Thanks for the write up Glort. Very interesting.
One point to make about diesel and WVO...
Different geographies dictate varied procedures. You mentioned that there is no need to start/stop on diesel. That my work fine in OZ but here in Canada and the northern USA it's quite different. If you forget to switch back to diesel before shutting down, a person can get stuck with plugged fuel lines when the nights dip to zero C.
The WVO in fuel filters can turn to 80 weight gear oil in cold weather.    

I know of a few fellows who dare to run WVO in the early spring and late autumn here in the great north country, but very few people do it. And they suffer the consequences when they forget to switch back to diesel before parking for the night.

cheers mate !
Veggie

BruceM,

Sorry I missed your comment above regarding Drainback systems and very cold climates.
I have read several sources that recommend against it if the snowfall is high in the region and temps stay below -15C for extended periods.

One is in my book "Solar Water Heating" by Bob Ramlow (A Mother Earth News Publication)

Here is another example..
http://shop.latitude51solar.ca/Closed-Loop-versus-Drain-Back-s/97.htm
See the very last paragraph.

The reasoning seems to be that if the pump were to stay on (circulating) due to a switch or controller failure, then the coolant would freeze in the collector during the night and and possibly split the piping.

The issue I have with this reasoning in that there could be additional safeguards put into the system such as using "DowFrost" glycol or propelene glycol mixed in a ratio to give -40 degF protection.
Also, a flow detection device could be added to test if flow is occurring when incoming liquid is cooler than the interior.
(These additions do add some complexity to an otherwise simple system.)

For simplicity, I do prefer the drainback type system and I may still pursue it using some additional safety features.

PS: I scored a 50 gallon solar hot water tank !
It has two internal coils for heat exchange and also a heating element for emergency backup which can be powered by generator or wind turbine or PV panels.
It should make a good heat reservoir.

cheers,
Veggie

Glort,

I pulled my little air cooled diesel off the shelf and poked around.
You are right ! The cylinder in this unit is removable. I did not notice this before because the paint covers the joint so nicely at the base of the cylinder and is hardly visible when the air cowling is installed. Thats good news for you. And the prices you found are just fine too.

Regarding the import of a few engines, ... I did that several years ago. I brought in various Changfa style units ranging in size from these air cooled 165's up to the larger R195 water cooled jobs. A total of 15. They all sold without much trouble. Mostly to people like us who wanted to make their own power for emergency or off grid use.
I met a lot of like minded people through that project.

Veggie

Yep, mine had issues at the top part of the linkage as well.
Alignment problems that had to be machined.
Too bad they come like this from the factory. After making thousands of engines, they still can't make a quality product.
I suppose poor quality is easier to mass produce than good quality 

Veggie

Someone once posted an equivalent set of valve guides that are interchangeable with the Lister guides. Listeroid also have modern counterparts.
Can't remember where I saw it, but there is a readily available set of guides off a more modern engine that will fit.
A cylinder head shop would be able to march them for you (probably with better materials) if they had the dimensions.

Veggie

I don't think Changfa's fell out of favor. I think people would buy them if only they could get them.
Noisy...yes, but very durable and tough.
I sold a couple of extra units that I had this year. They sold very quickly when I advertised them.

Veggie

BruceM, thanks for the kind words.

I agree Glort, personal preference has a lot to do with it.
I just love the sound of the engine ticking over at the slower speed. Like a Swiss watch.
And why make more speed/HP than is needed for the application.
As long as the engine is sufficiently loaded to generate enough heat for clean combustion, things should be ok.
I agree that at a certain point damage can be done depending on the engine. Such as...
A] not enough splash lube
B] lugging and pounding of the rod ends due to lack of flywheel inertia

In essence, size the pulleys and engine speed according to your loads.
If I ran the Listeroid at 650 RPM it would only be loaded to ~25%. Not my preferred situation.

veggie

Why don't you just do a balancing job on the beast.... After that, you could probably run it on a channel frame sitting on concrete of  thickness and hardness suitable to carry the weight only..... It makes one hell of a big difference long term, plus its more portable too...
Cheers
Ed

Hi Ed, as mentioned in my opening post, I do not intend to mount the Listeroid in this shed.
The power will most likely come from a Changfa CHP unit. When Changfa bases are placed on flex rubber mounts there is very little vibration and zero "thump".

cheers mate,
Veggie