The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 6V53 ?

What's a 6V53 engine? I'm led to believe it's a Detroit Diesel? When did Chevrolet use these engines?

It is a detroit. 6 cylinders of 53 cubic inch displacement in a V conviguration (i.e. V6).

Don't know the years of use.

6-71 (straight 6 with each 71 CID, lots of torque, run forever, noisy as ...)
4-53 (nice in the newer oliver 1900's)
3-71 (nice in an old oliver 99 super GM)

Well, it is Detroit Diesel nomenclature, but I've never heard of that configuration. The first V6 DD in trucks that I know of was the 6V92. But I'm not too old to learn, I hope . .

being an oldie, they were prolly used in big trucks or busses - also found in marine and industrial use


Bill

Hy guys, that is definately a Detroit Diesel engine, I saw one in an L series cabover I was looking at about a year ago. The 53 series engine can be turned up to 3200 rpm or higher, they even made an 8V53 which I believe is the rarest of all Detroit Diesels, hope that helps.

All the Detroit 2-cycles were designated that way, with the cylinder displacement, the block configuration, and the number of cylinders indicated. 4-53 inlines were used for a lot of applications, marine, industrial, and trucks, and the V-types were pretty popular, also. 6V-53's saw a lot of use from the mid-50's to late 60's in medium-duty trucks, air compressors, and some power generators, irrigation pumps, oilfield equipment, etc. Good engines, but NOISY!
Jerry

So we're talking 53 cid per cylinder for a total of 318. I think I've heard of a 318 Detroit. Right? (I had a 318 Dodge once!) Not the same, I know. Grigg that posts on here is installing a 4-53T in an AD 2-ton truck.

There were a pair of 6V-53s in each PBR in VietNam

Thruwurkin

A "318" Detroit is actually an 8V-71, with 568 cubic inches. 318 is the most common horsepower rating, although they can go from 290 to 350 HP, depending on fuel injector size, and whether or not they're turbocharged in addition to the built-in Rootes blower. a 6-71 inline is usually called a "238", even though its actual displacement is 426 cubic inches. 238 was the most common horsepower rating.

Confused yet?
Jerry

Not totally, can we through some more numbers around for a bit please?

Seriously, this is a fascinating thread. I no nothing about diesels other than they take different fuel and have glow plugs. Thanks for all the new info!

Thanks for all the help, especially Hotrod Lincoln! Can parts for the 6V53 be had? Is it kind of an orphan or are there a bunch of them around? What are the major problems to be expected with this model if any?

The 2-cycle Detroits have been around since WW II or so, in dozens of variants, so parts supply isn't much of a problem. Like all industrial engines, they can be a bit pricey to work on, and fuel efficiency isn't wonderful, but they run forever.

The Detroit engines are 2-cycle, where every upstroke is compression, and every downstroke is power. That's why they're so loud. They fire twice as often as a 4-stroke. As the piston travels down the cylinder it uncovers a set of ports about mid-cylinder and air from the blower scavenges the exhaust fumes out past the valves in the head. These valves, either 2 or 4 per cylinder depending on head design, are ALL exhaust valves! All the incoming air is supplied by the blower, and fuel arrives with the injector shot. The term "Screamin' Jimmy" comes from the siren noise the blower makes, and the fact the engines fire twice as often, adding to the noise!
Jerry

a little from the bullfoot about his favorite engines, just for entertainment:

[bullfoot from threads on the stovebolt lounge:]

i've seen tops blown off 6 pistons in a few big ol diesel motors and it all went out the tail pipe and still ran. a diesel motor is like a wood stove: you had to keep de fire hot to perform, but you have to build de fire without making too much flame out de pipe, and most have pyrometers to watch de fire in de cylinders - tooo hot, for tooo long, tooo many times [the operator worked it petal to de metal all de time] that just used up the 9 lives a normal diesel engine has . . . . . just all left in small pieces, and it all went out the tail pipe . . . . . still ran.

i thinkzzz hmmmm, 3-71 jimmys ooyea they were cool. 4-71, 6-71, internals would interchange and rev like forever and thats de way they ran de best.
turbocharge dem little devils? oooyea.
had to run a point lower compression pistons.
after cool de turbo air before going in to de blower? ooyea
turbos help unload some of de parasite hp load caused by de blower - more horses to de drive tires.
parts are made by a bunch of after market sources and you can get big ol injectors for de 71 series.

the engine that was in my truck was a "general motors truck company" inline 6 cyl 71 cubes per cyl 2 stroke diesel - made before detroit diesel bought the rights from gmc. yea i rebilt more jimmys and detroits than i can count. all the 2 strokes required a roots type supercharger to supply the air (no intake valves - had intake ports in the lower part of cyls), and came in 53/71/92/101 cubes per cyl and larger (locomotives) other series. they came in inline & v blocks 1/2/3/4/6/8/12/15/32 cyl engines and could be bolted togeather for most any number of combinations.

