Clarification
Hi Stew: I think you know this story ...so
Radial engines have a tendency to collect oil in the bottom cylinders and can create a hydrostatic lock up situation if you try to start them without first eliminating any collected oil. Usually you turn the engine through several revolution to evacuate oil from the cylinders or you could remove the spark plugs and drain it. In a tank engine your supposed to handcrank the starter 50 times to turn the engine over ( through the starter reduction) to clear oil. Oil is not compressible. If you crank or are able to start the engine without clearing the oil, you will have major problems- bent link rods, broken pistons, jugs that are fractured off the crankcase etc. The story goes as I heard it was, that once the radial powered vehicle in Bill Greggs collection got away from Rockwood (Bill and Stew), at some later time it was damaged when someone unfamiliar with correct procedures attempted to start it. Anyone familiar with a radial engine would not make this error. WW2 vets told me they would "bump" the engine a little at a time with the electric starter so they would not have to hand crank it.
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