LEO

Hi, I thought Board of Trade regulations stated that 13 was the magic number. Albi

Hi, Looks as though it will be as good as previous years. Could you all remember to shut at least one gate when you have finished with the lock please - I followed your boats one year and as a single boater it was interesting to have to keep shutting both gates before using the lock. That aside have a good time. Albi.

Hi, Try newspapers, soaks up all the oil, water, cheap and very effective. Have been using this method for years. Albi

On the 'big engine front' I can only go along with what the experts say and my experience with 4LW's (56 hp) and 2LW's (28hp). The 4LW was not mine, but it smoked badly and took ages to warm up (if it managed to) even under load even worse if it's running with a calorifier. Diesels will smoke if they don't work hard enough and warm up. My 2LW smokes for about 15 minutes after starting from cold, then the smoking stops, it smokes a little if left ticking over or working through a long lock flight, but as soon as revs increase it stops. The engine also heats a calorifier. Albi

Hi, Thanks, still too big, even for a widebeam, unless fitted with a miniscule prop. Albi. PS when do you complete the last part of your cruise blog?.

Hi, Engine is much too big for the boat, - see earlier post - my pal left Barrus because he was fed up trying to sort out problems with over-engined boats. Consider the boat 'Apache' (hitting the headlines at the moment) fitted with a Gardner 2LW (28Hp) perfectly adequate. Smoke on your engine will eventually lead to long term damage of the unit. (I am assuming yours is a narrowboat and not a Dutch Barge) Albi

Hi, Have read the posts with interest, and one assumes all the facts are correct. Probably came about by using the wrong type of auction house, inadequate advertising, not allowing sufficient time for veiwing before offering the item for sale and 'knocking it' down to quickly. It may have been done in all innocence - someone in the right place at the right time with cash got a deal due to a badly managed sale Normally auction houses advertise boats being offered 'for sale' by auction in WW but I have seen no details of this one. Can't believe any auction house could have sold a lot such as this for 'scrap' value, at least with no reserve. I would suggest the creditors call for an investigation and I would love to see details of where it was sold and how it was catalogued. Albi

Hi, Not sure how many hours this gearbox has done, but I found that gearboxes breakdown at the inconvenient times and assuming it's a Hurth box I found the cheaper option was to replace it. Not hard to fit yourself and not too expensive. Labour costs and gearbox overhauls can work out expensive - see an earlier post. I note the comments on the previous post about DIY repairs - fair enough if you are good with the 'spanners', but mechanics charge a lot for fixing jobs other people start but can't finish. Albi.

Hi, It's interesting, but it depends on the spec. you gave them, it looks as though the camber of the roof did not lend itself to fitting a 'Houdini' hatch. Did you want light or ventilation? - if the former I would have gone for a 'prism' a much neater option. looks as though they did not have a rolling machine. Basically wrong fitting for roof of this style. Did they advise you before fitting it. Albi

Hi, Be careful on this one, do a search and read of the problems one member has experienced with a survey and surveyor. Lots of useful info in this particular post (I am not sure how to post details of previous posts). Also if possible look up an article in NBW about a problem with a recently surveyed boat leaking below the waterline. Take great care choosing your surveyor and check that he is infact a member of the professional body he claims to be and check he has suitable current professional indemnity insurance. Don't use a surveyor recommended by the vendor or broker and don't rely on previous survey reports, boat valuations are highly speculative at the moment. Take time to look up the previous thread - in fact take time with any boat purchase at the moment - it's a very strong buyer's market. Albi.

Hi, Drill the hearth and use 'Rawbolt' fixings, as they are tightened a collar expands and grips on the hole sides. Come in various sizes. Albi

Hi, It does sound like a 2.5 BMC a big engine for a narrowboat, even a 70 footer, you will have problems, as an engine this size does not work hard enough and this will damage the unit. A unit this size will not be very economical to run. Many people 'over engine' new boats, a pal who used to work for Barrus could never believe the size of engine people specified in their narrowboats and got fed up with complaints over poor running etc. I would proceed with caution in this instance and arrange to tow a loaded buttty round to make the engine work hard (which is what diesels are designed to do). Best of luck. Albi

Hi, There is (looking at the picture) an engine number plate below one of the injectors, perhaps this could be taken and someone like AMC could help with details, or look for the engine size moulded into the block above the lift pump. If it is 2.2 or 2.5 engine it will be much too big for canal use and will suffer badly unless it has a miniscule propellor. ATB ALBI

Alan Experience Dear Boy!, no seriously this looked like a chronic rust stain caused by leaking water, if it contained water and or anti-freeze any other additive I would have expected a different style and colour of staining. The type/colour of staining shown in the picture was prevalent in domestic cold water tanks before the advent of polypropelene, I learnt quickly never to touch the rust as if you did the tank pin-pricked and leaked and then house owners quickly asked for a new or a large contribution to a new tank and if left for the cost re-plasterering and redecorating ceilings. Albi

Hi, One more question, looks a though this could be raw water cooled - is this the case? Albi

Hi, Running it for 4 hours is a pretty good test. I had a coreplug rust through on my 1500, replaced it and I have heard of small holes in BMC blocks having been satisfactorily repaired using 'plastic metal' compounds. Any oil leaks? did it start easily?. Albi

Hi, Only an out of water survey will tell you. A friend was hit head-on by a hireboat last week (the Hb was going at what I suspect was 'warp' speed) and it badly damaged the cant on my pals boat. Repairable, but expensive and inconvenient. If you are in doubt and it was a big bang get a survey and charge him, although you will probably have to go through your insurance company (take care with your NCB). Did the accident leave your boat with a dent?. Albi.

