Help I put Oil into the wrong place (Air valve)

[MrBadger]

Hi,

 

Firstly, I am aware this makes me a fool!

 

I am new to boating and felt like I needed to top up the oil - our boat has a Diesel Lister SR3 Engine and it has a large cap (which said Oil on it though this was a sticker from previous owner) however, it has come to light that this was an open cap and for air. As such, the engine will not start now. I have sucked out as much oil as I can and I am still cleaning it. 

 

My hope, is that none actually got anywhere else but the pipe as it the ingress to the engine is raised and I only put about a quarter of a litre in. 

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated! 

[Tracy D'arth]

There are 3 oil caps, one on each rocker box. Where is this air cap?  Do you mean the air inlet manifold to the engine? A picture would help.

[Tony Brooks]

I think that you need to take the rocker covers off, loosen or remove the injectors, and turn the engine over by had for a while and theb spin it on the starter. Only tighten/refit the injectors once no more oil is spat out around them.

 

I just hope that you have not bent some connecting rods by a hydraulic lock.

 

 

Just to be sure, what Tracy said - photo please.

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Tony Brooks

[MrBadger]

Thank you both - pictures in-bound! - Hannah

[Tracy D'arth]

Yep, you poured it into the engine air inlet manifold. It will have run into at least one cylinder depending which valves were open at the time.

 

Now you say it won't start so you have tried to turn it over on the starter, Hopefully it did turn over or did it refuse to turn over at all?

 

If the later, pray that it has not bent a connecting rod.  If it does spin over you are lucky.

If it is locked up try turning it backwards by hand until it will turn easily.  If it will not turn you will have to remove the injectors which are under the rocker covers to let it out. Spin it on the starter until no more oil spits out. Then put the injectors back in and it should start up very smoky.

[fatmanblue]

Yes, that's the inlet manifold .. it may have had a mesh air filter that is sprayed with oil to trap dust etc.

 

Definitely not where you want to pour oil.

 

What Tony said - loosen the injectors and turn the engine over to clear the cylinders. At least it will pour into the sump, and you have hand start to turn it over easily.

 

Or someone wiser than me may be able to advise on the possibility of clearing the oil using the decompressor levers.

[ditchcrawler]

33 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

I think that you need to take the rocker covers off, loosen or remove the injectors, and turn the engine over by had for a while and theb spin it on the starter.  

 

Tony, would operating the decompressors clear it?

[Tracy D'arth]

1 minute ago, ditchcrawler said:

Tony, would operating the decompressors clear it?

Answering before Tony.   Not really, the decompressors open the inlet valves so more may run in and it will keep on running back when you stop turning the engine. But its worth a try, I am just hoping it does not go into runaway mode burning the oil when it fires up.

[BEngo]

You appear to have put oil in the air intake. That will be OK if you have not turned the engine over.

 To clear the oil push the  decompressors levers (3 linked together  on the sides of the rocker covers) to the upright position and wind  the engine over on the hand start gear.  If you dont have a start handle use the starter motor in short bursts.  Make sure the levers stay up until you have turned the engine over 15 or 20 times.  

Then put the levers down and try a normal start.  Expect clouds of smoke for several days.

N

 

 

[David Mack]

3 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Answering before Tony.   Not really, the decompressors open the inlet valves so more may run in and it will keep on running back when you stop turning the engine. But its worth a try, I am just hoping it does not go into runaway mode burning the oil when it fires up.

Is it not the exhaust valves on the SR3?

[Ken X]

11 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is it not the exhaust valves on the SR3?

I have checked my SR manual and it appears the decompressors operate the exhaust valves on this engine.  Hope this helps.

[David Mack]

2 minutes ago, Ken X said:

I have checked my SR manual and it appears the decompressors operate the exhaust valves on this engine.  Hope this helps.

In which case turning it over with the decompressors operated will pump the oil out of the cylinders into the exhaust manifold. So no harm done to the engine, but not necessarily the same for the environment!

Edited September 17, 2023 by David Mack

[Ken X]

Fair play to the OP asking for advice.  I have certainly dropped the occasional clanger over the years and it is tempting to try and bluff your way out of it.  Hopefully no harm has been done and the problem can be sorted, although everybody downwind will certainly get the full benefit when it fires up for the first time. 🙂

[ditchcrawler]

27 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Answering before Tony.   Not really, the decompressors open the inlet valves so more may run in and it will keep on running back when you stop turning the engine. But its worth a try, I am just hoping it does not go into runaway mode burning the oil when it fires up.

Thanks, Something I didn't know

 

[magnetman]

A quarter of a litre seems alright.

Might make it start better in cold weather..

 

I wonder if this is why the previous owner had put a sticker there saying 'oil'. 

 

Decompressors as mentioned will clear it. 

 

 

 

You can't compress liquids but a little bit of oil to help seal the rings is an old established method of getting a hard to start engine running. 

 

Never a good idea to put liquids into the air intake but it is slightly intriguing that someone has apparently labeled it as oil. 

[Tony Brooks]

44 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I am just hoping it does not go into runaway mode burning the oil when it fires up.

 

That may well happen because oil may have filled up the toroidal combustion camber in the piston, and I doubt the compressors or loosening the injector would remove that. I would suggest making sure you can block the air inlet if necessary and get a very large well folded wodge of rag so if it starts to accelerate on its own the inlet can be blocked. I bet it will smoke like a steam engine, whatever the OP does.

[Tracy D'arth]

43 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Is it not the exhaust valves on the SR3?

OOOPs! You are correct, so opening the decompressors and cranking should dump the oil into the exhaust out of the way.

[magnetman]

If it did to mad it can be stopped by the decompressors .

 

I had a runaway on my first narrow boat on a SR2 it was crazy but decompressors do what they say on the tin and without compression a diesel engine can't operate. Its a basic physical impossibility. 

 

The engine in the picture has three decompressor levers joined together. 

 

 

[MrBadger]

This is all brilliant guys thank you so much! Much of this does makes sense I am going to attempt this in the morning and update! Thanks again I really appreciate your comments! I love learning this stuff let's hope the mistake isn't too costly!

[Ken X]

I shall look north tomorrow and see if we have a new Pope.🙂

In all seriousness, in your original post you say you felt you needed to top up the oil.  I am assuming this was after consulting the dip stick rather than just guesswork.

 

Lister dip sticks are known for showing an increase in oil level as well a deficiency.  Both these conditions are undesirable and require rectification.  There are many more experienced bods on this forum who can advise on the causes and suitable methods of curing such problems, but regular checking of oil level is to be recommended as a first defence against future problems.

[Paul C]

This is going to sound odd, but my advice.................do nothing. I don't think it will have bent a rod on the starter motor - different matter if you hydraulic an engine while running, but we're not there.

 

By doing nothing and leaving it, the oil in the cylinders will seep past the rings and into the sump, no worries; and leaving it a couple of days will give the oil a chance to do this.

 

It will be a bit reluctant and smoky to start up again after a few days, but start it will.

[magnetman]

2 hours ago, MrBadger said:

Diesel Lister SR3 Engine and it has a large cap (which said Oil on it though this was a sticker from previous owner) 

 

I was intrigued by this. 

[TheBiscuits]

4 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

I was intrigued by this. 

 

A badly phrased reminder to oil the air filter gauze, put there by a previous owner?

[Tracy D'arth]

I did not see any gauze filter in the cap. The British Waterways Listers I serviced never had any air filter fitted.

[fatmanblue]

My SR3 had a gauze filter, looked bigger than this one though.

 

Maybe the cap had an unfortunate part number '710’? 🤗