Lister Engine Forum
Slow Speed Diesel Engines => Other Slow Speed Diesels => Topic started by: clytle374 on June 17, 2009, 06:01:13 AM
-
I hear these are Yanmar clones, are they any good? As in a true clone, or a cheap knock off.
Just wondering since it is the closest thing to what I can afford.
Any other suggestion?
-
I bought a complete air filter and fuel tank from them for a Kama 4hp Yanmar clone. They were easy to do business with and the parts fit well. I haven't run the engine yet but I've looked it over pretty well and the fit and finish is excellent. I don't know what brand engine they sell.
Thanks, Geno
-
What size engine are you looking at? Surplus center has real water cooled Yanmars. 14hp at 3600rpm, for something like $750. I didn't see anything that looked like a Yanmar at CS but maybe I missed them.
/Corrected the HP number
OK, I'm guessing you are referring to the air cooled Yanmar clones. I've seen real ones run and as M61hops states they are obnoxious. Loud with non stop vibration.
-
I bought one of the 10HP Yanmar clones and I feel I totaly wasted the money :'( ! The engine shakes so hard that I'm afraid it will shake anything I bolt it to apart in short order! It also runs sort of crummey. I'm hoping it will run better when I belt it to a load but I'm really worried about the vibration level. I have nothing to compare it aginst so I don't really know if it's a lemon or not but I'm not happy with it and the vendor won't take it back for a refund just because I'm not happy with it. I was going to put it in a motorcycle frame but it shakes so hard it would not be rideable for more than a few minutes at a time. I started to mount it to a generator frame so I can put a load on it but got sidetracked with other things. At this moment I think the engine is junk but I'll report back after I give it a good test :( ! It's too bad if you can't run an engine before you pay for it. Leland
-
... I was going to put it in a motorcycle frame but it shakes so hard it would not be rideable for more than a few minutes at a time.
Kinda like a Harley?? ;D
-
mghop, please do tell if the dealer makes good. blink
-
I guess I should have been more specific. I need 6-10 HP aircooled.
-
374,try lombardini ,have them ,good,but noise can be issue. lots of them around cheap. i used one for aux air comp. on mack truck w/air starter. blink
-
I send a message to Carroll Stream about the mounting hole locations for the shaft side f the engine, and got a link to the bottom of the engine. I asked again, and got the same reply. If they don't know what they are selling, I don't feel real good about buying.
-
I purchased a 10hp yanmar clone from them for a diesel snow blower. No issues and blows snow like a champ :)
-
I bought one of the 10HP Yanmar clones and I feel I totaly wasted the money :'( ! The engine shakes so hard that I'm afraid it will shake anything I bolt it to apart in short order! It also runs sort of crummey. I'm hoping it will run better when I belt it to a load but I'm really worried about the vibration level. I have nothing to compare it aginst so I don't really know if it's a lemon or not but I'm not happy with it and the vendor won't take it back for a refund just because I'm not happy with it. I was going to put it in a motorcycle frame but it shakes so hard it would not be rideable for more than a few minutes at a time. I started to mount it to a generator frame so I can put a load on it but got sidetracked with other things. At this moment I think the engine is junk but I'll report back after I give it a good test :( ! It's too bad if you can't run an engine before you pay for it. Leland
Who did you get it from? What did you bolt it to when you ran it. I Briggs is pretty scary if not bolted to something solid.