Hi, Still no further forward. Although the engine has 'only' done 1500 hrs since 1975 there is every chance that it dates from the early 1960's and was taken from a scrapped vehicle about 1975. The degree of overhaul and marinisation was probably minimal. So one could be talking about a fairly old engine here. A friend did this with a boat he had built by Charlie Fox in 1975. It probably needs the injectors to be removed and serviced, something which may not have been done over the years and which is not a big or expensive job. Be careful removing the glow plugs as it is easy to snap these off and then it's c/head removal for sure and carefully tighten up the one you removed. Initially 'my' 1.5 was very temperamental and work on the c/head including servicing the injectors made it much more reliable. If you are getting fuel up to the union with the injectors by bleeding, it would suggest a problem with them. Best of luck, sorry to hear of the attitude of the mechanics, it's not doubting their ability but seeking alternatives before parting with the 'boodle' Mike

Hi, Thanks for the info. Mine had done about 800 hours before I had to do the work on it. A good, well charged battery turns the engine over more quickly and seems to help it fire up and gets the glow plugs really hot. Exhaust sounds like the system I modified mine to. Gardners do a 'headnut wrench' at £55.10, but I suspect it would be a WW thread and too big overall for your engine. (Gardner-Enthusiast.com /shop) I could give you the address of the guy in Spain to see if he wants to sell it on (he paid 30Eu for it). But do try the fuel system and battery avenue first - it's a shame these engines do not have a de-compression lever. Also make sure your fuel shut off lever and spring are working well. The part number for the spanner is correct, try Calcutt to see if they have one for sale. Best of luck. Albi

Hi, Yes I would carefully check the fuel system and bleed through plenty of diesel ( I note that you left it 1/4 full over the winter). The trial with clean fuel is also a good idea. And also try and get any 'gunge' out of the bottom of the tank (pipe in to bottom of tank, pump out agallon or so). Overhaul of the cylinder head is a possible and easy way of improving the compression. I purchased a special spanner from 'Snap On' and had to adjust it to fit. I had one until a few months ago but a guy from Spain contacted me and purchased it. It may be possible to change the C/head without it but there's no way the nuts can be correctly re-tightened without using one. ( I know because a cylinder head leaked after renewal when I tried). How many hours has the engine run and how old is it? teh engine may be getting to the stage when a c/head overhaul is needed, including servicing of the injectors. As has been said, a good battery is needed, as using the glow plugs takes a lot out of a battery and reduces the cranking power considerably. What cooling system do you have, for several years mine had a raw water system and cranking without starting caused water to back up in the exhaust system and a small amount got into the engine. I was lucky no serious damage was done but the Specialist engineers indicated the pitting in the head and valve seats suggested a water leak. Best of luck, it does not sound too serious.. Albi

Hi, Sorry to hear you continuing tale of woe. I had a 1.5 diesel, it was a problem to start when I first got the boat in 1988. I had to use easy start sometimes, it did not kill the engine. You need about 60 secs min on the glow plugs and a good battery to turn the engine over quickly to start it, especially in cold weather I broke a glow plug and had to remove the cylinder head, the valves were badly worn, especially the exhaust valves. I took it to a specialist (Green & Weatherall in Watford) had some new valves, all valves re -ground, new valve guides and the head skimmed for about £120 (a few years ago). Re-assembled it started well. It's not difficult to remove and re-assemble the cylinder head, but you need new gaskets, a torque wrench and a special spanner to get at the C/head nuts under the rocker shaft (don't try to do it without this spanner as you cannot torque the C/head nuts up properly). Bingo! she ran well. BMC's are prone to low compression, and I always found mine started easily when warm or in the summer. A friend has been known to use a blow torch up the air inlet to start a reluctant engine. I have little faith in some mechanics after one ruined an outboard by overtightening the flywheel nut on an outboard engine many years ago (Ladyline at Braunston). Diesel cylinder heads are much easier to service than petrol engines. The outlay if you do it this way will not be great. ALBI

Hi, I fitted a CTEK Multi XS 25000, it copes with a big battery bank, ( 5 x 110amps) fit it and forget it. About £200 off the internet. Check electorolyte levels regularly, be careful using lead acid and gel batteries, the former seem better for my usage on boats. Some suggest cheaper one's to do the same job but I can only comment on the unit I have. ALBI

Hi, Seems a good price, but guarantee, cash or VAT, covered dock, sign writing, proper disposal of waste materials, colour schemes and 3rd party insurance to cover accidents to your or other's property?. Albi