almostafloat
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Posts posted by almostafloat
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Help. My camshaft is broke! I'm not sure what I did but I did it with a vengeance. I have a very broken camshaft and a very bent push rod. Does anyone out there have a Petter PJ3 air or watercooled. that they want to get rid of. Money no object(within reason). I've invested so much time and energy on this engine and I really don't want to have to change it now.
I'm really mad because I had an air-cooled engine for ages and only sold it last year for a pittance. And I have no contact details of the buyer but I know he removed an old engine before fitting mine in his Thwaites dumper truck so if this rings any bells with anyone .........
Mike
hello try these numbers from my diary
classic engines and spares 01925 757731
colin urwin 01388 815390
charlie 01799 527080
regards stuart
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I appreciate that is possible, but my experience is that they increase over time, especially with build up of carbon on the seats.
When the valve clearances increase the valves open later and close earlier, thereby reducing the intake of air and expulsion of exhaust and reduce compression.
If they were to decrease the valves would open earlier and close later, thereby increasing the intake of air and expulsion of gases and increase compression.
ive never experienced increasing valve clearances through normal use and the inlet side is never exposed to pressurised gases even allowing for overlap in timing i must work on completely different engines but i would have thought that the ageing perkins 6354 4236 and leyland six cylinders that i constsantly maintain would be subject to the same principles as the bmc in question perhaps i,m wrong regards, stuart
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diesel is the best penetrating fluid i would apply some on the top surface and tap the joint , do this for a while then use the stilson tip. alternate between diesel, tapping and twisting and it will come off progressively, it all depends whether you need the satisfaction of removing it in one piece or whether you just want it off in which case just cut it off its simple really
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no its really in this consious dimention where we touch things see things feel & love things it was not dream or a matrics drug world
go for it
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Sounds like its all interelated?
The engine needs to run to keep cool, load an engine and it will get hotter, anything that stops it running at its best will have the same effect, more load more heat!
When were the injectors last checked, is the fuel burning cleanly, is it sooted up? The injectors atomise the fuel when it is squirted into the engine, if a jet is blocked or sooted up, that piston will produce slightly less power, have larger carbon build up etc.
Have the valve clearances been looked at recently? When the valves open has a direct effect on the compression ratio and hence engine efficiency, over time the gaps will increase and the compression ratio goes down.
BMC's normally have a breather pipe, either from the oil filler cap or from the side of the tappet cover (under the exhaust manifold). It is worth cleaning these out (rinsing the steel gauze in solvent) and checking there are not blocked, but it will also gives some indication of the state of the engine. As an engine wears, more exhaust fumes are blown past the rings, at high revs when the crank is stirring up the oil, this can result in froth which gets blown through the breather pipe. Over a period of time this can build up in the air intake, be burnt in the engine and contribute to deposits in the exhaust. It may be that removing the exhaust manifold and cleaning the inlet and exhaust ports will help, but you can also think about what state the silence box is in, when was it last replaced? If you do replace it, think about running a brush (like a chimney sweep) throught the rest of the exhaust.
How worn are you fan belts? A new fan belt may not improve things by a lagre amount, but worn belts can also affect engine load, as they wear they sink into the pulley deeper and place a slightly larger load on the engine.
All this will help your engine to breathe and run at peak efficiency and is worth doing before you think about a major overhaul.
i think you mean the valve clearances decrease in time as the valves settle into their seats with the potential for lack of compression and a resultant loss of power see my first reply ,regards, stuart
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Does it exist? Or is it a rhetorical sunken boat?
probably need a surveyor to tell..and pay a fee to some government dept
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try valve clearances if its breathing fresh air ok
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and the sunken boat?
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is the fitting of a spring loaded tensioning pulley out of the question
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and newtons law of relativity..... if its full of water it will be relatively hard to float it
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well theres the law of gravity.....
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whos this graham
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when the filter was off some dirt found its way thru and stopped the screw seating properly
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I presume a pre rcd boat with a classic engine retro fitted will fall outside any beaurocratic nonsense, regards, stuart
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The BSS doesn't come into it because it's got no legal powers.
