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Lister ST1 becomes hard to hand crank.

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wess123:
Hello!
i have a Lister ST1 diesel that was working properly but all of
a sudden it became hard to turn by the hand crank even when decompressed using the lever. can anyone help me
point out the problem knowing that it did not overheat at any point and it's well cleaned and lubricated.
Thanks in advance

ajaffa1:
Hi Wess123, I suspect that we need a little more information but the most likely cause of the problem you describe is that the decompressor lever is out of adjustment. (please see the attached Lister instruction manual page) It could be that the valves are out of adjustment and fouling on the top of the piston at top dead center.

You claim that it has never been overheated, difficult to do with an air cooled engine, unless what you have is an STW1 which is water cooled. Water cooled engines are easy to overheat, inadequate fluid/water pump/fan belts etc.

You do not specify what your engine is coupled to but the fault could be with the driven not the driver.

Other possibilities include fluid in the cylinder water/oil/diesel. Excessive carbon build up on top of the piston, this is common in engines that are only lightly loaded. dribbling a little water into the air intake when it is running and hot will usually clear all but the most suborn deposits.

Let us know what you discover.

Bob

cobbadog:
All good advise offered by ajaffa (Bob) but then there are the ugly issues like bearings and rings. So start with the real easy simple stuff and progress down the list. Ensure you have plenty of oil in the sump and that it is NOT milky. Check the adjustment of your decompression lever to make sure it is working as designed. Lift the rocker cover off and check that the valves are fully closed and not touching the piston.
Then try pulling the injector to see if it is still tight to turn over. At this stage you might have bigger issues than first thought but hopefully not. If still having problems it is off with the head to see what is going on inside.
We can keep going with tips but lets see and hope it is an easy fix like an adjustment and keep us informed.

ajaffa1:
Totally agree with Cobbadog, start by checking what is likely and simple to rectify then work your way through to more complex and expensive issues. Lister engines are reliable and long lasting, I`m guessing/hoping the problem is a simple adjustment issue.

Bob

wess123:
Thank you all for the tips i appreciate it. I will start with the adjustment of the decompression lever and valves then i will verify the oil quality and carbon deposits. Eventually if nothing solves the problem i will have to disassemble the engine and verify thr rings and all the bearings.
By the way the engine is coupled to a water pump
I'll keep you posted , have a great day!

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