Engine won't start - again: self bleeding?

[magpie patrick]

On board Lutine, very quick summary

 

a month ago spill rail found to be leaking

 

RLWP has replaced spill rail

 

This morning engine started, promising smoke of unburnt fuel from first turn, however I realsed I hadn't refastened the throttle cable to got into the depths to do this. As I finished the engine stopped from low revs

 

I noticed that the fuel tap at the top of the tank was half-off, I'd probably caught it getting into the engine bay: turned it fully on. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELATED AS I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN HALF OFF

 

Engine now won't start - just turns over without drawing fuel.

 

I have plenty of fuel... but will soon have flat batteries through trying to start!

 

What next

[Tony Brooks]

Tell us what engine - some are self bleeding and some not - and we can tell you.

[magpie patrick]

Lister ST2 - you may recall you helped me fix an earthing fault a few weeks ago!

[baz gimson]

Lister ST workshop manual

 

http://winget.co.uk/document/LISTER%20ST%20WORKSHOP%20MANUAL.pdf

[magpie patrick]

It has started - it took all four batteries (none of which are in great condition) and one decompressor off and fuel finally came through!

[Tony Brooks]

Good. Yes I do recall now but these days my head is like a sieve. I suspect this is a further manifestation of the cold starting problem so maybe an airleak is getting worse. Still one way or another things will sort themselves out.

[Geo]

It has started - it took all four batteries (none of which are in great condition) and one decompressor off and fuel finally came through!

 

On cold days I used to always turn my Lister HR over decompressed before trying a full start, seemed to make starting a lot easier.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Geo

[Tony Brooks]

That is what he was doing but even then it took an age to start.

[magpie patrick]

 

That is what he was doing but even then it took an age to start.

That's not quite true: I didn't turn it over totally decompressed. The breakthrough came with realising that the "decompressed " cylinder wasn't, the lever hadn't gone quite far enough.

 

I thought the new spill rail might have solved the air leak. It may not have done. Or it may just take an age to self bleed given I accidentally turned the fuel halfway off... :-/

 

Edited to add now at Thrupp, once I've got my car back from Wolvercote I'll have to search out Tesla et al :-)

Edited November 26, 2016 by magpie patrick

[mross]

If the fuel valve is a ball valve, the handle at 45 deg is pretty well, if not completely closed. Or was it a valve with a handwheel?

[magpie patrick]

If the fuel valve is a ball valve, the handle at 45 deg is pretty well, if not completely closed. Or was it a valve with a handwheel?

Ball valve, and you have confirmed my suspicion...

[Murflynn]

 

...... these days my head is like a sieve. I suspect this is a further manifestation of the cold starting problem ...............

 

sorry to hear that.

 

suggest you try a double scotch before breakfast.

[Geo]

That's not quite true: I didn't turn it over totally decompressed. The breakthrough came with realising that the "decompressed " cylinder wasn't, the lever hadn't gone quite far enough.

 

I thought the new spill rail might have solved the air leak. It may not have done. Or it may just take an age to self bleed given I accidentally turned the fuel halfway off... :-/

 

Edited to add now at Thrupp, once I've got my car back from Wolvercote I'll have to search out Tesla et al :-)

 

I always found I had to watch it when decompressing my Lister, that last half inch of movement can feel as if it has reached the stop, when it needs extra pressure to compress the valve spring to open the valve. My levers were joined so I did the lot in one go and often did not get the valves quite open. So easy not to get them open.

Edited November 26, 2016 by Geo

[mross]

In cold weather, on a three-cylinder lifeboat engine, we could decompress all three cylinders to hand crank the engine up to a decent speed and then flip one lever to get it started. So sometimes it pays to remove the link between the individual decompression levers.

[ditchcrawler]

In cold weather, on a three-cylinder lifeboat engine, we could decompress all three cylinders to hand crank the engine up to a decent speed and then flip one lever to get it started. So sometimes it pays to remove the link between the individual decompression levers.

I have spent ages doing that at Oulton Broad on an survival course. Never did start the bugger.

Ball valve, and you have confirmed my suspicion...

That may have caused air to be sucked into the fuel filter around the O ring seal. I have had the same problem. The injector pump pulls a vacuum in the filter while the engine was running with the fuel turned off at the tank.