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Messages - SHIPCHIEF

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1
Listeroid Engines / Re: Ashwamegh 25/2 : we are CLOSE now !
« on: December 16, 2018, 04:37:44 PM »
Mike and All;
Without any education or knowledge, I added weights to either or both flywheel inner rims, including a big old crescent of lead I cast for the purpose. I never achieved satisfactory results.
I should look that up.
However, I now have access to a DynaVibe propeller balancer which has an accelerometer and a a timing strobe.
Truth is: I don't need 12Kw and I've grown to like the current speed & fuel consumption. It performed well during the February 2007, 5 day Ice Storm blackout.
I would like to see it run even smoother and a bit less clanking... :P

2
Listeroid Engines / Re: Ashwamegh 25/2 : we are CLOSE now !
« on: December 16, 2018, 04:53:36 AM »
Good News for You!
I have a similar Ashwamegh 25/2 w/ ST12 head. Last night we had a wind storm and the power went out a couple of hours before bedtime.
I just lit a pair of ISO-Butane camping lanterns so we could read books (remember those?) before bed.
BUT! Today I went to the garage and inspected / pre-lubed the Listeroid and lit it off for the first time in about 4 years. It took right off!
I ran it @ 3Kw on space heaters for an additional hour after the water temp got up to 200F (93C?)
I want to caution all of you twin operators that the 'off side' injector pump cam follower and the end of the cam run very dry. That housing does not have a supply of oil, so I plumbed in a pipe tee at the top of the oil pump and run a hose to a Frantz oil filter an direct the filtered oil into a fitting that dribbles onto the 'dry' cam. This cavity has a drain hole to allow oil to return to the sump.
I have added oil pump discharge pipes, out the block to an oil heater (small marine transmission oil cooler) that resides on the hot jacket water 'up' leg. Then a full flow oil filter and back into the block to dribble onto the 3 main bearings.
Now the oil is heated & filtered so I don't worry about using detergent oil.
I went thru the governor spring routine, as with you, the final result was good. I'll be looking into the 'full governor travel' George mentioned.
My 25/2 was set up and run at 1000 RPM initially, but it was pretty twitchy, and with the poor governor springs would overspeed when load was reduced. It shook so bad it broke mount bolts and was generally scary. I considered that too be too risky so:
I got a smaller gen-head pulley, which reduced engine speed to about 735 RPM (too bad, smoothest was about 910 RPM, but no pulley available in that size) My measured Max Output is 9.6Kw blowing black smoke and squeaking the drive belt!

3
Listeroid Engines / Re: Metro 6/1 no oil pump, but cooling pump?
« on: September 24, 2017, 05:13:24 AM »
Back in the active days of Listeroids (2007-ish) there was a guy called Hotater who invented an oil filter for no-oil pump engines. It is a wire screen pocket mounted to the crankcase door. In the pocket he put some terry-cloth.
The con-rod dipper throws oil into the pocket, which is filtered as it drains thru the terry-cloth.
I made a Plexiglas door for my 25/2 because I wanted to see how much oil the dippers did move. It's a-lot of oil! The whole crankcase is filled with a rain of oil, but the main strip of oil is right against the door, and so I dutifully made the screen pocket and put some Terry-cloth in it and some magnets to hold the cloth down, even tho- I have a pump.
Rocketboy had a pump failure while powering his home during a Hurricane. The plunger return spring shattered, yet the splash lube kept the whole (twin, 12/2??) lubed without a problem.
I have a 25/2, but I also crave one of those monster singles with the 2 level sump, vertical oil pump plunger and direct injection head.  8)

4
Listeroid Engines / Re: New to listers, is a knock normal?
« on: September 23, 2017, 05:08:12 AM »
It looks a little twitchy, but it sounds OK to me...
Dropping the connecting rod cap and taking a plasti-gage reading is pretty easy. It will help you get familiar with working on one of these engines. You are probably OK, but hear me now: it's better to inspect before failure than to discover after failure.
Th up-side of these engines and ST generator heads is: you can work on them. The down side is that you have to work on them. You must futz around and inspect / tweek / 'fettle' as they say in England.
If you are good with that, then you have a good 'Post Holocaust' generator that will serve you well.
I have a Ashwamegh "25/2" that had to be completely disassembled, the block hot tanked and needle scaled, the crankshaft polished and everything hand fitted on re-assembly. I'm pretty sure I 'know' my engine now. I've stocked up on bronze idler gear, offset idler gear bolt, spare gaskets and fuel system parts etc. that were offered when this site was very active and special parts were being made and offered by the outstanding members.
This site is a little quieter now, but still 'top notch'. If you keep at it, you will become one of the senior members, and carry the torch for the next generation.

