Jump to content

Welcome BMC owners

RLWP

By RLWP
in BMC

 Share

Featured Posts

RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
Posted

Well, I'm first in. Tawny Owl has a BMC 1.8 with a PRM box

 

She's OK just now, and I'm glad there is now somewhere to share knowledge on this old trooper of the canal world

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alan_fincher Veteran II

alan_fincher

Posted
Posted

We have the same, ours is quiet dont smoke or leak has never broken down........

 

Weren't you the person that said you hardly ever leave your mooring basin ?

 

If we did that, we could probably claim similar! :lol:

 

Actually Chalice's starts well, and is a damn sight more smoke free than most.

 

I've given up the fluid leakage battle though, it will always preside over an engine bed that contains some randomly proportioned mix of engine oil, coolant and diesel!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
romarni123 Rising Star

romarni123

Posted
Posted

Weren't you the person that said you hardly ever leave your mooring basin ?

 

If we did that, we could probably claim similar! :lol:

 

Actually Chalice's starts well, and is a damn sight more smoke free than most.

 

I've given up the fluid leakage battle though, it will always preside over an engine bed that contains some randomly proportioned mix of engine oil, coolant and diesel!

Well the boat CC for 13 yrs with its first owner and 7+ years with us and not a few miles a season either :P we have been moored up for 12 months though :rolleyes: but yippee we are off to stratford next week the avon the severn and the staffs and worcs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
musicman Contributor

musicman

Posted
Posted

We have a BMC 1.8 installed - PRM Delta gearbox.

It's given trouble free service for over fifteen years - I like the fact that I can find my way around easily, change the oil, check and tension alternator belt etc.

Somehow, there's something comforting about the fact that this design has been around for ages and stood the test of time.

Starts well, a little smoke on starting, a little bit of oil leaking, a little bit of smoke whilst idling in locks - but a friend none-the-less!

Philip

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
  • Author
Posted

it's a bit smokey in here!!!

 

Very reliable though. Here, take this gallon of paraffin and bugger off

 

:P

 

Richard

 

Just popped in to see what it's all about.

 

Is it like the chavvy younger brother of the new Vintage Engine Forum...smoking away in bridge holes, snarling at modern engines, sneering at older ones?

 

No, we're going for an unbearable level of smugness.

 

Richard

 

And endless threads on combating vibration

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sarah and Ian Community Regular

Sarah and Ian

Posted
Posted (edited)

Ours is a BMC 1.8. 22 Years old fitted to a Royal Navy R&R narrowboat so guessing it was well maintained. Pretty sure it was marinised by Calcutt. Shes runs sweet as a nut bit of smoke and start up which I have been told is normal after

30 seconds or so clear as a whistle.

Edited by Sarah and Ian
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The boat I'm hoping to buy has a BMC 2.5 so should I get down T K Maxx, and buy a shell suit or not?

 

You'll only spoil it with spilled oil. Scruffy jeans and an old pullover is more the style

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canaldrifter Experienced

canaldrifter

Posted
Posted

Ours is a BMC 1.8. 22 Years old fitted to a Royal Navy R&R narrowboat so guessing it was well maintained. Pretty sure it was marinised by Calcutt. Shes runs sweet as a nut bit of smoke and start up which I have been told is normal after

30 seconds or so clear as a whistle.

 

2.52 BMC that came out of a floating restaurant in a hull once owned by Pink Floyd. 25 years old when fitted in 2004, and had only run for 6 hours.

 

Smoky when cold only, but oodles of power in a 54ft boat.

 

Oil pressure way too high, but adjusting it involves a lift out and I can't be bothered. At least the bearings are good.

 

But the ref to the RN narrowboat is interesting. Which one and what's the history? Was it one of those once used for recruitment?

 

Tone

Link to comment
Share on other sites
koukouvagia Influencer

koukouvagiaDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

As an antidote to all this BMC smugness – mine on the butty has been a pain in the neck. :(

 

In the past two years I've had to buy a new starter (old one burnt itself out); a new fuel pump (bought because the engineer mis-diagnosed a blown cylinder head gasket); a re-skimmed cylinder head, reseated valves etc. (which engineer number two correctly diagnosed); a new raw water pump (whoever 'reconditioned' the engine hammered the impeller on and damaged the splines - have you ever tried getting an impeller off that's been forced on?); a new primary pump (to replace the one which disintegrated, shearing the pulley shaft); lengthy investigations to determine why it emitted clouds of white smoke (this turned out to be steam, caused by air being sucked into the raw water circuit through a leaking soldered joint in the pipework – a long story which I won't go into here).

