Brucec

I think I might put another stack of sleepers in the middle just for the peace of mind. Better safe than sorry. I really, really hope I'm not here for two years! Thanks again all.

Thanks so much - really helpful reassurance. But oh dear god, now I really don’t want to watch when it goes back in.

Why indeed? First, because I didn’t start thinking about it at all till I stared for a while at this great mass of steel sitting on those little piles of timber; and second, because somewhere in my head, rightly or wrongly, there seems to be a difference between dangling in the air from two supports for a few minutes and resting on two more widely spaced supports for weeks on end. I imagine the sustained load would cause the hull to flex more over time.

Thank you for the reassurance. That’s one anxiety (among many, at present) I can put aside. And no, I didn’t ask for more than two straps. Never occurred to me. Should I have? Not sure they’d have appreciated it in the middle of an apocalyptic rainstorm, mind.

Hi all, I’ve just had my 58 foot narrowboat craned out of the water and put on blocks for maintenance - one pair of blocks about five feet from the prow and another pair around the same distance from the stern. Nothing at all in the middle. I’m no expert, but surely it would want some support in the middle to stop the hull flexing unduly, wouldn’t it? What do people think - should I add more blocks? And if so, how frequently should they be spaced along the hull? Or am I worrying unnecessarily? Does anyone know a quick rough and ready way to calculate how much support is needed and how to arrange it? Thanks all, Bruce

Thank you for that, Sir Nibble, and I see exactly what you mean. Re the starter, everything you suggest has now been done. I have the old armature in front of me and it has visible corrosion. Instinct suggests, as do you, that the failure to replace it and other components previously can only have contributed to the ongoing problems. The previous 'rebuilds' were partial at best. Will check the bell housing for dryness this morning, and if all ok will reassemble. Would you suggest removing the starter for another inspection after, say, a month, to make sure everything is still ok?

I wasn't at all convinced by the condensation theory myself. And yes, I'm sure it was worked on by someone who shouldn't have been let near it in the past. Anyway... Next job is to look for water in the bell housing. The owner says there may have been a one off water-in-bilge event. Would - or could - a one off event lead to the starter needing to be rebuilt three times? As I say, no coolant loss is apparent, which only leaves the canal... you would think.

Thanks again for the suggestions. I found a place where they seem to know what they're doing. Turns out the starter is, as some people suggested, completely shot, despite having been overhauled recently. The problem, I'm told, is corrosion caused by water ingress. Either condensation 'from the engine not being run often enough' or, possibly, water or coolant getting into the bell housing and being flicked up into the starter by the rotation of the flywheel. This, it turns out, is also what was wrong a year ago, when the starter was last overhauled. And obviously I don't just want to put the starter back and wait for it to fail again. I'm pretty sure it's not a coolant issue as the engine suffers no obvious coolant loss, and I imagine quite a bit of coolant would need to get into the bell housing to create these problems. And it definitely isn't being caused by water from the bilges. Which leaves condensation, or some other source of water entering the starter. So... does anyone with experience of BMC engines have any ideas on what is the likely cause of this kind of repeated water damage? And/or what solutions might be worth attempting? Thanks again.

Thanks for the replies. The starter was overhauled recently, but not the solenoid. It obviously should have been done at the same time but wasn't, hence my wish to go elsewhere. If nothing else, a solenoid repair should be cheap enough to be worth doing if only to eliminate it from the equation. But I'm pretty sure it's the solenoid that's playing up. The engine starts using the classic hit-solenoid-with-hammer solution.

Hi all, I'm having a spot of starter trouble. Does anyone happen to know of a good, reliable place in north/east London to get it reconditioned? The closer to Hackney / Tottenham / Walthamstow the better. Many thanks, Bruce

Thanks, I do

That one on eBay's only half a one! Just the adaptor - you also need the Hurth cover plate to make it work. Could be a cheapish option, but I've found a welder so I'm going to look into that angle first. Meantime I've tried tightening the bolts into the empty 4 threads in the coupling and giving the whole assembly what you might call a sharp tap or two. Nothing. Time for a more brutal assault? That kind of thing always makes me nervous when I'm not sure how something works. B

That all makes sense. I'll try and find an aluminium welder on Monday. And I'll put four bolts in those holes and give it a little tap with a big hammer. Cheers everyone - starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere. Finally. B

Thanks again for all the input. Here are some pics. The coupling: And again: The bellhousing: And another: Any thoughts on how to remove the coupling from the prop shaft? I undid the 8 bolts on the back but it doesn't want to shift at all... Cheers

If I were to go the welding route, can anybody recommend someone reliable in or near North / East London who I could discuss it with? Cheers, B

