Chris Wood

RLWP, No, I haven't taken the Jabsco off, but can do quite easily, didn't think this could be the problem, but worth a shot. Can also photo the cylinders which have been removed, will do so asap & put on the forum. Thanks, Chris

Mike, Many thanks for your philosophical notes. Chris

Richard, It is water called with a jabsco pump driven by the engine with water jackets in the cylinders & exhaust through which the cooling water is discharged. I suspect that it was this water that corroded the piston, as it was at the top of it's stroke, way above the starter motor level which was the maximum height the bilge water got to. That piston was totally seized, but, strangely there is clearly another major problem as the engine still won't turn - I suspect the flywheel end, but who knows??? Regarding rotation, I believe it is right hand as viewed from the front - pulley end, but not now sure I'm remembering correctly!! Many thanks, Chris

Hello again, many thanks for your continuing interest and ideas about the dormant Lister. Thought these photos might help, the seized piston, caused by water damage has been removed, no sign of any problems with the big end bearings of either cylinders, they move easily. I've pumped out the sump oil, no sign of water, oil looks good as do the main bearings so far as I can see. Have not yet pumped out the gearbox oil, but apart from some minor surface rust, it all looks ok, the forward / astern brake bands seem to work ok & I can rotate the prop shaft ok in neutral. What seems a likely cause of the problem is the flywheel / ring gear where the starter motor fits - this is very corroded. I've taken the advice offered of vinegar treatment & sprayed white malt vinegar through the hole, hoping it reaches the affected parts. Will try the pry bar suggestion in a couple of days when it's had a chance to work. If thats no good, thinking of trying to support the engine & removing the gearbox & bell housing, but this will be tricky as there is a bulkhead in the way. Thanks again Chris - 01798 867768

Quite right, Stilsons on the Cam, nestling in the Fens, not many people know about it, twinned with Stilsons Barking Knuckles near Chichester.

Again, many thanks for all the brainpower going in to this!!! A few points arising - Yes, the engine seemed to run normally a year or so ago when it was last started and was stopped normally. Having said that, when I removed the heads to expose the pistons, the one that was seized was at the top of it's stroke surprisingly & when I eventually managed to remove the cylinder the piston showed obvious water caused corrosion. Surprisingly the other piston at the bottom stroke & therefore nearer to any water ingress is in perfect condition. Incidentally, I will replace the water damaged piston because it shows other damage & is very pitted. I like the idea of a pinch bar on the teeth of the flywheel, in fact I tried that before but with a bad fitting crow bar, so will try to find something more suitable. I also agree that something might be jamming the flywheel / fan, perhaps something floating in, or just rust? Maybe I can remove the grill casing to get a better view. Will try to get someone to photo and upload the pictures to this forum which might make it all clearer. Chris

Many thank to you all for your help, I'll respond in the same order, please tell me if I'm doing anything wrong as I'm not very computer / forum savvy! Tony Brooks - No, it isn't just stiff to turn, it is locked solid - I've had big Stilsons with a scaffold pole lever on the pulley drive at the front of the engine & also tried the prop shaft drive outside the gearbox. The gearbox I think is manual, and in neutral it will turn, in gear it wont. Zenataomm - I believe it is an SR2, but haven't seen an identification mark. It was flooded for about 2 weeks before I realised. At that time I believed that only the starter motor was damaged, so removed & rebuilt it, only then, when it still didn't turn did I realise it was seized, and that was probably 2 months after it flooded. Prior to this the engine last ran about a year ago. Richard - I can get the gearbox into neutral, will look to see if I can find the cone clutch you mention, do you think this could be causing the problem? Bizzard - Hadn't thought about gravel etc around the flywheel / ring gear. Are you suggesting vinegar followed by paraffin, or as an alternative? I have loads of Kerrosene heating oil, might that be good? Again, many thanks Chris

Richard, Many thanks for your thoughts, yes, I agree that it's of course the water ingress thats done the damage. There was evidence of that around the seized piston / cylinder which with the aid of steel wedges & a hydraulic puller I removed, together with the other piston / cylinder which was perfectly fine. It will be very difficult to remove the whole engine & gearbox so I want to try to do the work in place. To this end, I now have good access to the lower casing of the block, and can easily clean the sump out properly. The big ends are fine & move easily on the crankshaft, so I am simply trying to locate the next problem which is preventing the engine from turning. I thought that there must be a good chance that someone else had experience water damage on a Lister (SR2 I think), and wondered if they might know where next to investigate - gearbox or the gear train at the front of the engine. Thanks again Chris

Hello, I have a Lister diesel coupled up to a Lister gearbox, it partially flooded with brackish water up to the starter motor some months ago and now won't turn at all. Having removed the starter, heads and cylinders, I found that one piston was very seized in the bore, but even having removed it, the engine will still not turn. Both con rods are free on their big end bearings. I am wondering if anyone has had a similar problem and might have any suggestions. The engine remains in the boat, and removal is a difficult job which I would like to avoid if possible. Could the further problem be the gear train at the front of the engine, or even the gearbox which looks ok as viewed through the inspection cover? Many thanks for reading Chris Wood tel 01798 867768 mob 07710 000214