Stalling lister

[Martinb]

Hi

We have a lister sr3 in our NB and have recently had a service.  We have only in the last few weeks been able to take her out but have noticed when the engine has warmed up she has a habit of stalling when changing between forward and reverse I.e when putting into neutral.  Not all the time but enough for it to be annoying and normally when approaching or in locks.

 

She will start immediately no problem and will be fine until we need to do the same forward reverse actions.

 

We are not mechanically minded so are at a loss as to the problem.  We have noticed the idle speed does slow down when the engine is warm.

 

It has been suggested we may have the wrong oil which is 10/40 but this appears to be divided.  

 

Any help or guidance much appreciated.

 

Thanks

Martin

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Martinb said:

We have noticed the idle speed does slow down when the engine is warm.

 

It has been suggested we may have the wrong oil which is 10/40 but this appears to be divided.  

 

The oil grade will make no discernible difference to idle speed. If there is any difference at all it will be when cold.

 

The idle speed slowing when warm seems odd though and is probably a clue. Somebody who understands the SR3 in depth will be along shortly with some more constructive comments than mine, I expect.

[RLWP]

It could be the idle speed, but if this is happening when warm I would want to know what gearbox the boat has 

[bizzard]

This is it, init Richard,  as far as stalling is concerned. If its an LH150 box it might be out of adjustment or low oil pressure causing the clutches late in letting go and touching foreward and astern at the same time.  Is there clean Hypoy 80/90 oil in it.

Edited May 6, 2018 by bizzard

[RLWP]

27 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Is there clean Hypoy 80/90 oil in it.

To the OP, i.e in the gearbox - not the engine

[Martinb]

It's a morse

[bizzard]

2 minutes ago, Martinb said:

It's a morse

Thats just the shift lever, they're nice.  There should be a brass plate on top of the gearbox itself which probably says Lister LH150 on it.

[Arthur Marshall]

If it's of any help, my SR2 tickover slows down when the engine warms up.  After various engineers had tangled with the engine and reset stuff, I've often had to adjust the tickover speed to make sure the engine didn't die in neutral.

[Martinb]

Thanks for the comments so far.   As a complete novice how do we adjust the idle speed?

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, Martinb said:

Thanks for the comments so far.   As a complete novice how do we adjust the idle speed?

 

It may sound trite to say, but getting hold of the manual for one's engine and reading it usually reveals answers to questions like this, along with reams of other stuff one didn't realise one wanted to know about it!

[Tony Brooks]

4 minutes ago, Martinb said:

Thanks for the comments so far.   As a complete novice how do we adjust the idle speed?

You do not at present. You may well have an LH150 gearbox seeing the type of control you have so that may need checking.

 

Although in this case it is less likely I would ask how full the sump is. These engines are very good at developing internal fuel leaks and when they do the oil level goes up and one symptom is stalling at idle when nice and hot.

2 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

It may sound trite to say, but getting hold of the manual for one's engine and reading it usually reveals answers to questions like this, along with reams of other stuff one didn't realise one wanted to know about it!

Including ow to adjust the gearbox and check the oil pressure if you have a gauge.

[RLWP]

35 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

You do not at present. You may well have an LH150 gearbox seeing the type of control you have so that may need checking.

I'd really like the answer to this - there are several ways to find the answer

 

The simplest is to take a picture of the gearbox and post it here - if you don't know which bit is the gearbox a picture of the whole engine is helpful

 

If there is a brass plate on top of the gearbox, that will help - especially if you can read it

 

A description of the top of the gearbox is a reasonable start

 

Richard

[Martinb]

Hopefully these help.

[Stilllearning]

It is an LH150 gearbox, as suspected. Now who can give the best written guide to gearbox fettling? 

Not me, BTW, I’ve forgotten how to do it.

[RLWP]

Excellent - just what we need

 

You've got a Lister LH150 hydraulic gearbox. One of the features of this particular gearbox is it is designed to try to be in forward gear. You have to take action to pull it out of forward, in this case there's an oil pump pushing a piston to do that

 

If it goes out of adjustment, it tries to be in forward gear. The same is true if there isn't enough oil, or the oil is old or the wrong type

 

So, first off, check the oil level - there is a dipstick on the front, right hand side in front of the lever. If the oil isn't between the marks fill it up with EP80 gear oil

 

If the oil level is correct, chances are the gearbox needs adjusting

 

Richard

Just now, Stilllearning said:

It is an LH150 gearbox, as suspected. Now who can give the best written guide to gearbox fettling? 

Not me, BTW, I’ve forgotten how to do it.

For what audience?

[Martinb]

Thanks....we will wait for the engine to cool and check.    Will report back

[Stilllearning]

7 minutes ago, RLWP said:

Excellent - just what we need

 

You've got a Lister LH150 hydraulic gearbox. One of the features of this particular gearbox is it is designed to try to be in forward gear. You have to take action to pull it out of forward, in this case there's an oil pump pushing a piston to do that

 

If it goes out of adjustment, it tries to be in forward gear. The same is true if there isn't enough oil, or the oil is old or the wrong type

 

So, first off, check the oil level - there is a dipstick on the front, right hand side in front of the lever. If the oil isn't between the marks fill it up with EP80 gear oil

 

If the oil level is correct, chances are the gearbox needs adjusting

 

Richard

For what audience?

For Martinb, mainly

 

[RLWP]

Just now, Stilllearning said:

For Martinb, mainly

 

Em - check the oil level, if that's OK get someone to adjust your gearbox for you

[MoominPapa]

1 hour ago, RLWP said:

If it goes out of adjustment, it tries to be in forward gear. The same is true if there isn't enough oil, or the oil is old or the wrong type

....and if tries to be in forward gear at the same time it's still coming out reverse gear, that's what may stall the engine, because it stops the engine from turning.

 

MP.

 

 

[RLWP]

How hot did you get this engine, it's taking a long time to cool down

[Martinb]

Sorry was moored up.  Just checked it's on the max level.

[RLWP]

9 minutes ago, Martinb said:

Sorry was moored up.  Just checked it's on the max level.

Right, I would say either your gearbox is out of adjustment or faulty. Start with the adjustment

 

Are you mechanically adept?

 

Richard

[Martinb]

Um well if it it's something that can be done with instruction I am happy to give it a go otherwise no

[RLWP]

22 minutes ago, Martinb said:

Um well if it it's something that can be done with instruction I am happy to give it a go otherwise no

What needs doing is this:

 

Take the top off (you'll need a new cover joint unless you are lucky) by taking out all the bolts on the top cover (1/2"AF, or 13mm spanners)

 

There is a lever pushed by a piston on the left side of the gearbox. Push a screwdriver between the lever and the adjuster on the end of the piston. This will push the piston back in and oil will spill out of a hole at the back of the gearbox

 

The gap between the two should be 3/32" (2.5mm)

 

If it isn't loosen the lock nut and screw the adjuster until it is. You'll need two 1/2"AF spanners, a 3/4" AF spanner and three hands

 

While you are in there, adjust the brake band for reverse. There is a threaded rod sticking up in the front, right corner with a slotted end and with a nut on it, all on the end of a round piston

 

Loosen the nut, screw the thread out until the band is tight. Then screw the rod back in three full turns and tighten the nut

 

Put the top back on making sure the sealing gasket is OK. If it is torn, it will leak and the gearbox won't work

 

It isn't hard, if you have the confidence to do the job

 

Richard

[Martinb]

Thanks we will have a think if we can attempt it....Thanks for all your help and guidance