5
Listeroid Engines / Re: No hurricane Irma input?
« on: September 10, 2017, 12:19:03 AM »
Steve;
I'm sorry to read that Bob 'Rocketboy' Gross has passed from this world. I enjoyed his webpage with the play-by-play of building the generator, then using it through 2 or 3 hurricanes. Also, I was building a VAN's RV-8 as he was finishing his Rocket.
Please be encouraged to carry on in the aviation and diesel generator hobbies and forums. Your contributions are valued.
I didn't realize how long I had been away, but Hurricane Irma reminded my of you 2 guys.

6
I have been working on it today.
The fuel lift pump is an electric pump that is turned on by an oil pressure controlled switch. It also has a push button for priming.
The Stewart Warner electric diaphragm pump failed, so I replaced it with a Facet Cube pump I have.
The electric start turns over OK, but the flywheel end cylinder is the only one that gives smoke. I cant get the governor end injector pump to purge the injector P pipe.
Both injector pumps are gummy and the racks don't move unless I pry them back & forth, so if it did start, the governor wouldn't be able to control the speed.
I'm admitting to myself that it's time to remove the injector pumps & Nozzles....
Aside from that, I think it's about ready for use...

7
Lister Based Generators / Rocketboy and Cujet Hurricane Irma commentary
« on: September 07, 2017, 05:19:29 PM »
Hurricane Irma is upon Florida in a few days.
Our prayers go out to them.
Rocketboy and Cujet have survived 3 hurricanes with Listeroid generators a-thumpin'
Perhaps they will think of this forum and check in again?

8
Original Lister Cs Engines / Re: guess what
« on: September 03, 2017, 05:31:08 AM »
I have great success with oil heating by using an oil cooler from a boat. http://www.go2marine.com/category/14779/oil-coolers-for-boats.html the link gives a general idea of the type of cooler. I got mine used, maybe fleabay, so don't let those retail prices put you off.
 I put it in the hot water up leg of the thermo-siphon so I selected a cooler with a water connection to match the hose from the Ashmamegh 25/2.
I re-piped the oil system inside the crankcase so the pump discharge pipe went up to the oil cooler (now heater) then thru a spin on oil filter and back into the engine.
I also run a bypass filter, a Frantz toilet paper element directly off the top of the oil pump discharge where you prime the pump. The outlet of this filter feeds a small dribble of oil to the 'dry' cam of the injector pump farthest from the governor.
The engine jacket water heats to about 190 degrees under load, and the oil temp is at least 180 degrees.
I have an attic fan in the garage where my generator is set up. The Radiator air flow is guided by a plywood plenum up to the fan. I control water temp by placing sheet plastic against part of the radiator, the vacuum from the fan holds it in place.

9
Lister Based Generators / Lister SR2 'Long Run' surplus genset being revived
« on: September 02, 2017, 05:01:42 AM »
I've owned this SR2 genset for many years, purchased during the Listeroid craze around 2007-or-8.
It was placed in the back yard, next to the old hot tub power connection box so I could back feed the house when the power goes out.
I still have the 25/2 Listeroid w/ST head in the garage, and it was used during the few and brief power outages over the ensuing years.
The SR2 and the Onan CCK 5.0 just sat.
A couple of years ago I sort of noticed the SR2 again, and decided to move it to my country property where the power does go out in the winter. Unfortunately it was stuck. I tore it down, one cylinder had rusted due to an open exhaust valve. So I ordered a cylinder kit, gaskets and a book from Gary @ D.E.S. He did not have rod bearings in stock at the time.
Come forward a couple of years...Oh Yeah? I better make sure the crank pins are not rusted, and check the Lister engine forum!
Fresh rod bearings from Gary, all the new parts installed, compression height set....What's all this sheet metal for?? How does it fit??
Untorque the heads, lift the cylinders, Install the cooling baffles and put it all back together, including all those little oil pipes and fuel return tubes!
This unit sits on a 10 gallon! lube oil sump base. The oil pump wouldn't pick up suction ( cranking with starter motor w/ decompressor on) so I periodically prelubed it with a squirt of oil from a Hyperlube bottle into the open oil gallery (oil filter is on crankcase door, squirt in hole when door is off)
Finally I removed the suction hose from the 40 gallon sump and blew compressed air thru it toward the oil pump. That unstuck the pump check valves and blew oil snot out the open side of the crankcase. Oil pressure soon built up on the next decompressed cranking session.
Then a new noise. The oil pressure switch turned on the electric fuel pump.
Now it was time to sort out the fuel system. Same problems. Fuel pump doesn't want to. Similar solution, blow compressed air thru it, then squeeze fuel thru it with the Hyperlube bottle and it's tapered tip stuck into the fuel suction hose.
I ended the evening with 20 PSI oil pressure when cranking with the decompressors on and one fuel injector bled to the injector nozzle.
Then it was dark and the bugs were out....

