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Topics - Hugh Conway

Pages: [1] 2 3 4
1
Original Lister Cs Engines / Importing a vintage Lister 6/1 into the U.S.
« on: January 21, 2026, 06:15:23 PM »
We've known for a long time that the EPA prohibits importation of small diesel engines such as Listeroids.

 I am now told that the ban extends to vintage engines. I am trying to finalize a sale of my 6/1 start-o-matic engine to a buyer in the U.S.
He was told by customs that importation even of vintage engines is prohibited.

Does anyone have current information about this?

Cheers
Hugh

2
Lister Market Place (things for Sale) / Lister 6/1 Start-O-Matic engine
« on: September 14, 2025, 10:53:52 PM »

Selling our Start-O-Matic engine with it's original steel base. S/N CS96667 on both engine and base data plate.
Re-arranging my power systems, so this one is for sale. It has been used for powering my shop via an Utterpower PMG (not included, I will keep that as a spare).
$3200 CAD, that's about 2300 USD
I am in Canada, British Columbia. Can deliver to a nearby freight depot.

Cheers
Hugh

3
Original Lister Cs Engines / Camshaft comparison: Dursley vs Rajkot
« on: September 08, 2025, 11:40:24 PM »
This afternoon, I was comparing a pair of 6/1 camshaft assemblies. One is an original Dursley, the other is a NOS Listeroid part that was modified by John Ferguson to relocate the lobes per Dursley spec. So far, so good.
I noted that on the listeroid cam, the governor sleeve has a pin that prevents the counterweights from rotating a full 360 degrees on the sleeve. The Dursley governor sleeve (p/N 3165) has no pin. The Dev Engineering part manual shows this pin whereas the old Dursley parts manual shows no pin.
Any information as to why the Indians added this pin? Did Lister add this pin in later models?
Curious.
Cheers
Hugh

4
Original Lister Cs Engines / An old question: what's it worth?
« on: August 27, 2025, 12:15:12 AM »
 My 1951 Lister Dursley 6/1 Start-O-Matic engine  needs a new home.
It is on it's original heavy steel base (same number as the engine on it's data plate), but I no longer have the old generator and control box.  The stainless steel beer keg fuel tank and galv. steel milk container cooling tank are included. I am wanting to keep the existing generator head. It is in running condition and powered my shop when the rest of the off-grid system did not have enough power.  I am in Canada, on the west coast.
Comments? interest?

Cheers
Hugh

5
Listeroid Engines / Knocking, now what?
« on: February 12, 2024, 10:45:02 PM »
So, at the conclusion of the previous thread (Spun the rod bearing) I replied to keith71 with my repair update.
Without going into detail again, after about 8 hours of run-in over a few days, a loud knock suddenly appeared.
My first thought was "check the keys" They seemed OK, I spent a lot of time fitting new ones and they fit pretty well.
Pulled keys out and did a fitting check with a sharpie, nice contact along the tops of both keys.
One flywheel has a wider keyway, about .012" wider than the Gib, although the Gib fits nicely into the crank keyway. I shimmed the side of the wheel keyway on installation of the key, good fit, as far as I can tell.
I then pulled the bottom end to check the rod bearing again. Clearance was less than .003",  re torqued. Everything rotated smoothly and felt good.
Restart ..........no joy. Same loud knocking sound. If fuel is cut, the knock disappears. I would think that the problem is an improperly fitted key, but maybe not, as I have fitted them as well as I am able, and I'm sure the fitting is better than I did 12 years ago.
Maybe timing? I don't know if this would cause the problem.  The flywheel timing mark shows the correct position relative to the "creak" I did not change anything there from before the original sand damage.
Any ideas? I am out.
Assume I know nothing........that's how I am feeling this afternoon!
Cheers
Hugh

6
Listeroid Engines / Spun the rod bearing, CRANKSHAFT is FUBAR
« on: January 11, 2024, 12:14:19 AM »
Not fun when off-grid in mid-winter Canada.

Time on engine: about 3500 hours. It's operated well until this suddenly happened.

Found the culprit.......the old bugaboo of casting sand under the head of the piston. A chunk let go........
When new, I tore the whole thing down, cleaned the sand out of the crevices, did a pretty good job of cleaning up the crankcase, but never looked under the piston.

Looks like a chunk recently broke free and went right to the rod bearing with the expected result.


Just pulled the engine down, the crankshaft is hooped beyond any easy repair.
Looks like the bearing seized on the crank, then spun in the rod, then came loose tore up the crank journal some more, this probably happened a few times, looking at the damage.