-
Hi blink & clytle374; I bought the Yanmar clone from Carol Stream and they refused to refund the purchase price after I told them it was not useable to me. It is not broken-yet anyway, I.m pretty sure anything I mount it to won't last very long due to severe vibration. I could spend a lot of time making an adapter to mount it to a BCS tiller but I'm afraid the crankcase or snout of the tiller would fail after not too many hours. I will admit I don't have hardley any experience with diesel engines, but I do have a lot of common sense. I have an old WWII 2.5KW generator that came with a cast iron 8HP Briggs&Stratton and the Briggs is totally worn out. Several years ago I bought 2 R175A 6HP Changfa's from Joel and mounted one on the generator frame. The setup shook really badly with the Changfa though it had been OK with the Briggs turning the generator. I observed it carefully and decided that the power stroke was causing the shaking so I placed a 75LB piece of thick steel plate under the Changfa and this smoothed the unit down to where I thought it would not beat itself to death. Damn that Changfa is noisy though and my neighbors complained about it almost every time I ran it :-[ ! I was trying to design a sound shield for it but the generator suddenly stopped putting out power one day and the armeature windings smell burnt though I can't see anything wrong with them :'( . To test start the Yanmar clone I bolted it to this generator frame, with the steel plate and gen-head and me standing on the whole thing I'm sure there is at least 300Lbs trying to hold the engine down but the whole thing shakes so hard I have a hard time keeping my feet on it :o ! The fuel tank cap flies back and forth and up and down about an inch at all speeds from idle to 3200 RPM ! At first I thought the crankshaft was bent but I checked and it's not bent. It seems like the power stroke is way too viloent for the mass of the engine and base; I'm thinking of adding another flywheel to the output side of the crankshaft and then maybe belting it to a load (an ST head) might tame it somewhat. No way will it be usable for putting it into the old Honda SL100 frame like I was intending, and I'm not sure it will work for long on anything I bolt it to. It is quieter than I was expecting for an air cooled engine :P way less noise than the Changfa, so it might make a good back-up generator if it can be tamed. The only thing I see that might be an obvious short cut from a real Yanmar is the flywheel seems very light for such an engine, I think it's aluminum where I was expecting cast iron. I made a fairly heavy pulley for the crank and I'm planning to cut the cooling fins off the old cast iron flywheel from the Acme engine (from the junked BCS) to mount on the output side of the crankshaft, along with the serpintine pulley for driving an ST head, to give the clone more flywheel effect. I'm hoping this will tame the clone down some :-\ . I am not able to do much tinkering since I hurt my back a few years ago so it will be quite some time before I know how this will work out. Leland
-
Hi,
Pardon to weigh in here, but as the "self appointed" expert on these engines (the air cooled yanmar clones), I feel the need to chime in. I also sell these engines, so I get a little annoyed when they get generalized. I've offered them for sale here several times, and I get more "3600RPM crying" than phone calls, so I still sell them, but dont expect a marketing campaign. I have "United Power" engines, 4.7, 6.7 & 10HP. Mounting diagram for the crankshaft is an email away if you want it. I'll simplify the brand breakdown of these engines:
Real Yanmar: Very Nice
Some Chinese Brands: Pretty Darn Good
Many Chinese Brands: Runnable, but not so hot.
Some Chinese Brands: DONT EVEN START THEM!
As with all chinese engine products, there are somethings that money CAN'T always buy in China. I have tried many different manufacturers of these engines, and I have only 4 unsolved issues that no amount of discussion/money seems to be able to fix:
1) It may leak fuel or oil around a hose, or ring, or gasket surface. Not sure what it is about the seals they use, how they handle them, or the difference in the chemicals. Usually very easy to fix this problem. Sometimes fuel valve bolts need to be tightened. Just dont "fill" anything the first time!
2) Paint not always pretty. Looks good from far, but not necessarily "show room" finish up close. Most engines pretty good, some worse than others.
3) Crankcase needs to be filled with clean oil, run engine for 5 minutes, then drained, oil strainer cleaned, and refilled. Removing metal shavings is best done in North America according to the chinese!
4) Engine must be run with a substantial load and clean dry fuel for the first 10 minutes. This purges any air out of the injection system, cleans gum out of the pump and injector, and insures the injector seats properly. Timing is very critical on these engines, and gum/varnish/air can put the timing off so bad you will think the internals are about to become externals. 99% of engine isssues (hard starting / knocking / smoke / backfiring / excess vibration) seem to go away after the engine is loaded up and run up to temperature.
I hope some of these tips can help you fix your engine, or help you make purchasing decisions. They are a nice little engine, but they aren't quiet. The right brand will run 2000+ hours pretty easily. The wrong brand will fail in less than 20 hours. The governor response is excellent, and very tight. Most 10HP engines will fall from 60.5Hz to 60Hz when loaded down with a 5kW load. The only thing you will notice is a slight change in exhaust note. My suggestion for power generation is to cut the engine back to 1800RPM, and use it to drive an alternator. Noise falls off dramatically as the RPM decreases. Generally, these engines start well in the cold, because they have very high compression. The rope starter is really more of a backup, I wouldn't plan on using it at all below 5C or 40F, unless you are really engergetic. Ether and a the rope starter WILL cause injury to the untrained person.
Very tired now, if you want more details, just ask, and I'll ramble on some more tommorow, with a little bit more form and clarity.
Steve
-
Hi trigzy, I'd like to hear anything you have to say about these engines! The 10HP one I have looks like a good quality item but sure doesn't run like a quality built piece of equipment I look forward to what ever info you can share about these clones! Leland
-
Me too.
