In military or army parlance what is "Red lining" a vehicle?

Maximum safe crank revolutions before things that should be inside the engine begin to emerge outside the engine. Noise and smoke are good indications you are exceeding maximum Red Line and flames are a good indication that you have most definitely exceeded Red Line.

Applies to any engine as far as I'm aware. Tachometers have "red Lines" to tell you you're pushing the limits.

Grizz

If the vehicle is in/at its motor pool, red lining would be some sort of test to verify its running gear is in proper working order?

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Originally posted by Naphtali:
If the vehicle is in/at its motor pool, red lining would be some sort of test to verify its running gear is in proper working order?

This may apply to Formula 1 engines or other high performance stuff but usually the term red-lining an engine means you are driving it hard and taking it to the maximum revolution level determined by the manufacturer. Often the term is used to imply thrashing an engine which in normal passenger vehicles will see a short life from the engine.

Even the high performance Formula 1 engines expire spectacularly sometimes as something lets go internally due to the high revs being applied.

On the vehicle rev counter there will be about 3/4 of the way around a red mark. Or line.

This is the maximum safe continuous rpm that the engine can be submitted to.

Yes you can, momentarily, go over that line with the needle on the rev counter. But very, very momentarily.

So the "red line" is the max safe rpm above which the engine should not be continuously run else risks damage.

In old days throwing a con rod through the rocker cover and, even, the hood.

In modern days breaking the chain drive.

Ideally in any case you should change gear some good few hundred rpm before that red line.

Older engines have a lower safe rpm...the small block Ford 260 on my Sunbeam Tiger was red lined at 4,700 rpm.

Newer engines which are red lined at 6,000 rpm and more nowadays.

Red lining a military vehicle suggests the driver has had to drive it hard to get to his destination in quick time regardless of any damage to the engine.

I guess on a piston 'plane it'd be like using War Emergency Boost. Good to get you to a scene of trouble fast...or out of trouble fast.

quote:

Originally posted by Naphtali:
In military or army parlance what is "Red lining" a vehicle?

You'll hear about "deadlining" much more frequently around a motor pool, which is just declaring it "unserviceable".

The term "red line" is also used to stipulate the maximum "efficient" speed of an engine. Some engines quit making torque long before they reach their maximum safe mechanical speed, and since horsepower is actually decreased when revving beyond a certain point, that point is chosen as the "red line".

I have a Moto Guzzi motorcycle that falls into this catagory.

porosonik.

Kinda,somewhat along the same line;I have a friend that a VW mechanic in the 70's + he told me that when you had a dead battery,once jumped off if you drove the vehicle in low gear it would charge the battery faster.I would like to know if this true.Was gonna call Click+ Clack on NPR but then the brother died + I put it off.Any info guys?

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Kinda,somewhat along the same line;I have a friend that a VW mechanic in the 70's + he told me that when you had a dead battery,once jumped off if you drove the vehicle in low gear it would charge the battery faster.I would like to know if this true.Was gonna call Click+ Clack on NPR but then the brother died + I put it off.Any info guys?

More revs, more power produced, makes sense. I still try to keep my revs up, after boosting a dead battery. Of course, the regulator limits the amount of power you can apply to the battery.

Grizz

quote:

Originally posted by Grizzly Adams:

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Kinda,somewhat along the same line;I have a friend that a VW mechanic in the 70's + he told me that when you had a dead battery,once jumped off if you drove the vehicle in low gear it would charge the battery faster.I would like to know if this true.Was gonna call Click+ Clack on NPR but then the brother died + I put it off.Any info guys?

More revs, more power produced, makes sense. I still try to keep my revs up, after boosting a dead battery. Of course, the regulator limits the amount of power you can apply to the battery.

Grizz

I concur- a VW with the stock Bosch 12V. generator and stock crankshaft pulley (not the aftermarket "power pulley") produces the maximum rate of charge at about 2000 RPM. At least all of mine did. 2800 RPM in 4th. gear with stock tires was right at 68 MPH.

I had a friend who's kid got a good deal on a used Bug. Some old folks had it- used to tow it behind their motor home.... until they accidentally left it in reverse one day. I figure at 55 MPH it was turning a little over 12,000 RPM- backward- with the oil pump doing it's best to suck the oil out of the bearings. After 40 miles it was never quite the same.....

Porosonik.

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Kinda,somewhat along the same line;I have a friend that a VW mechanic in the 70's + he told me that when you had a dead battery,once jumped off if you drove the vehicle in low gear it would charge the battery faster.I would like to know if this true.Was gonna call Click+ Clack on NPR but then the brother died + I put it off.Any info guys?

Yes that is true. The Beetles had a generator with an output of 30 amps, compared to most modern alternators that have outputs of 80+ amps. In addition, because of how they are constructed alternators are designed to turn faster so they produce the majority of their current at a much lower engine RPM.

If you want to know more about the difference I can give you a write up with pictures and stuff ad nauseum but that's the short version.

When I worked at a local Subaru dealership I found out that they are very reliable cars. So much so that they rarely came in for Warranty repairs (Great if you are a technician).

But for some reason the "hotrod" Subaru's...WRX and WRX STI...the clutch would only last 30k miles

I got very good at pulling the transmission and replacing the clutch in those things. They run very well when Redlined and the clutch is dumped

quote:

Originally posted by Buglemintoday:
When I worked at a local Subaru dealership I found out that they are very reliable cars. So much so that they rarely came in for Warranty repairs (Great if you are a technician).

But for some reason the "hotrod" Subaru's...WRX and WRX STI...the clutch would only last 30k miles

I got very good at pulling the transmission and replacing the clutch in those things. They run very well when Redlined and the clutch is dumped

Back when I was wrenching 'roo's, I noticed a similar thing with the 4wd wagons and the B-Rat's (I left the trade in '80). Wagons never a problem, Rat's always engine or suspension issue

Mid 60's I wrenched at an import dealer in CO/Spgs.
Boss told me when I came in asking for the job:
"you're hired if you'll stick to rebuilding vw's, lot is full of 'em and we can't get thru with regular work to fix 'em".

He had 10 engines stacked in the back room. I'd never worked on one in my life til that first day. I rebuilt all ten, then asked for help to push one in, swapped and drove it out. some days I did four. There was around 60 VW's on the lot waiting to be fixed. When I ran out of engines ready. I rebuilt the one's I'd pulled. And started over. In about 3 months I'd caught up. Since I was the third man in a 2 1/2 man shop, we didn't have enough work to keep us all busy. So I went looking for another job as the other two guys had been there for years.

Iv'e never seen so many engines that ate rings and pistons as those POS junkers. Nearly all I had to do was pull the cyls and replace the jugs and cyls. Each one got a new pair of donuts at each end of the axles too. Damned good wages while it lasted. I got paid by the Flat Rate book.

George

Thanks for the feed back guys. I thought it true but wanted other input. Thanks again,R.