tom_c

does anyone know if the small woolwich butty meteor has been cut up yet?

i believe the reason for using 2 stroke mix is to lubricate the changeover valve assemblies as they are not lubricated any other way, however the petrol paraffin engines use petrol, not 2 stroke mix, for priming before starting.

for the petrol starting J engines the mix should be 16:1, for the K engines the mix should be 32:1 don't know why they were different but thats what kelvin say in their books.

with the petrol start system properly set up it should be quite easy to start this engine, the impulse start for the magneto should guarantee a good spark, we have a j3 with petrol start and my 5 year old daughter can turn that over by hand quickly enough to get a spark from the mag, let it warm up for a bit on petrol then switch over to diesel, the petrol start engines have a different compression ratio and combustion chamber shape, they do not run as well from cold on diesel. the petrol used to start should be a two stroke mix. hope this helps

i have brooks leather saddles on all of my bikes, after the first 500 or so miles they are very comfortable if set up correctly, seem to last longer than any other saddles , if more comfort is needed one of the coil sprung brooks saddles is a good bet but not cheap!

probably the best way to stop the engine running away would be to fit a chalwyn valve to the inlet manifold, these are spring loaded valves which close when too much air is drawn through them. very effective at stopping a runaway diesel.

hi do you have any more information about this engine, is it air or water cooled, what gearbox is fitted, any other unique features, also where on the erewash is the boat

55' tug with Kromhout 2k3 (40hp @ 500rpm) deep draught for the 34" x 24 prop needed for this engine. large front deck for the kids, no solid fuel or gas, large hydraulic bowthruster, hydraulically powered alternator hidden away out of sight. full sized bath.

my favourite bike for towpaths is a single speed mtb which i built 12 years ago, quick release wheels with 'slime' or similar to seal punctures as they happen, no gears to go wrong, v brakes and a suspension fork, comes apart quickly enough to drop into an engine room. rides much better than any folding bike i have tried!

hi you could always try pirtek, i have always used them for any hydraulic problems. www.pirtek.co.uk they should be able to advise on the most suitable oil and have branches all over the country. hope this helps, tom

i have winded several full length boats in the winding hole before the tunnel, sometimes it is a bit tight but it can be done, a bit more difficult with a butty than a motor!

what about the watergate in the weir at chester? would that still count as still being "in use"