 

I'd be very chary about buying another BMC recon. engine – and ours from from a very reputable firm. The cylinder head had been skimmed almost to its limit; there are marks on the top of each of the pistons where the valves seem to have been making contact, (surely this isn't right?) and on one of the valves, the rim which holds the collets in place had broken off all round leaving just a tiny fraction of metal keeping them in place.

 

Mind you then engine looked clean – lovely respray!

 

All I can say is, give me my Kelvin, or before that, the Seffle any day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
canaldrifter Experienced

canaldrifter

Posted
Posted

As an antidote to all this BMC smugness – mine on the butty has been a pain in the neck. :(

 

In the past two years I've had to buy a new starter (old one burnt itself out); a new fuel pump (bought because the engineer mis-diagnosed a blown cylinder head gasket); a re-skimmed cylinder head, reseated valves etc. (which engineer number two correctly diagnosed); a new raw water pump (whoever 'reconditioned' the engine hammered the impeller on and damaged the splines - have you ever tried getting an impeller off that's been forced on?); a new primary pump (to replace the one which disintegrated, shearing the pulley shaft); lengthy investigations to determine why it emitted clouds of white smoke (this turned out to be steam, caused by air being sucked into the raw water circuit through a leaking soldered joint in the pipework – a long story which I won't go into here).

 

I'd be very chary about buying another BMC recon. engine – and ours from from a very reputable firm. The cylinder head had been skimmed almost to its limit; there are marks on the top of each of the pistons where the valves seem to have been making contact, (surely this isn't right?) and on one of the valves, the rim which holds the collets in place had broken off all round leaving just a tiny fraction of metal keeping them in place.

 

Mind you then engine looked clean – lovely respray!

 

All I can say is, give me my Kelvin, or before that, the Seffle any day.

 

Sad story, but it looks like you inherited a poor recon there. That can happen to any make of engine though.

 

Conversely, mine runs fine, but it looks filthy....

 

Tone

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sarah and Ian Community Regular

Sarah and Ian

Posted
Posted

2.52 BMC that came out of a floating restaurant in a hull once owned by Pink Floyd. 25 years old when fitted in 2004, and had only run for 6 hours.

 

Smoky when cold only, but oodles of power in a 54ft boat.

 

Oil pressure way too high, but adjusting it involves a lift out and I can't be bothered. At least the bearings are good.

 

But the ref to the RN narrowboat is interesting. Which one and what's the history? Was it one of those once used for recruitment?

 

Tone

 

She was called Shy Talk. She is on an old Colecraft Shell. We have a plaque on the boat somewhere when she was comissioned. And before the repaint she was lightblue with ref coach work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Randwick Gongoozler

Randwick

Posted
Posted

 

Conversely, mine runs fine, but it looks filthy....

 

Tone

 

So's mine, (1.5) but has run faultlessly apart from a raw water cooling pump (v. leaky bearing, now replaced) but as it's over 32 years old and has had many, many hours of long distance cruising, I'm very happy. :D:D:D

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RLWP Veteran II

RLWP

Posted
  • Author
Posted

As an antidote to all this BMC smugness – mine on the butty has been a pain in the neck. :(

 

In the past two years I've had to buy a new starter (old one burnt itself out); a new fuel pump (bought because the engineer mis-diagnosed a blown cylinder head gasket); a re-skimmed cylinder head, reseated valves etc. (which engineer number two correctly diagnosed); a new raw water pump (whoever 'reconditioned' the engine hammered the impeller on and damaged the splines - have you ever tried getting an impeller off that's been forced on?); a new primary pump (to replace the one which disintegrated, shearing the pulley shaft); lengthy investigations to determine why it emitted clouds of white smoke (this turned out to be steam, caused by air being sucked into the raw water circuit through a leaking soldered joint in the pipework – a long story which I won't go into here).

 

I'd be very chary about buying another BMC recon. engine – and ours from from a very reputable firm. The cylinder head had been skimmed almost to its limit; there are marks on the top of each of the pistons where the valves seem to have been making contact, (surely this isn't right?) and on one of the valves, the rim which holds the collets in place had broken off all round leaving just a tiny fraction of metal keeping them in place.

 

Mind you then engine looked clean – lovely respray!

 

All I can say is, give me my Kelvin, or before that, the Seffle any day.

 

How much of that is actually core BMC? The cylinder head is, and could warp if the cooling was faulty. But the raw water cooling and pumps? We don't have any of that stuff

 

Richard

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.