Lister SR1 - Only starts with assistance, what's up with it?

[DHutch]

A random bottom of deisal 10w40 is £12 and can tack on an order with eurocarparts to my door.

Ordered!

[DHutch]

Back on it this weekend, only thing found last weekend was that the spring was missing from within the fuel filter, meaning the eliment was not held up against the seal, it was well dirty on both sides!

Nobody knows anything about this, so it could have been running like this unknown and obvously without a filter change for some time I expect.

 

 

Daniel

[Orakal]

Ive spent a month rebuilding my SR3 after a water seize and i had to remove all pistons.Every single one was caked in carbon and every ring on every piston was stuck in the groove.I removed every ring and cleaned them, got a good friend to hone the cylinders to get close to a crosshatch without increasing the bore and scraped out every ring groove.

Then refitted the cylinder heads and pistons but she wouldnt start, white smoke no compression.Id cleaned everything including heads so my bump clearance and my tappet gaps were all wrong but when they were right she fired straight away.

 

Its worth doing it properly as i have learnt but you have to pay attention to everything and every setting....they are so fickle when it comes to compression.

[DHutch]

... bump clearance and my tappet gaps ... when they were right she fired straight away...

 

Never done bump clearance, how big a job is that? Tappets might want checking too!

 

The oil priming port to assist starting is optional on the SR, in fact I think it was only supplied on SR engines destined for very cold countries.

And hence presumably like rocking horse to find?

 

Daniel

[RLWP]

Hw many do you want? We have stock

 

Richard

[DHutch]

Hw many do you want? We have stock

 

Richard

 

For an SR1, one is presumably the correct number?

Daniel

[RLWP]

Come and see us Dan. We have more SR1 stuff than we know what to do with

 

Richard

[Taslim]

Rings or valves. A visual inspection of the valves / seats should show if they are blowing by, however if the problem is definitely fixed temporarily by adding oil it is probably not the valves but the rings /bore / piston.

 

One problem with fitting new rings to an old bore is that a wear lip tends to occur in the bore and the edge of the top ring gets worn. So if you put new rings onto a worn bore the ring hits the lip and breaks. With some engines you can get special top rings that have the edge relieved so they can be fitted to a worn bore. Not sure what they are called?

 

Best to strip the engine top end and measure, then replace as necessary. Simples!

 

If it's not too bad it might just be gummed up rings and a judicious cleaning of piston ring grooves might help.

'Ridge Dodger'. Heppolite pistons and them things kept me and my mates claped out cars (more or less) running in the way back then. But not for diesels.

 

As you and others have said it looks like head off time for Dans engine.

[Tony Brooks]

 

Never done bump clearance, how big a job is that? Tappets might want checking too!

 

 

Easy if you have a micrometer/accurate vernier caliper and shims for the adjustment.

 

Head off, put tow pieces of lead wire at each side of the piston in line with and above the gudgeon pin, Refit head, turn engine over a couple of times, remove head, measure lead wire for thickness, do the calculations. select suitable shims and refit, with new lead wire, head off and check thickness of wire. Refit without wire.

 

For lead wire we found that suitably thick multi-core solder worked well.

 

[RLWP]

 

 

 

 

Easy if you have a micrometer/accurate vernier caliper and shims for the adjustment.

 

Head off, put tow pieces of lead wire at each side of the piston in line with and above the gudgeon pin, Refit head, turn engine over a couple of times, remove head, measure lead wire for thickness, do the calculations. select suitable shims and refit, with new lead wire, head off and check thickness of wire. Refit without wire.

 

For lead wire we found that suitably thick multi-core solder worked well.

 

 

 

Or thin solder twisted

 

Richard

[DHutch]

Easy if you have a micrometer/accurate vernier caliper and shims for the adjustment.

 

Head off, put two pieces of lead wire at each side of the piston in line with and above the gudgeon pin, Refit head, turn engine over a couple of times, remove head, measure lead wire for thickness, do the calculations. select suitable shims and refit, with new lead wire, head off and check thickness of wire. Refit without wire.

 

For lead wire we found that suitably thick multi-core solder worked well.

 

Or thin solder twisted

Richard

 

Ahh, very good. So you are in fact basically adjusting the con-rod length and hence compression ratio, which presumably goes off with age due to wear? I have got some £4 eBay spec very-nears, bloody good for the cash, but likely an digi vernier its not really at micrometer accuracy.

 

All new to me this diesal lark!

 

 

 

Daniel

[RLWP]

 

 

Ahh, very good. So you are in fact basically adjusting the con-rod length and hence compression ratio, which presumably goes off with age due to wear? I have got some £4 eBay spec very-nears, bloody good for the cash, but likely an digi vernier its not really at micrometer accuracy.

 

All new to me this diesal lark!

 

 

 

Daniel

 

You digital vernier will be good enough. There is a tolerance band on the bump clearance, and the shims have a finite thickness

 

Richard

[Tony Brooks]

 

Ahh, very good. So you are in fact basically adjusting the con-rod length and hence compression ratio, which presumably goes off with age due to wear?

 

I'd rather describe it as adjusting the length of the cylinder because the shims lift the head but that is the idea. No idea why they need adjusting once set but we always did it as per the Lister manual.

 

 

 

[steamcompound]

You digital vernier will be good enough.

Correct, I've checked seven by different makers using slip gauges and all have been within .01mm (4/10000") over scale length. The only trouble with them is the battery and the quality of some of the new batteries.

[Arthur Brown]

There is some really soft solder available from tool station -intended for plumbers but it contains lead (CE China Export) It's about 4mm dia

 

My digi vernier eats batteries, it's fine for measuring but 24 hours on OFF and the battery is used

[BEngo]

I only put the battery into mine when I want to use it. I much prefer the 'mechanical' one, if only I could see well enough to read it!

N

[DHutch]

Sounds fair.

 

My vernier is fortunately one that can have its battery left in, unlike the similar spec one Dad has, and to be honest while feels a little gritter its nicer to use the works Kennedy branded job which need zeroing every time you turn it on and does not auto turn off.

 

Anyway, ordered a cold start oil inlet jobbie, which will allow starting without having to remove the air filter each time (hoping for GSDF to be dusty, not a bog) so happy days!

 

 

Daniel