Adjusting Kelvin tickover

[RLWP]

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Fiddling with the rack spring hook reveals I'm not the first to try and the hook length has been carefully adjusted so the spring coils 'just' do not quite fully close at full throttle, so adjusting the spring length further is not an option.

 

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Mike

 

I think you just found your problem. Maybe the previous owner didn't have the sense not to fiddle with the spring and you now need a replacement

 

Richard

[NB Alnwick]

 

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When cold the engine will not tick over unless I open the throttle slightly. No big problem. After a day's running today though I notice tickover at 150F (on the roof gauge) has crept back up to 180rpm. Doh!

 

So almost, but not quite, back to square one....

 

Mike

 

Mike, I think you are running a bit warm - our engine rarely runs hotter than 55 degrees C (130 degrees Fahrenheit) on the canal and, these days, I get worried if it exceeds 60 degrees C (140 degrees Fahrenheit) for any length of time - I know these engines will happily run hotter than this but they are old engines, prone to developing cracks on the cylinder head between the valve seats - especially if there is a build up of hard salt scale in the coolant passages.

 

Also adding oil to the governor is the right thing to do - the proportion of oil will be determined by experiment and engine room temperature but I always add six or seven good squirts from the oil can, each day, before starting. I add a similar amount to the injection pump sump. The reason for this is that the viscosity and lubricating properties of modern diesel fuel differ significantly from the stuff that Kelvin engines were designed to consume.

[BEngo]

I think you just found your problem. Maybe the previous owner didn't have the sense not to fiddle with the spring and you now need a replacement

 

Richard

 

 

And if you do want a new spring I have some, provided it is the same as the one on a J. They are brand new made by Short Order Springs.

 

N