However the RCD is UK and European law it is the involvement of Trading Standards that would cause the problem.
In reality they have to trip over you or be tipped off to what you are doing.
There is some info HERE.
If they were to get their teeth into and you had built a few boats the same way then the fines would probably put you out of business.
Thanks for that Gary thats what i was wanting to hear ,regards, Stuart
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At what point would a classic engine be exposed as contravening the "rules"would it be at the bss inspection or some other point that my out of touch memory is forgetting, regards, Stuart.
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On a new built boat with CE marking probably not legal. (There is a UK brewed loophole that will almost certainly be closed.)
On an existing boat there are no legal problems at all at the moment.
Thanks for that Gary, are there any proposals in the pipeline to make it difficult, and do you personally think its liable to become impractical in the short term, {have you got your crystal ball handy} regards, stuart
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Hello all, back after too many years away and considering fitting a new lister cs12 twin cylinder diesel into older boat I,m not fazed by the fitting details just out of touch with the regulations. everything seems relatively sanitised since I was last on the cut and while things obviously move on have I missed anything with regard to emmissions and other matters that would make fitting such an engine out of the question any info would be most welcome as I have only just startedmy research,
Regards Stuart
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The debate over red diesel powered central heating for boats has been dragging on for years. It is full of many arguments and discussions but few actual facts. Following the new thread over Paul Sylvan's problems together with my older Eberspacher ones and others, I felt it would be in everyones interest to get some definitive answers from the manufacturers. I am proposing to email the main manufacturers with a list of issues and questions from forum members with the aim of getting them all answered in the interests of all parties
I asked for questions on Paul's thread, but felt it more appropriate to have a seperate thread for them. Below is my suggested email to manufacturers. Please post any relevant questions you would like answered.
The Technical support manager
There have been a number of apparent problems coming to the fore over recent years with relation to diesel fuelled boat heating systems sold for use on the inland waterways as Boat Central Heating Systems. The systems which seem to be the subject of most debate being those supplied by Eberspacher , Webasto and Mikuni.
There is much rumour, heresay and mis-information available on forums and tow path gossip, as well as genuine problems. One thing that is conspicuous by its absence, is well publicised and open comment and response from the manufacturers of these systems. As a result of this and to clarify the actual situation, I have over the past few weeks collected together a number of issues and questions from a wide range of current and potential users.
I and all interested parties, would be most grateful if you could offer us a full and open response to these questions and issues.
Sincerely,
Roger Gunkel
1) etc etc
hello everyone, new to this forum and only back to canals after about fifteen years away. Wow how things change, at the risk of offending anyone this seemingly in depth assasination or this type of heater seems on reflection to be slightly niave. i presume these things have become fashionable since last i dabbled, and i am bound to say having some experience of the automotive versions that they were designed to heat a relatively small space as the only altyernative to a cold and lonely existence in a truck or the like. these newer versions may have been updated but i think any one with a grain of nowse has to realise that they will always be a compromise as their miniature nature can only lead to being tempramental if the manufacturers instructions and recommendations arent met and adhered to, to the letter. In the real world this will rarely happen as with most things, and i would think that the lack of control over the varying and dubios quality of fuels that are fed to such heaters will be the most likely problem. You pays your money and takes your choice if its clinical warmth and ultra reliability you require it seems an anathema to look for it on a canalboat and not a new appartment somewhere. I hope this is seen as apositive contribution and not a particular criticism as i have entered this discussion at a late stage, regards and safe cruising, stuart
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Phew thanks for that as mine is a Mike Heywood! Have to say when I bought Debonair I did the female thing and just fell in love with it. It wasn't until afterwards I realised it was a MH.
Sarah
a shrew purchase no doubt good luck regards stuart
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ah that might help! I got that spelling from the marina thats selling the boat i saw today (and loved )
Just found this thread which gave me a bit of info. http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...969&hl=evan
hello there, mike heywood is part of the old school of craftsmen builders and i would buy one of his boats without hesitation hope this helps regards stuart
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I thought 'tother half was having a mid life crisis, when he suggested we went afloat!
