2.2 pre-fitting testing.

[Roustabout]

Before the winter gets too much for comfortable work I'm considering trying to fire up the engine prior to installation. Can anyone suggest some practical tips for success ?

I'd like to temporarily fit a silencer to the Bowman to draw less attention, and hopefully rig up a basic cooling circuit with either a rad or 5 gallon can. The engine was purchased "used" with a couple of parts sold prior, so I'm hoping just to make-do for now with hoses from a breaker for trialling.

[Bee]

Nail it down so it doesn't get free and chase you round the shed. Has it got a water pump? not just the circulating pump that comes with the engine, you will need a biggish container for water as it will heat up quite quickly, probably the one thing you will want to know is the oil pressure when it warms up so a mechanical gauge would be good, apart from that have a go and see what happens and keep your hands well away from the fan if it has one. Good Luck.

[Roustabout]

Thanks Bee, its currently just sitting on a low dolly (ex flower shop rack) with no fan hoses or wire of an sort. Its mainly for reassurance really as it would be easier to fix prior to fitting IF it suggests anything less than ideal. A blank plate now covers where the Jabsco WAS and going to twist a vaselined drill-bit down the heater-plug'oles as it looks a bit grim (new plugs going in). Still to fit are leak-off pipes, hoses when they're sourced and any relevant wire as in starter/solenoid heaters temp/oil senders and maybe a load on the alternator ?

Some sort of silencer would be beneficial to placate the neighbours, and I expect to use a ratchet-strap over the rocker-cover with a small tank to gravity feed the diesel hanging over it (like a hospital drip set-up).

Still to go over the finer points etc.

[Roustabout]

Just to add that its a SLOW build and engine not yet fitted, and although time is fairly unimportant economy is so apart from the ground rent all other expenses are on a shoestring budget. Still yet to "make" the engine room forward of a trad back-cabin and source prop shafts, PRM 150 in-hand although also considering hydro-drive (for headroom) or a bigger box if a bargain comes up.

Hydro-drive is such a dark-art that cheap solutions are like hens teeth as there's little known reliable details for an economical nb install.

[David]

Hi

Had a 2.2 would you believe I bought it fit but none running in a 35ft Handcock and Lane in 1979. Got it going and used it for several years till swapped for a 1.8. being a bit more realistic size for a smaller boat

Anyway a couple of hard learnt points.

after running it don't just drain down water assuming you will use just plain water if it will get frost/frozen, there is a water trap area in the block casting that can and will crack add a good drop of anti freeze (never got the weld repair to completely stay water tight unless also coated will a plastic metal sealer).

You mention heater plugs you need a resister inline before the first plug in case none is fitted otherwise after a while the first one blows/end melts off as it gets too hot and it cannot stand the combustion pressure. Found that out the (expensive) hard way to. If the first plug fails it cuts the supply to the other 3 because of the way they are linked so you soon know cos it won't start or get v,hard to. Got a land rover resister from local scrappy looked like a coiled spring, never needed another plug.

The solenoid that pulls the starter motor in gets dirty and the starter justs "clunks" like you get with a flat battery. The big copper contactor gets that greeny stuff you get on copper from the damp atmosphere down in the engine compartment I expect, giving it a wire wool clean fixes it.

To get done and reassemble it's easiest to remove the starter and do it in comfort on the bench(kitchen table)

Of course to get the starter of means swinging the oil filter out of the way, loosen the adapter bolts take one out and pivot the adaptor and filter pot a bit gives enough room to pull the starter motor back and off and just a few drops of oil escape. If you drop the filter out of the pot you get the pot full of oil everywhere as well.

Don't forget to retighten the filter after you put starter back, but that's another story!!!

And that reminds me, some of the old drilled and tapped holes in the block used for mounting the engine into the vehicle originally go right through the casing and need blanking of to be on the safe side

It ran via a Borg Warner Velvet drive and 2.1 reduction which gave good service and traded in for PRM for the 1.8.

The upside is the 2.2 was the old black taxi cab engine almost impossible to break took loads of abuse and ours ran for hours after dropping all the oil with no after effects.

david

Edited December 15, 2015 by David

[Tony Dunkley]

Thanks Bee, its currently just sitting on a low dolly (ex flower shop rack) with no fan hoses or wire of an sort. Its mainly for reassurance really as it would be easier to fix prior to fitting IF it suggests anything less than ideal. A blank plate now covers where the Jabsco WAS and going to twist a vaselined drill-bit down the heater-plug'oles as it looks a bit grim (new plugs going in). Still to fit are leak-off pipes, hoses when they're sourced and any relevant wire as in starter/solenoid heaters temp/oil senders and maybe a load on the alternator ?

 

 

What you've said there about the Jabsco pump location being blanked off has got me wondering if this was a Newage-BMC marine engine, rather than an ex automotive engine.

Newage marine engine versions were direct cooled, with a by-pass and low temperature thermostat arrangement, via a Jabsco pump mounted on the (different) timing case cover and driven directly off the camshaft chain sprocket. The automotive type waterpump on the block was removed and the mounting position for it blanked off instead.

If you've got the Jabsco pump and intend to cool the engine through a skin tank, then the Jabsco (positive displacement pump) could be a better option than the automotive type pump for circulating the cooling water via all the additional lengths of relatively smaller diameter pipework from and back to the engine.

[Roustabout]

Thank you to all replies, all are gratefully noted.

The lump DID come from a coastal craft and I believe it to be a factory marinisation. I WAS considering staying with the OEM circulation pump due to long-term reliability over the Jabsco, however I'm happy to be corrected if the flow rate will make a difference.it all going to end upin its own room ahead of the back-cabin so pipe runs SHOULD be reduced. Its rather awkward as the build-site is unsecure somewhere up in the Black Country

[Roustabout]

Once the cabin itself is completed and engine/running gear installed I can then launch and bring closer to home. Trying to prepare from 100 miles away does present a few restrictions, but with the cabin complete then the security level is significantly increased as the intention is to only "template-cut" any window openings (leaving only a few 1inch areas left to cut) while the boat transforms from a boat to a home.