to know what is this. (Suspected engine parts)

This looks like an accessory drive pad, if this was a P&W engine this is where you could mount a propeller governor, vacuum pump, or gun synchronizer.

 

[YakMan]

You are right that it is a radial and I can add that it is a two row radial but I cannot see anything distinctive that suggests a maker or model.

Moreover, I would like to know what is this. (Suspected engine parts)

Hi, yes definitely a radial engine, definitely a double row and although it is not easy to see, probably a fourteen cylinder engine but you can check that by counting the con' rods. It is badly corroded but it looks very American in style to me but that doesn't mean too much because Russian radials are essentially American-based so look like them too! And other countries could easily have based their engines on American ones too. I would think also this was probably a scrap engine, it did not end up like this due to a crash or anything, it is a part stripped down engine and not worth repairing so dumped.
As for the aluminium casting, I would say yes, an engine part, probably a mounting boss broken off a main casting. It looks like a fairly beefy mounting boss with a very smal central hole which could easily have located a drive shaft so could be the mounting for a generator or something like that.
Nice find though!
JB

 

[Tony Kambic]

Concur. With all the wrist pins missing this was in some stage of teardown. And that aluminum casting was some attachment point on the rear case. Have you counted the connecting rods yet? I did help prep a Japanese engine similar to the R-3350 with 18 cylinders.

 

[Shinpachi]

The fragment is an intake pipe flange, Looks like Nakajima's Ha-115(Sakae) if the number of connection rods is 14 or Ha-45(Homare) if with 18 rods.

 

[kiha1314]

You are right that it is a radial and I can add that it is a two row radial but I cannot see anything distinctive that suggests a maker or model.

Thank you very much for your suggestions

 

[kiha1314]

I am note an engine expert, but what I see is the output shaft with the splines where the propeller would mount, and then the piston connecting rods, if it was a B-29 engine there would be a gear reduction box in between these two parts, so it appears to be a direct drive engine. Also if it was from a crash, then there would be a propeller hub still on the shaft, which is not there. Also if you look at the connecting rods, there are no piston pins in the holes from what I could see. In my opinion this was a partial disassembled engine that was discarded at some time.

Yes, there is a record of B-29 Shot downed by Kamikaze attack during the war, and the field where the engine was dug out used to be one of the biggest IJA's airfield during the war.
It may be the B-29's

 

[kiha1314]

Hi, yes definitely a radial engine, definitely a double row and although it is not easy to see, probably a fourteen cylinder engine but you can check that by counting the con' rods. It is badly corroded but it looks very American in style to me but that doesn't mean too much because Russian radials are essentially American-based so look like them too! And other countries could easily have based their engines on American ones too. I would think also this was probably a scrap engine, it did not end up like this due to a crash or anything, it is a part stripped down engine and not worth repairing so dumped.
As for the aluminium casting, I would say yes, an engine part, probably a mounting boss broken off a main casting. It looks like a fairly beefy mounting boss with a very smal central hole which could easily have located a drive shaft so could be the mounting for a generator or something like that.
Nice find though!
JB

Oh.... That's an interesting story!
Thanks for informations YakMan.

 

[kiha1314]

The fragment is an intake pipe flange, Looks like Nakajima's Ha-115(Sakae) if the number of connection rods is 14 or Ha-45(Homare) if with 18 rods.

Wow...... Wow,Wow!!!

 

[kiha1314]

Moreover, I would like to know where does there fragments are came from (these were dug out from the same place in different year)

 

[Tony Kambic]

Found this on the Internet. Supposed to be a 3350 rocker. I would find it difficult to believe an American engine was disassembled to this extent if the location where it was found is mainland Japan.

 

[MiTasol]

I am note an engine expert, but what I see is the output shaft with the splines where the propeller would mount, and then the piston connecting rods, if it was a B-29 engine there would be a gear reduction box in between these two parts, so it appears to be a direct drive engine. Also if it was from a crash, then there would be a propeller hub still on the shaft, which is not there. Also if you look at the connecting rods, there are no piston pins in the holes from what I could see. In my opinion this was a partial disassembled engine that was discarded at some time.

All two row American radial engines of the period had reduction gears so the splines on the shaft that you are referring to as the propeller shaft are in fact the splines that drive the reduction gear and all front mounted accessories and ancillaries if it is an American engine.

I believe that all Japanese engines of the period had reduction gears as well, and the Japanese engine books that Shinpachi kindly translated for the English speakers on this forum support that belief. He or one of the other Japanese forum members will be able to totally confirm or refute that belief. I suspect the engine is Japanese due to the stage of disassembly however I am sure the Japanese had an Air Intelligence Unit, just like the allies and Germans, so it is possible that it is an American engine that has been stripped by such a unit.

 

[MiTasol]

The fragment is an intake pipe flange, Looks like Nakajima's Ha-115(Sakae) if the number of connection rods is 14 or Ha-45(Homare) if with 18 rods.

Sorry Shinpachi but it is not an intake pipe flange. If you look closer it has a much smaller hole a little below the mounting flange. This is a drive pad for an accessory like a fuel pump, hydraulic pump or tachometer generator if it is 2 inch square (for American engines) or vacuum pump, de-icer air pump, small generator or similar accessory if 4 inch square (for American engines). I suspect the Japanese equivalent pads would be 50mm and 100mm but that is only a guess. If it is not one of those two sizes that would support it being a Japanese engine.

The first photo in post 13 shows two accessories that mount on such pads. The one on the left is most likely to be a hydraulic pump and the other is not clear enough to make an educated guess on.. The round can with three theads is either an instrument or a transmitter for a remote reading instrument, most likely the latter. The item to the left appears to be an intake valve from a cylinder but appears to be too small for a large capacity two row radial. The other parts in this photo I cannot identify at present.

 

[Shinpachi]

This part looks like a link arm of the retract unit of landing gear for Nakajima Ki-43 or 44.
If this came from the latter, the engine would be Ha-109 but I have fewer clues to know its exact inner design, regrettably.
There was the army Taisyo Airfield in Yao, Osaka (near Kashiwara grape fields) and its main force was Ki-44.

 

[MiTasol]

These items are fuel, oil or hydraulic fittings.

 

[Wurger]

And these are the engine valves ...

 

[kiha1314]

connecting rods are total of 14....... but I think too big for Sakae