Every time a TV shot of Afghanistan or elsewhere features a tank, it shows a HUGE amount of blue smoke from the exhaust. Same in Bosnia etc etc. Are all these vehicles knackered or what? They seem to keep going, unless we are being shown the same film again and again.
Years ago a friend of mine was employed running the then Shah of Iran's news agency in Paris. It was called Telepress. Real shambles. Half the staff slept on the floor and there seemed to be a lot of ripped bits of Rizzla papers about. When his bosses back in Iran wanted some action shots of a recent conflict, he used to paste together old WW2 footage and send it off. Even in WW2 the tanks belched blue smoke.
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i've heard of news agencies and governments doing this all the time, my cousin is a camera man for the BBC and he has to splice together old footage from Ireland, Israel and other conflicts when they don't have anything dramatic for the current story. Techincally, you could think you're watching Israel but in fact it's Panza division, General Montgomery N.Africa 1943.
Who says TV rots the brain! Probaly it's that belching blue smoke from those 1940s tanks, long term effects.
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They're diesels. They keep going. Enough said.
Chris
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Most British and American tanks are petrol Jag motors in the UK and Chevy big block inthe US
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Ever been to Afghanistan? THeir gas, no kidding, used to be 56 octane.
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Average tank engine is an unrefined beast! - not designed for economy - just for keeping going as long as possible under the worst conditions, with very little maintenamce, and with any fuel available ...
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Same problem with the old Land Rover Diesels from the 50/60/70s. Whatever you do they are apt to emit some nice harmless smoke at times. Black, white or blue......they're not fussy.
I'm just on the second day of injector pump swapping/timing to get mine as good as possible prior to MOT. Having said that it is exempt a machine test due to age.......visual only. However the MOT station is next to our fire station and I don't want any unwanted hosing.
David
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Hi Dw
How to get a series 111 diesel through the mot emissions test
Lesson 1
Take vehicle for long (for a landi) fast (for a landi) drive before going to MOT station.
Stop in layby or other convienent place before entering testing station and disconnect air filter.
(Oops did I really say that)
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Big day tomorrow Alyn.
The project Land Rover has been off the road for close on two years since I bought it as a non-runner.
I couldn't avoid testing the water any longer so it is booked in for MOT 1200hrs tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
David
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Good Luck David
Let me know how you get on
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But if they are British tanks built in Leeds they have the Jaguar v 12 petrol engine installed
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I just had this amusing thought about the environmental dweebs rising up and saying the US forces are polluting the desert atmosphere and posing a health risk to the remaining Taliban.
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I've notice this also.
One reason could be that the vehicle sits ticking over for hours on end in an instant readiness mode ( to keep all the systems and air con. working.)
The drivers then suddenly floors the accelerlator to move the massive beast and you have clouds of smoke?
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I was up at the old US airbase at Clark Field in Pampanga last week. You will have read Dubya has sent the Philippines a few of his finest to help sort out some fractious chaps down south, and I noted some GI's driving round in HUMV's. I can't honestly say I noticed much smoke, but then when a Filipino bus goes by it's not uncommon for the entire world 40 yards in front to be obscured for a couple of minutes by clouds of black soot, so all things are relative. I'll have another look next week. Maybe I can cheekly ask one of the US grunts about servicing schedules for military vehicles, then again, maybe not...... some of the "pilots" who flew into the WTC took their flying training at Clark.
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Andy,
Although not entirely sure of my facts, because time evolves spec's, I understood that the Challenger main battle tank currently uses a Rolls Royce V12 diesel of 1970's initial design. The smaller scorpion aluminium light tanks do use the Jag V12 petrol engine ie the units used during the Falklands debacle.
Interesting re the exhaust effluent, the Russian units certainly seem to belch the stuff during moving off, and this was also the case with the Chieftain which used the Leyland 2 stroke multi fuel diesel initially. It was not a success.
American main battle tanks use a gas turbine - or did, and I do not know how their exhaust performs under similar conditions.
I imagine that either the main engine or perhaps a donkey engine requires to run continuously on a MBT in order to supply electrical or hydraulic services to turret traverse and sighting technology. Modern MBT's can also fire their main armament accurately on the move.
I like anything mechanicaly interesting - I am not particularly a military specialist.
Regards,
Julian.
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