OK, Guys -- One more time!-
My overall goal is max simplicity and reliability. The fewer "gizmos and moving parts" - the simpler. Fewer things to fail. I DID have a quality voltage regulator - and it worked OK - but still had to be adjusted properly or else a dead battery - and then, an overheated engine. Yeah, I could have finally got it adjusted properly and then no more problems - maybe - hopefully. I opted for the more tried and proven simpler thermo-siphon cooling system - thus eliminating the requirement for a fan, generator, voltage regulator and battery. It cranked by hand just fine. However, that left me with a perfectly good battery and a brand new starter/generator that I paid a lot of bucks for. I figured that - being as I'm now 75 and not getting any stronger - that I'd put the starter back in service, but make it simpler - for those times that I couldn't crank it by hand - and it works great! After it's cranked up and running, I no longer need the starter being driven by the engine. Remember, my runs are for long periods of time - sometimes days - not short battery charging runs of a couple of hours. That little battery charger/maintainer is about as foolproof as can be. The anti-gulping valve is about as foolproof as can be, also. -- Charlie