Of course, I have all the spares on hand EXCEPT a new crank.

My immediate issue is removing the old one.
Tomorrow I will try removing the TRB carriers, then the shaft.
What should I look out for during removal?

Then the replacement: How are the new TRBs installed on the crank?

Once the  new crank has the new bearings installed, and are properly in place, I know how to shim up the carriers, and have shims, just don't have any experience with installing the TRBs on the shaft.

Any advice welcomed.....please!.....

Cheers
Hugh


7
Listeroid Engines / Excavating the Pit of Doom
« on: September 27, 2023, 05:55:32 PM »
A short while back, another member mentioned cleaning out carbon from their exhaust system. I had not done this for 11 years, so decided to give it a go.

Our exhaust system is a baffled underground chamber constructed of concrete blocks in a way that allows the engine exhaust to follow a convoluted maze before exiting via a 4" PVC stack. It does a pretty good job of silencing the exhaust note. The 6/1 is located in an open shed, so there is still the mechanical noise to be heard.

On removing the 2" steel pipe from the cylinder head , I noted no carbon build-up at that end. The total pipe length before entering the Pit is about 8 feet. Inspection of the pit entry end also showed no carbon build-up. I  snaked a brush through the pipe and came up with very little soot build up.

On to the Pit of Doom then......shovelled off the foot or so of soil on top and opened the concrete lids of the chamber. It was another story in there. Some of the passageways (roughly 8" wide by 16" high) were nearly clogged with carbon powder. I dug it all out and put it into some empty hog feed bags (they're quite sturdy) In the end I scooped out around 50 pounds of carbon powder! Amazing at how much got trapped in there! There must be a good use for that stuff, but I could not think of any that would be wife approved, so it went to the local dump.

The actual block structure was completely intact, so after the cleaning, it was easily all buttoned up and recovered with soil. Ready for another 3000+ hours. A messy but necessary job, it was easily completed in a couple of hours.........about the same amount of time that it took to clean up the tools and myself!

I am now wondering what happens to all the soot that might go into a standard type of muffler. Does it burn out due to heat? Does it just get blown out into the air? Does it also collect in the muffler, and how do es one remove it?

At any rate, good to go for another while.

Cheers
Hugh

8
Engines / Kofaric small diesel
« on: June 04, 2023, 09:50:29 PM »
My gas powered log splitter engine packed up. We're using diesel for nearly everything here except powersaw and weedeater, both 2 strokes.
thinking of taking a gamble and re-powering the splitter with this 247cc single cylinder diesel:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354744488293?hash=item52986b5165:g:AJ0AAOSwOzxkdvKj&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8L5%2BGZZRmRN0%2FxhdEYfgky5Hi5vnZXfeuyjat99ia2L50GyMReZHdPjDr1XFwDG75OwaHmd35kr79hUDR8wEsxbXymt1jzcu0ROXHTkTqMjogqf86J8nnV%2BtV%2BoBcY07ee0oK7VLhwDCpsNSeL%2FTzMh8A99R9pv6bMBPFpZrYgmkaA5jIWSruT5vRTVR%2Bgstr4M5wTFOvIgiRBsw2E%2FeIM0XTi0XbvPYsgMjVvGIpH4oiNzOgAxi8gJLWwrfzql9XTdZveWRwR0ILRcIGKrW54ereJutI3wYuqzg1NTuaXvQTPmJMs3eHhrDsoFaUOj4fw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3MahgZFi

Anybody have experience, knowledge, or comments on this?
Any feedback appreciated.
Cheers
Hugh

9
Listeroid Engines / reluctant to start
« on: December 31, 2021, 12:00:43 AM »
Our Listeroid was reluctant to start for the last several days. No surprise really, the temps were at -18*C  , and she lives outside. The starting battery is a 10 year old discarded car battery and that didn't help either, she would turn over, but too slowly to fire up, even with the help of a propane torch heating up the intake for a couple of minutes. The solution was  to heat the intake, turn on the electric start and then use the hand crank.......with that combination, she took off like a rocket,
This afternoon, it is a sweltering -2* so normal starting procedures were sufficient to do the deed.
This has been the coldest spell we've seen here since putting this engine into service some 10 plus years ago, and this is was far too cold for us.
The woodshed has been visited far too often. I wince when thinking of all the effort in gathering firewood, so am a bit of a miser in using it up.....though it is our only heat source.
More snow in the forecast and it is not yet the new year. Might eventually have to break into next year's wood supply.
Happy New Year!
Cheers
Hugh

