frangar

The breather is really simple....just a cover over a hole really!...but mine seems to collect fluff and crud that sits on the grease that falls off the grease nipple for the rocket shaft....worth a look though. I agree about the noise from the box in reverse! Take heart that at least you have a proper marine JP....far superior to those with modern reversing boxes! I think at worst the noise might be a bearing but it might also be a bearing on the prop shaft and the noise may be travelling up the shaft...personally I would use a drilled plug and see how that goes....just see if the noise gets worse. Also check the colour of the oil when you change it....if a bearing is wearing it will show up with "glitter" in the oil. My brass plug just has one hole of about 2.5mm drilled through it. Edited to add I've now cleaned the breather hole in the brass nut out....whoops! Here's some pics! Hopefully....

Personally I would just fit a cross drilled plug on the breather tube rather than strip the box! Its all mine has and seems to work well. Is the noise better or worse in reverse? Might be an idea just to check that the breather on the crankcase is clear….if its blocked it might explain it. I seem to find that you can pick up on every strange noise from a JP (or indeed other vintage engines i guess!) Mine seemed to make more odd noises just as I went onto the tidal Trent! Cheers Gareth

My box has a raised filler tube with a brass nut that has a cross drilled hole in it….as per the parts list I believe. Presumably this acts as a raised vent. Mine also makes a whiring noise but its not getting any worse and I had it rebuilt about 1000 hours ago by Llewelins Gears who seem to know what they are doing…at the time they replaced the bearings….i too had a gear set replaced many years previously but they were deemed ok the last time. it may be that the seal is going on the shaft and its getting pressure from the reversing box/crankcase. its also possible that the gear oil is tracking back into the engine….another reason I run my box on straight SAE 50 again as per Lister Manual…so there aren't any EP additives going into the engine oil. I did notice a bit of seepage this year around the base of the filler tube and dipstick but we were mainly on deep water with the engine revving harder than on canals. Have you checked for any leaks either round the output shaft or drain plug? Cheers Gareth

They may be the masters but other brokers are catching up judging by conversations with new boat owners we met over the summer...boy am I glad I'm nowhere near london!

Once again this says much for Mr Sterlings quality kit......I would have asked for a full refund and fitted either a Mastervolt or Victron...they may be more money but you only spend it the once. Cheers Gareth

Well I'm not going to advertise it on an open forum...but it's very close by.....and it's not in the sheds! Cheers Gareth

I think you find it may be....just not in the abnb basin! Cheers Gareth

I think all your back cabin work is how you left it.....the outside was repainted on the last refit though. I believe the boat is moored in Crick at the moment...70ft boats are a bit tight in abnb's basin. Cheers Gareth

New old stock head gaskets do crop up on eBay from time to time. I've brought quite a few over the years just to make sure I have some when needed....they are of much better quality than the modern ones....especially the imports from the India & thailand. Cheers Gareth

I didn't know we had met?...although I never wear a flat cap...I prefer a wide brim! Cheers Gareth

A quick run out today proved it affected my JP2 as well...and it takes a fair blade full to make that grunt...but it was just leaves....drop into neutral...Coast for a bit and then all is well! Cheers Gareth

It's beginging to sound like it may be the AC changeover "switch" on the combi....that's an internal switch in the combi I'm afraid. Have you checked the connections on the combi?...unscrew the front panel and check the terminals there...please be careful tho! Cheers Gareth

Post 7 and we are all in agreement......it won't last! Cheers Gareth

At this time of year leaves around the prop can cause some very strange symptoms....when you stop they drop away....might not be the answer but worth a thought. Cheers Gareth

Can you trace the cable from the genny just to double check there aren't any hidden breakers? Is there a change over switch for the shore line? Do you have a multimeter to check voltages? Worth checking all the connections in the cable as well....it's just possible a voltage spike has fried a mcb or rcd. If you don't have a meter or don't fancy poking about with one you can get "voltage sticks" which will glow a neon without making a contact. Very useful for tracing faults. Cheers Gareth

If you disconnect pin 8 on the scart lead you will disable the auto swtiching....Google will provide you with a pin diagram...that's always supposing that you can get inside the scart plug....some you can....some you cant! It doesn't matter what end you disconnect. Cheers Gareth

Most of the people I spoke to were planning on CC (M)ing it around London but with no idea about what that might involve. Cheers Gareth

Have you checked for any rouge breakers between the ac light and the ring main. If you have a meter carefully measure the voltage at the terminals along the cable. Do remember that 240v ac isn't very pleasant if it finds flesh! Also is there a selector switch for a landline or inverter that might have got knocked? Cheers Gareth Edited to add bits.

Well I didn't know london had so many available fully resi moorings for all the new boaters I spoke to over the summer who had brought a boat from the Midlands northwards and were taking it to London to live on. Sadly in many of these cases they seemed to have very little idea about what living aboard might entail...from how to operate a lock to how to drill a hole in steel...there is only so much you can hope to explain as you are sharing a lock or mooring for the night. Whilst the situation in London might not be as bad as I think (however judging from what I have seen when walking along the towpaths in the east of the city I doubt it) I can't help but think that some of the newbies must be having a pretty torrid time of it. Cheers Gareth

Well let's wait for the OP to come back and give us more info then..... It seems to me that the only people who could be upset by my post might be others who find my remarks a bit close to home....given the amount of posts on here about bridge hopping in London I don't think I'm alone in my views.

I will stand to be corrected by the OP.....but I also stand by what I say....I really don't see the point of a boat that never moves...liveaboard or not.... Cheers Gareth