[i had been a widow for near on 9 years when i met my partner] I had put the house up for sale in the july06 and mid november06 accepted an offer and on dec 4th 06 handed the keys over...The money was in the bank!!! after paying the balance to my husband's debts-as not all debts die with you!!!!
My now partner of 4.11 years, and I looked at a new way of life- [fresh start some call it.]
Buy a run down place, and live in a caravan and do the work ourselves..... buy land and do a self build......... but looking to do something for ourselves semi rat race kind of stuff.! Semi-retire kinda life, more to the point.. Then the idea of living afloat!!!!!!!!
We found a boat during the time of oct-dec 06, paid for her and moved onboard 16th dec 06, took 2 days to move her by canal system, to what would have taken 25mins in the car!!! had moorings in a marina for winter so as we could get sorted, boxes too-ing and fro-ing, from storage at our parents.
Kids thought we were mad and questions of their inheritance was in the air.... it wasnt even a passing thought to us.
Both 'tother half and I had travelled all over the country on a weekly basis with our jobs, 'tother half hgv driver-long distance, and I was a team leader for a merchandise company, and now we had something that was 'Ours'. That we could make a home, no more living on the road, living in bed & breakfast's and working 12hr shifts
we are in march issue of Towpath talk pg 46 'shop afloat'.
Life afloat...fantastic, we keep with-in the B.W guide lines to CC's and enjoy life greatly in the slow lane. we have since returned to a marina for two days and were kept in an extra 3 days due to storms., but we couldn't wait to get out, so much like an institution, open your curtains and 1 foot away is your neighbour, on both sides of you too!!
Well we are off the radar, and out of the rat race, just couldn't no way, go back into bricks and mortar, if I do / when I do, i hope i've lost my marbles and the will to live, because it wont be long after that till I'm dead.
I worried a little as to becoming a bird twitcher and even naturisum came to mind. [but only in the pitch black when the dog wont come in after her mid night wee.] and when we are out in the wilds, but the cow print wellies are not part of the naturist's attire..... are they?
we dont like built up areas anymore and as to noise of traffic.... I'll put up with the mating calls of the phesant and things that get snatched out of trees and bushes and are murdered in the dead of night ..... ha ha ha.
This life afloat.
Love it, wouldn't swop it, cant compare to anything Ive experianced before.
love the friendliness of other boaters, even the toffs i find amusing!
love being our lockie, and swopping ideas and tales of the cut....
Sorry if i rambled on
but Im happy and content for once in my life.hello and congratulations, we,re seriousley considering life afloat after a near miss 15 years ago now circumstances are different. i was wondering how you have adapted your banking and things like driving licences and insurance addresses. ive seen much talk but nothing satisfactory in the way of a complete cast off, maybe we need to get rid of all ties but a bank account seems so nessacary now to operate, and even i cant see how it all works. am i missing something obvious, regards stuart
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Thanks for all the helpful replies, particularly Lady Muck. I've already made money leaving journalism and doing property development by doing just that - hiring builders and doing a bit myself. I don't think you have to find something no one else is doing to set up a business, otherwise there would only be one of each type of business in the world.
Anyway, I wasn't really asking for general business tips, just about whether or not these two options were feesible. Looks like maybe not. Thanks anyway.
As for Dragon's Den, I hate that bloody programme.
one things for sure someones always going to make money out of boats cos we love them so why cant that be you the magic formula is to remember that we all have to pay for other peoples skills that we lack thats where you will make money when you use or develop skills connected to boating and someone wants them go for it
)
Buy a run down place, and live in a caravan and do the work ourselves..... buy land and do a self build......... but looking to do something for ourselves semi rat race kind of stuff.! Semi-retire kinda life, more to the point.. 
Moving aboard tomorrow - what have I forgotten???!
in Living Afloat
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are you there yet ,what did you forget, after all the advice.....