-
I built one of my gen sets using these engines.
The Brand I got was a Launtop L186, 10HP.
For noise reduction and longer life, I slowed it down to 2500 rpm.
You can see it here....
http://www.logicworks.ca/launtop.htm
At the bottom of the web page is a YouTube link where you can see it running.
Cheers,
Veggie
-
I built one of my gen sets using these engines.
The Brand I got was a Launtop L186, 10HP.
For noise reduction and longer life, I slowed it down to 2500 rpm.
You can see it here....
http://www.logicworks.ca/launtop.htm
At the bottom of the web page is a YouTube link where you can see it running.
Cheers,
Veggie
Can you get one in the US?
edit: moved my question outside of the quote tags where is belongs.
-
I just bought one of the red Launtop 6 HP@3600 RPM air cooled diesel engines with electric start from Princess Auto. I got an irrestistable deal on the open box store demo engine, still brand new. Paint finish is excellent. It hadn't ever seen fuel or oil yet but I did put oil in the crankcase just in case when I got it home. It looks solidly built. I read on the factory website that their engines employ an internal balancing shaft, presumably like the the system used by Changfa in my large 1115 diesel. That should go a long way towards reducing the vibration. Princess Auto chooses their products very carefully and stands behind them. I suspect then that the Launtop is one of the top quality Chinese brands for this type of engine.
Veggie,
I was proposing to slow mine down like you did to 2500-2800 RPM and only expect maybe 2000-2500 watts from it. Once off-grid I figure a portable wall outlet will be a handy thing to have around here, over and above the main off grid built in systems.
I am playing with an idea for an e-motorcycle. This might be a way to make it an unlimited range diesel-electric hybrid. This engine has to be pretty easy on fuel. Not as good as a big cast iron Changfa single but this aluminum block Launtop only weighs 84 lbs.
-
rcavictim,
IMHO the Launtop and Yanmar are the best of the air cooled diesels. I anticipate good reliability from this engine. Should get 5000 to 7000 hours (maybe more) if maintained properly. Driving a 2kw head with your 6HP should not be a problem.
One thing to consider is using the gen set to charge a battery bank.
Run the gen set for a couple of hours each day at with a high amperage charger to charge the bank. Then draw the power from the bank as needed for the next 24 hours.
You can add an inverter and supply 110V throughout your system. There may even be some days when you do not need to charge the bank because of minimal power draw.
Cheers,
Veggie
-
clytle374,
I am sure the Launtop engines are available in the USA. They are EPA approved for that reason.
Check some of the larger farm supply store chains.
Veggie
-
clytle374,
I am sure the Launtop engines are available in the USA. They are EPA approved for that reason.
Check some of the larger farm supply store chains.
Veggie
The only thing I'm finding, at least in the US, is a brand Torq sold by Surplus Center. Are those any good?
-
rcavictim,
IMHO the Launtop and Yanmar are the best of the air cooled diesels. I anticipate good reliability from this engine. Should get 5000 to 7000 hours (maybe more) if maintained properly. Driving a 2kw head with your 6HP should not be a problem.
One thing to consider is using the gen set to charge a battery bank.
Run the gen set for a couple of hours each day at with a high amperage charger to charge the bank. Then draw the power from the bank as needed for the next 24 hours.
You can add an inverter and supply 110V throughout your system. There may even be some days when you do not need to charge the bank because of minimal power draw.
Cheers,
Veggie
Veggie,
Thanx for the vote of confidence on the Launtop engine. Good to hear.
-
The one I purchased is used on a old snow blower that had a blown engine: Here are two vids of it:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/th_DSCN2030.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/?action=view¤t=DSCN2030.flv)
Here it is working a bit:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/th_DSCN2050.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/?action=view¤t=DSCN2050.flv)
I have a gravel driveway so you hear some flying rocks ;D
-RJ
-
The one I purchased is used on a old snow blower that had a blown engine: Here are two vids of it:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/th_DSCN2030.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/?action=view¤t=DSCN2030.flv)
Here it is working a bit:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/th_DSCN2050.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v297/rjorgens/Snowblower/?action=view¤t=DSCN2050.flv)
I have a gravel driveway so you hear some flying rocks ;D
-RJ
Sounds like it runs good. What brand is it?
I'm still only finding these things in Canada or China, other than the Torq from Surplus Center or Carrol Stream. The Torq might be a good engine, and the prices are right, but I can't find a single other place mentioning them so I'm nervous about them too. I really don't like importing things.