10
Lister Based Generators / Hurricane Harvey
« on: August 26, 2017, 03:43:51 AM »
Hurricane Harvey is expected to gain strength until it stalls out at the Texas coastline tonight, then continue to dump rain and slowly track the coastline Eastward.
This sounds like a job for "Super Lister" and it's sidekick "Changfa-Gen"
Who is powered up in the region (and still has internet)?
Who is living thru it now? Will we hear from them next week? This is expected to last longer than usual?
I have only had a few small power failures sense the 5 day outage in 2007;  The Great Northwet Ice Storm. So my Ashwamegh 25/2 hasn't run much.
I usually start an Onan CCK or NH initially, then start to consider the long term possibilities with the Listers. In every event after 2007, the outage has been 4 hours or less.

11
Listeroid Engines / Re: RPM's and governer
« on: October 31, 2015, 04:29:42 AM »
I agree with EdDee,
My Ashwamegh 25/2 is a 1000 RPM rated engine, not that it actually coulddo that without braking some mount bolts.
I derated it to about 735 RPM because that's where it ended up after I bought a larger alternator pulley from George B.
The governor was never any good until I followed his or this site on governor up-grades and springs. now it's fine.

12
Listeroid Engines / Re: Winter readiness check
« on: October 18, 2015, 09:46:31 PM »
Same;
Lots of projects. This summer was so nice I thought it would never end.
The power went out for the week end at our place 'out of town' while the wife was there (I was at work)..
Needless to say, the generator was not ready, so she spent part of the time next door at our son's retreat where the generator was running. The rest of the time with one flashlight and one candle.
Back "In Town" we collected candles, kerosene lamps, propane lanterns etc. and brought them to the cabin.
This week end I got the Onan 6.5NH set up and connected to the house. It's in a re-purposed air compressor trailer. The power line goes into the shop where there is a generator recepticle and a manual service disconnect switch: Utility-Off-Generator. Pretty hard to mess up.
I connected it, ran the house on it and gave Marilyn lessons on starting, stopping and load control.
Then turned my attention to the Lister SR2 6.5 genset. (that I left outside too long) After lots of soaking, sanding and Scotch-Brite wheeling, the cylinder is too far gone, rusty / pitted.
I'm working up the repair parts list...
It's raining outside. Somehow makes shop time more enjoyable.

13
Lister Based Generators / Re: I let her sit outside too long
« on: October 15, 2015, 07:07:09 AM »
I went to my son's shop today, we used the press to remove the piston. That extra week of soaking was the ticket. Thanks for the tip!
The rod and wrist pin look great, I hope to get the time tomorrow to start cleaning & inspecting the piston and cylinder like you suggest.
Last week's storm left my wife without power for 2 days, so I'm getting lots of support on standby generators (more than before the storm for sure!)
All the generators are getting checked over and started.
Now Wifey wants lessons and written instructions on generator operations. I'm starting to write a step by step manual that I think she could use if the power goes out while I'm at work.
Fortunately, I built in a service-off-generator disconnect switch that makes power back feed to the utility impossible.

14
Lister Based Generators / I let her sit outside too long
« on: October 04, 2015, 11:05:58 PM »
I've owned an SR2 6.5Kw US Dept of Transportation, US Coast Guard Long Endurance generator set for a few years. It's been covered with a tarp in my back yard.
Well, this week I started on that project. I moved it to my rural place, put it in the shop, and checked it out. when I hit the starter I got a nice CLUNK!
So I stripped the top down, it's got a rusty cylinder, the one near the flywheel. The crank turns freely now, and the journal looks good. The inside of the engine also looks good.  I'll put the cylinder in a press and push the piston out the bottom to see what's salvage and what's scrap.
I figure to replace both rod bearings also the rings on the undamaged cylinder. The damaged cylinder and piston probably will be replaced, maybe as a power assembly kit w/ piston pin & rings?
disassemble the heads to check the valve stems and guide. Clean everything. The cooling fins were about due for a cleaning anyway.
This is entirely my fault, the genset was a runner when I bought it.
I'll be calling Dieselman soon enough...

15
Listeroid Engines / Re: Loud knocking fixed!
« on: October 24, 2012, 11:27:07 PM »
you might want to consider a locking collar on the shaft to hold the key in.
Just a belt & suspenders deal. Like wearing a helmet when you ride a bike.

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