Lister Engine Forum
Lister Engines => Original Lister Cs Engines => Topic started by: basewindow on October 09, 2017, 12:08:50 AM
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Can you tell the build date from this?
Its a Lister CS
On the Brass Plate
No: 676313
Hp:3.5
RPM:650
On the block
20842
9E53
Cheers,
Cam
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Hi Cam,
Can't give you a build date, but you can get to the year...
Lister used 3 serial numbering schemes for the CS (and other engines): Plain numbers (usually prefixed "CS") until 1951, a "coded" system from 1952-1970something, then a different coded system.
Yours looks like the middle system, and therefore breaks down as follows:
676 3/1 3
This means it's the 676th 3/1 type engine built in 1953 (the last digit or 2 digits, one adds 1950 to get the build year).
HTH!
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Thanks for that. I figured it was early 50's. Somewhere i had the idea that they only started producing the 3.5hp around then?
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The 3/1 has been around since the early 1930s, only a couple of years after the 5/1. At some point, both engines were "uprated" by increasing the running RPMs from 600 to 650 - giving the 3.5/1 and 6/1 engines that we all know and love. The 8/1 IIRC is the same bore size and stroke as the 6/1 and gains its extra horsepower by running at 800rpm (again, IIRC), the original 9-1 (aka JP1) running at 1000rpm to get 9hp.
If I remember, I'll dig out my Lister CS Story book (the late David Edgington's comprehensive coverage of the development of the CS engine range), that should tell us (at least approximately) when the first "official" 3.5/1 left the factory.
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I vaguely remember the CS was developed by placing the deisel top end on the early petrol base, these then proving unreliable until the crank bigend journal was increased in size to cope with the added stress. Just what allowed the later increase in RPMs I would be interested to find out.... my owners manual suggests contacting Lister if wanting higher operating RPMs. Its not often realised that even small increases in speed raises stresses very quickly, a logarithmic curve. where a doubling in RPMs quadruples the loading.
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The CS crank case is very similar to the Lister "A" petrol engine, which was first developed in the 1900s, however I suspect it was a purpose-built casting from the start.
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Actually the original CS types were built on modified model L crankcases. The 650 RPM engines along with the higher ratings came about early on, I dont remember the exact date but I used to own a 1939 CS that was tagged as 650 RPM and 6 HP.