jimmy diesels are 2-stroke engines (each piston fires every time they reach the top of the stroke so called rapid fire). they did not produce as much torque as the 4-stroke, and you had to keep them wound out and use all the gears avaliable. the newer diesels have mucho more torque at lower rpm also more h-power the idea being low rpm & high gears that = good fuel economy but the newer generation of drivers put the petal to the metal and drive to darn fast for safety thus throwing all gains in fuel savings out the window, not to mention endangering all the folks out there with them.
before the newer hi torque/low rpm raidoshack controled diesel engines, most all trucks had a 300 rpm split between gears to keep engine in proper power range: 2100rpm on the top - dropping 300-400 revs, pick up next one, wind to 2100, and pete & repete until you got up to top gear.
5-speed main, 3speed aux. main box was a larger gear split [as chief sez "main trans papa steps, aux trans moma steps"] shift main once then shift aux three times over and over until you reached the gear i call "good morning your honor, i was just trying to keep up with the flow of traffic".

Jerry "bullfoot" Powell, gone but never forgotten

Hey Hotrod Lincoln, Do you think it would be a major task to get the thing running? Previous owner claims IRWIPI (5 years ago)......rrrright! I know very little about diesels. Truck has the above mentioned motor, air brakes and a two speed rear end.

if its not stuck drain fuel change the filters bleed the fuel lines strong batterys should start it. you may need 2 or more batterys to get it spinning good as disels fire off compression.

Love's me some "two shifters".Seems to me I remember my Kenneyworth having 4 with 4

Detroit's are known for starting easily after sitting for years and years. Be sure it has fuel and oil. Also take the valve covers off and work the fuel control tubes by hand to see if the injector racks are free. If any one of them is stuck you will be in trouble when it starts, as it will hold them all in the same position and the engine will steadily and quickly gain speed till it makes a loud noise followed by complete silence. When you do start it have a hand on the emergency air shut off in case it tries to run away.

Parts are extremely easy to get, piston and liner kits run about $100 a hole.

The 53 series came out in 1958

6V53's are quite common, the 8V53 is a little harder to find, but I would not say they were rare. The hardest to find is a 12V53, essentially two 6V53s bolted together. I have heard differing reports at to how many were made, from 300 to 20, but not many.

Any more Detroit questions?
Grigg

grigg is TOTALLY correct about checking the fuel rack before starting. all 2 cycle dietroits START IN FULL FUEL and spring tension from the governor pushes the rack back to idle. look at the blower and you will find what we called a "dog" that should be connected to a cable. that's the emergency shutdown. make sure it closes when you pull the cable. i plate should cover the air inlet on the blower.
grigg gave good advise, but making sure the governor is working freely is just as important. pull the plate on the governor housing and spray the heck out of everything with something like p.b.laster or another good penetrating oil.

yaknow, ya oughta head down to a detroit diesal parts counter and buy a service manual. i think about 35 buck, but lots of pictures and plenty of good instruction.


alpine green??? ooooooooh yeah!

plenty of parts around. the military still uses plenty of 53 series engines. there's a surplus outlet about 175 miles from here that has all sorts of military generators with 53's in em.

Don't get upset, sometimes if it kicks back when trying to start it will run backwards, no problem,shut it down an try again. you will know it when exhaust comes out of the air cleaner,and will only idle.

Ditto to all the above comments. Bar the engine over a few turns with a big pry bar in the flywheel ring gear teeth to be sure you don't have a cylinder full of rust, and maybe fog a little penetrating oil into the intake while you're hand-turning the engine, and it will probably crank right up.

One problem with Detriot engines in general is a tendency for the fuel system to lose prime if they sit without running for a while. The low-pressure fuel transfer pump will not self-prime by spinning the engine over with the starter, or even towing the truck to spin the engine. Most Detroits have two fuel filters, a primary and secondary unit. The secondary filter will have a threaded plug between the inlet and outlet ports, where you can install a nipple to attach a piece of rubber tubing. Borrow an electric fuel pump capable of supplying about 5 lbs. of pressure or so, plumb the pump output to the center tap on the filter, and use a long piece of tubing into the fuel tank to supply the electric pump with fuel. Run the pump for half a minute or so to get a solid stream of fuel flowing through the transfer pump, the injectors, and back through the return line to the tank. When you can hear return fuel dribbling back into the tank, the system is primed. Shut the pump off, remove the nipple and plug the port in the filter housing, and fire it up! Remember the warnings about being sure the fuel rack is free to move, and the governor linkage isn't stuck in the full-fuel position. There is a shutdown lever on top of the governor housing, sometimes operated by an electric solenoid, other times, it might be air-operated. In an emergency, you can move the shutdown lever by hand, or pull the emergency shutdown cable which strangles the air intake. Shutting off electrical power WILL NOT stop a Diesel engine!
Jerry

Jerry, allow me to clear some things up from your post.

