Author Topic: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4  (Read 5264 times)

Rodalco

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Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« on: November 17, 2018, 08:02:05 AM »
I have an HA4 Lister genset since two weeks.

It runs fine but today I stuffed up and got air in the fuel line, as one fuel hose sucked in air from the fuel container, and now the machine won't start.
I bled the fuel filter by using the manual liftpump lever, and managed to loosen one of the 7/16 nuts on the in line pressure pump. Got it almost to fire up but I need to open up the second bleed screw also I think.
Need to get hold of a proper 7/16 spanner tomorrow, as there is not much space to work, as the bleed screws are in between in-line pump and engine block.

I like to avoid having to loosen the high pressure lines and hope that my idea works.
Thanks for any advise given.
try to attach picture, not sure how to.


Rodalco

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #1 on: November 17, 2018, 08:15:38 AM »
[/url]Lister HA4 Generator by Raymond d' orsoy de Flines, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]Lister HA4 Generator by Raymond d' orsoy de Flines, on Flickr[/img]

[/url]Lister In-Line fuel pump by Raymond d' orsoy de Flines, on Flickr[/img]


I have added a couple of pictures. hope they show up.

The flickr links work


« Last Edit: November 17, 2018, 08:25:13 AM by Rodalco »

oldgoat

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #2 on: November 17, 2018, 01:44:49 PM »
Its a bit of a PITA but you will need to crack the nuts on the injectors crank it over till you get some diesel weeping out tighten them again and it will fire up for sure.

mike90045

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #3 on: November 17, 2018, 06:37:53 PM »
You absolutely will have air in the high pressure lines, and will have to loosen the pipe at the injectors an bleed till air is gone.

Rodalco

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2018, 08:08:08 AM »
Well to give an update re the priming/purging of the Lister fuel pump.
My method worked without disconnecting the high pressure fuel lines.
After I obtained a 7/16 spanner. I did the following process.

Fuel in tank.
Use the liftpump.
Bleed the fuel filter till all air bubbles are gone (then close bleeder screw).
Open both bleeder screws at the top rear (engine side) of the fuel pump.
Open the throttle solenoid.
Use the liftpump untill the diesel squirts out of those two bleeder screws. (then close the 2 screws)
Crank the engine 10 seconds (started almost to fire up)
Wait 30 seconds. (starter cool down, although the starter was still stone cold)
Crank the engine again and it fired up in about 5 seconds.
Engine Running rough for a couple of seconds and settling to run fine within about 20 seconds.
I have learnt my lesson at the same time.
But I did not have to loosen the high pressure lines. (The way I look at it is as long the fuel is over the eye of the high pressure pump, the air will be displaced in those HP lines.)

cobbadog

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2018, 04:58:58 AM »
Good news that it is sorted out for you. With my old single cylinder CD 8hp engine I too forgot to turn the fuel tap on and it got air in the system. I was lucky in the fact that this engine has a decompression lever which also can be engaged for high or low compression running so I simply cracked the fuel line at the injector and slowly hand cranked the engine over until no air came out. Tighten it up and 3 more swings and drop the lever and away it went.
Sometimes it is a case of starting at the fuel tank and work your way along the fuel system and it should be all good. The SR2 in our dumpy was a simple air bleed after replacing the fuel filter as the fuel tank sits above the engine. It is almost a self bleed using gravity to remove the air. As I never turned the engine over once I had the old filter out the fuel line to the racks and injectors was full of fuel and the very small amount of air there was not noticed when it was re started.
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Rodalco

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2018, 11:52:44 PM »
Good news that it is sorted out for you. With my old single cylinder CD 8hp engine I too forgot to turn the fuel tap on and it got air in the system. I was lucky in the fact that this engine has a decompression lever which also can be engaged for high or low compression running so I simply cracked the fuel line at the injector and slowly hand cranked the engine over until no air came out. Tighten it up and 3 more swings and drop the lever and away it went.
Sometimes it is a case of starting at the fuel tank and work your way along the fuel system and it should be all good. The SR2 in our dumpy was a simple air bleed after replacing the fuel filter as the fuel tank sits above the engine. It is almost a self bleed using gravity to remove the air. As I never turned the engine over once I had the old filter out the fuel line to the racks and injectors was full of fuel and the very small amount of air there was not noticed when it was re started.

Thanks for your reply and sharing your experience.
I spoke to a couple of friends I know and they are diesel experienced with truck engines.
Often there is no need for disconnecting the high pressure fuel lines.
Disconnecting them can cause leaks and the risk of breaking connections.
On new type diesel engines often the whole HP fuel assembly has to be replaced when loosened at the injectors.
As long the fuel is bleed through the system to the fuel pump rack, the last bit of air will get displaced when the lines fill up with diesel.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2018, 11:58:03 PM by Rodalco »

Rodalco

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2018, 12:01:55 AM »
https://youtu.be/rl9XTZ-6tKQ

In above link I have documented the process, even the run and last seconds before I ran out of diesel.
hope it helps other members out.
There is an index in the video text

I was planning to do a load test but had an airlock in the temporary fuel line, and the Lister HA4 engine stalled.

I was doing too many things at the same time and forgot to check that the fuel was flowing properly during a 5 kW load test.

An air lock got in the fuel pump and I had to purge/bleed the fuel filter and the fuel pump.
As I had not done this before, had to resort to the internet, and I did not want to crack the high pressure fuel lines to the injectors as that is not needed IMO, and often more problems are created with leaks on the HP side of the pump. As long there is fuel above the eye of the fuel pump, the pump will disperse the air out of the HP lines.

0:14 Start and running out of fuel
0:46 Start attempt 1
1:03 Start attempt 2 (bleed fuel filter only)
1:20 Start attempt 3 showing pinion gear
1:40 Start attempt 4 bleed one side of the fuel pump.(engine is trying to catch)
2:00 showing part of fuel bleeding process.
2:45 Start attempt 5 engine firing up and stopping (timed out)
3:10 Start attempt 6 success.
3:47 Email 3Ø Meter with 5 kW load on it. (charging voltage) engine running well.
5:20 heater elements
5:32 shutdown
5:43 showing complete purging process (hope it helps others)


mike90045

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2018, 06:40:22 AM »
I know my hatz has self-bleeding lines, but it's a few years newer than the 6/1's, which won't ever purge that last teaspoon of air, till you crack the injector pipe.

cobbadog

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #9 on: November 21, 2018, 05:03:24 AM »
I agree about cracking the injector lines to rid the air. On the older engines they are a taper fit to seal and will reseal with no issues. Even cracking them at the injector itself will help it a lot.
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oldgoat

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2019, 11:41:58 AM »
This is a HA4 only just a bit younger than I am so the conventional wisdom still applies.

cobbadog

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Re: Bleeding fuel system Lister HA 4
« Reply #11 on: January 16, 2019, 03:43:28 AM »
Well done and a nice set up too. You need not be worried at all about bleeding your high pressure lines on these engines. They are a simple tapered seal and can be cracked as many times as you like with absolutely no issues.
Using your primer pump handle you can purge the system of air all the way to the injector so that when you try to start it will fire straight away with less strain on the battery and starter.
Coopernook - the centre of our Universe.