Technical and industrial heritage artefacts are characterized by the presence of mechanisms. The possibility to activate, or reactivate, these mechanisms is an integral part of the cultural values of this kind of patrimony. The artefacts' functionality, however, requires an effective diagnostic in order to detect the onset of malfunctioning at a very early stage to avoid wear and breakdowns. The assessment of moving mechanisms of heritage objects may be performed using non-destructive methods, such as acoustic emission (AE). The ACUME_HV project aimed at developing diagnostic and monitoring protocols for historical vehicles' engines using AE techniques. The case studies were performed on 2-cylinders Renault AG1 vehicles (collection of the "Musee National de l'Automobile - Collection Schlumpf" of Mulhouse, France). These cars are maintained in working conditions, and their engines are started periodically. After a first phase consisting in recording the reference signals of the selected engines, the project focused on detecting faults simulated on purpose, the latter reproducing common failures occurring in historical vehicles' engines.