Thanks everyone for the rapid replies. I'm out at the moment but I'll post a photo of the coupling later. @RobinJ - Calcutt tell me they don't have anything new or second hand and aren't likely to for some time, so it would be a great help to me if you could list some of those other sources. The engine stands up about 2 - 3 inches off the bearers. I can't be more precise because the engine is currently sitting on the deck where I can crack my shin on it every evening As for welding: the housing is cracked at the rear RH foot (RH as you look at it from the front). The entire foot has broken away. Again I'll post photos of it later. I did consider having it welded up but because the break is right at the most critical point form a weight-bearing point of view, and because the pieces are a little chewed up and some metal is missing, I thought going for a new one might be best. But I'd certainly reconsider if people think a welded repair would be as strong as the original. Thanks again, Bruce

Hi all, The bell housing between my BMC 1.8 engine and Hurth HBW125-2 gearbox is cracked and I'm wondering where to start hunting down a replacement, preferably second hand. I've already spoken to Calcutt but I would like to research a few alternatives if anybody has any suggestions please. While I'm at it, I need to replace the engine mountings. My problem is that there are so many available, and I've no idea which ones I should get... The gearbox attaches to a flexible coupling, but I don't know what make or model as there seems to be nothing written on it. However, I do know that it isn't an Aquadrive or similar. It has a black rubber section between two metal plates... Any engine mountings advice would be most welcome. Many thanks in advance... Bruce

OK, here's the latest: Poked around a bit this morning and, as most of you have said, things don't seem nearly as bleak as they did on Friday. First off, there's no sign of an engine number, however I'm 99% certain it's a 1.8 based on the horizontally-mounted oil filter and fuel pump which are exactly as shown in the photos. Then I cleaned up the air filter (a ring of foam about an inch wide wrapped round a mesh support and completely soaked in dirty oil), topped up the coolant (which looks like horrible rusty sludge so a full drain and refill is needed there) and fired it up. The engine amazingly seems to be running OK: got it up to temperature and the white smoke (mostly) cleared. Backed off the injector pipes in turn and it seems to be firing on all cylinders. Adjusted the throttle and am now able to achieve respectable revs. I have to say it doesn't sound brilliant at tickover but is reasonably even at a fast idle, and not belching much black at all at higher revs. So... it seems that all is not lost. The big question is why it overheated in the first place? From what I've learned here and elsewhere I've figured out that the cooling system is an indirect raw water setup. I'm struggling to understand how this is to be maintained. The inlet is some way below the waterline so it's not easy to check/clear the filter, assuming there is one. I've groped around on the hull but can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Must be missing something. Anyway, I'll keep at it. Delighted to say I'm feeling quite glass-half-full about it today. I need to get to the bottom of the problem though or I'll be terrified to take it out again. I've had few more alarming experiences than being in charge of a 60-foot, 15-ton battering ram floating down the middle of a river with no engine or steering. I know what you're saying Alan: I thought there must be a fire too, there was so much smoke it was hideous and frightening. Talk about in at the deep end!

I'm thinking the same as Tony - worn teeth on the ring gear has caused this for me in the past. The 'solution' in my impoverished state back then was to keep trying - it would catch eventually. I also had a Renault 4 that responded well to the claw hammer approach. Can't help wondering whether Tony and me owned all the same vehicles

Thinking about your replies and will get my hands dirty tomorrow. Meantime I should just clarify that when the engine cut out last week amid black smoke this was not (just) coming from the exhaust but billowing gruesomely from the engine block itself. I have lots of experience of diesel engines in vehicles and am in no doubt at all that something bad happened. Possibly not terminal, but bad enough to suggest major repairs will be needed. More to follow...

Thanks for the replies so far. OK here is further information as requested: Thanks for your photos Alan. Based on those I would say it is the 1.8. Looks like it to me anyway. Not sure where I would look for the engine number but I'll try and find one later for a confirmed ID. As for the state of the engine: it just about starts amid clouds of white smoke. I took it for a trial run yesterday just half a mile down the river and back and after a while it started pouring out clouds of acrid black smoke and cut out completely. The temp gauge isn't functioning but the engine appeared seriously overheated to me. There are obviously some fairly major problems as, although it will still just about start this morning, it is labouring heavily and it's impossible to raise the revs above a slow tickover. And it's very, very smokey. I suspect plenty of internal damage and would anticipate a full rebuild being necessary. It would be impossible to drive the boat anywhere with the engine in its current condition. As for how I ended up owning a narrowboat with a duff engine, I'll leave that to your imaginations I'm more interested in solutions than recriminations. The fact that the engine barely functions isn't a crisis as the boat doesn't ever have to move anywhere. It's just a problem I want to sort out as cheaply and painlessly as possible. Thanks again everyone.

Hi all, My first post here so greetings to everyone. I'm totally new to boats, and my first challenge is to sort out the BMC engine in my 60' narrowboat. I think it's a 1.8 but haven't been able to positively identify it yet. In any case the engine is basically dead and I'm wondering what my best option is. Rebuild or replace? And if the latter, what with? Is there an alternative engine that I could drop in as a direct replacement? Or am I basically stuck with either this or another BMC in its place? And if anybody could suggest a good place to get a rebuild done or source a recon engine at a sensible price it would be fantastic. I'm based in London. Many thanks for any help anyone can give me.