10
Original Lister Cs Engines / Gov stuck, any easy suggestions?
« on: January 18, 2021, 12:17:42 AM »
After a few years of non operation, I have finally started up this 6/1. After a fuel bleed, it started easily.
To my dismay, I could see that the gov is not operating. With the linkage removed, it's easy to realize that the problem is internal, as the injector rack and external  linkage is free of any binding.
The flyweights or the sliding sleeve or the internal linkage is stuck. Before I (sigh) take things apart, does anyone have a possible solution. I've just re-installed the wheels and it's a startomatic, so they are heavy.
All suggestions entertained, though I think I will have to do some disassembly to remedy the situation.
Cheers
Hugh

11
Listeroid Engines / Listeroid intake porting
« on: December 27, 2020, 09:17:13 PM »
Ever so often, the topic of porting comes up. For what it's worth, I tried an experiment today.
This morning was a clean-up day for our daily driver listeroid. Mostly a going over with a rag to clean off all the oil that seems to coat everything after a time. In this case, the generator drive belt was slipping a bit with a combination of a film of oil on the flywheel and moisture from condensation ( it has been raining/fogging here for almost ever).
After completion of cleaning and then starting up, I thought a good time to spray a litre or so of water into the intake under load. After removing the intake silencer (Solberg air compressor  intake filter) I used a garden sprayer to apply just sufficient  water so that RPM didn't bog down. Sometimes a bit too much water caused an RPM drop, which led me to wonder just how much intake air flow obstruction would affect RPM. At the time the engine (with about 2300 hours on it) was fully warmed up and pulling a 2800 Watt load.
With a flat piece of sheetmetal, I gradually covered the intake adapter until there was an audible decrease in RPM or a visual indication of the fuelling rack opening more.  I was able to cover the intake just a bit more than 50% before there was any change at all.
This experience seems to indicate that improving the intake airflow by cleaning up the port makes little or no change in power output.
Interesting........
Cheers
Hugh

12
Listeroid Engines / oil sump intake screen blockage
« on: July 17, 2019, 08:54:18 PM »
I was changing oil at 1850 hours a few days ago, and removed the sump oil intake screen to clean it.
I had only removed it once before on the initial cleaning/reassembly.

On inspection, there appeared to be something  INSIDE the screen that would not wash out.
The foreign object could move from one end of the screen to the other and was nearly the ID of the screen.
When shaken, it moved from mid-screen to the threaded end, made of steel (not brass) in this listeroid. I had to use a rod to dislodge it from the threaded end, pushing it back into the screen.
The object was larger in diameter than the threaded end, so could not be removed. Whatever it was, how did it get in there?

I cut the end off the screen to get this thing out and discovered it was a magnet, cylindrical and with tapered rounded ends and shaped like a large very smooth rat turd. I suppose it seemed like a good idea to the manufacturers, but it could very easily migrate to the threaded end of the screen assy and effectively shut off oil flow. Sure glad it did not! With the magnet/oil shut off valve removed, I re-closed and re-installed the intake screen thinking I had dodged a very large bullet!

I had early on put a couple of magnets in the sump, so this OEM one now sits on my shop window sill as a reminder that with a listeroid, ANYTHING is possible!
Cheers
Hugh

13
General Discussion / Metal working files
« on: December 26, 2018, 11:58:47 PM »
Somebody must know!
It is time to replace/re-purpose  some of my much used metal files. I've found lots of cheap imitations of real tools, but can't seem to find a source for good ones.
 I have seen some brand recommendations on the web but the next problem is......
Finding a dealer! Seems there are a few good brands ones out there, but nobody appears to sell them in Canada or USA.
Any recommendations of brand or dealer would be appreciated.
Cheers
Hugh

14
General Discussion / Manual for a Toyota UTE?
« on: September 28, 2018, 12:33:02 AM »
A request for members in UK, NZ, or AUS or anyone else who might know the answers

I have a Toyota Townace/Liteace pick-up truck.....1996 model CM65 4WD long bed (2000Kg)
What type of oil is to be used in the front and read differentials, the transfer case, and manual transmission?
Does anyone know where to get an owners manual, or better, a repair manual for this vehicle? In English.

I know they were sold new in the abovementioned countries, and probably more (Japan, of course). I am in Canada and imported this one myself from Japan. Sure could use some additional information.

Cheers
Hugh

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