Good point about priming the fuel system. I have had no problems with the gear pump not self priming, but you are much better off to manually prime it. Often just filling the filters and lines with a hose, funnel and gravity is all you need. Note, because of the design of the gear pump you will not get fuel to pass through it with out it turning. You are correct in connecting the priming pump to the inlet of the secondary filter, and it would not hurt to pull the extra inlet plug from the top of the primary filter and pour fuel in it. Or, to do both at once suck fuel from the extra outlet on the primary and push it in to the inlet of the secondary, the priming pump will be in parallel with the gear pump.

The fuel system is in this order: Tank, primary filter, gear pump, secondary, inlet manifold on heads, injectors, outlet manifolds on heads, restricted fuel fitting, return to tank.

I have had the relief valve on the fuel pump stick before. It would not hurt to have a 100 psi gage after the fuel pump, it will answer many questions if the engine acts funny. It should read about 70 psi with part throttle and never much more. If the relief valve sticks closed the pressure will climb over 150 psi. If it sticks open you will have a very hard time getting fuel pressure. Without about 20 psi the engine won't run at all.

The governor will have two levers, one connected to the go peddle, and the other is the engine stop lever, probably connected to a pull to stop knob on the dash, or air cylinder as mentioned. Be sure that the stop cable is free and working.
If an injector rack sticks the stop lever on the governor will NOT STOP the engine. The emergency air shutoff on top of the blower will.

The emergency air shut off should never be used unless absolutely necessary, it is not good for the engine as it can make the blower seals leak oil. It will almost certainly draw oil by them while the engine tries to stop, with the blower drawing a serious vacuum on them. Then after that they can leak more during normal operation.

Another way to kill a runaway diesel is to use a CO2 fire extinguisher in the air inlet, this has no ill effects.

Grigg

Now, why didn't I know about that CO2 trick? I ran a Diesel shop/road service for a lot of years, but this is the first time I've heard that one. Just goes to show, even an old head can learn, if he's willing to listen!

Drivers who tried to change their own fuel filters used to keep my electric priming pump busy pretty regularly. One guy had spent 4 hours tinkering with a fuel system before he called me, and I had him running in 15 minutes!

If you have to use the emergency air flap, do it before the engine gets up a good head of speed. I've seen the flap pull partway through the housing, and allow enough air past it to keep the engine running at moderate speed. There is a big engine rebuilder in San Francisco, where they used to dyno-test all their engines before shipping them out. The young technician running the dyno got panicky when an engine stuck an injector rack and ran away, and this one didn't have the air shutdown housing installed. He grabbed a big handful of rags amd threw them into the blower. The rags wedged the blower rotors apart and blew pieces of the blower housing all over the engine test room like shrapnel! Yes, the engine stopped, but it was scrap metal by then!
Jerry

I have heard of a blower eating an entire service manual before finally stopping the engine.
Grigg

My late father-in-law had a GMC pickup in the mid-70's 6V53 that was a gas version of the diesel. In that time fram gas V6's were somewhat rare. Probably the only downfall of the engine was its weight due to being a diesel block. It was a real nice performing truck and pulled through all 4 gears very smoothly. I don't recall anything on mileage when I made 2 trips from southern PA to upstate NY.

While we are on the issue of DD's, anyone ever heard of a 4L110? We had one down in Antarctica in 1969. We put it in a big Snowcat that we put together as a dry chemical fire fighting unit. We put a Fuller 4 speed and 2 speed reduction unit behind it. In 1st and low gear you had to get out and drive wood stakes in the snow to see the progress, but could that thing climb a grade!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know of a gas engine based on a Detroit Diesel?

GM / Detroit did make a 6-110, that's an in line 6 cylinder. I am almost certain that it was only available as a 6 cylinder, and not a 4. Not sure what a 4L110 is?

Grigg

It wasn't a Detroit. What it would be is the GMC gas 4 stroke V6, 305 cid most likely. This engine block was also used for the Toro-Flow deisel the GMC mad in the '60s. Same block, different heads. They were made in 351 and 478 cid in V6 form, and 637 in V8 form. One thing thet is odd about this engine is that both the intake and exhaust manifold are on the outside of the head, rather than having the intake between the heads.

Toro-Flow diesel http://www.6066gmcguy.org/Diesel.htm

I found an Engine/Parts jobber that specializes in DD's including 6V53 . :p Enjoy.

JFYI, the M-551 Sheridan, still in use by the Army Airborne, I think, uses the 6V-53T. The Gamma Goat, which I think is obsolete now, used a 3-53. The M-578 Retriever used the 8V-53T. Amazing engines.

BTW, the M-60A1, before the RISE Passive model, used a Continental AVDS 1790-2 (Air cooled, V (-12), Diesel, Supercharged (actually turbo-charged.) 1790 cubic inches and approximately 600 horsepower. This engine is a distant relative of the V-12 Liberty engine used in aircraft during WWI and WWII, I think.

The military 6V53T in the latest version puts out 400HP. A factory marine 6V53TTI can also make 400HP with the correct injectors. This is not to say all 6V53's will make 400, only with the proper equipment. I have not seen a spec sheet for a higher HP 6V53, if it exist.
Grigg