Now that you mention this trick, I did manage to dry a coil out from my Model 1 Victa after it went 3' under water during a flood. I simply put it on a pllate then wrapped it in glad wrap and left it out in the sun each day for about a week. At the end of each day I took the wrapping off and wiped it dry and put it back on for the next day. Slow but it worked.

No problems at all about missing the maggy. I really dont think there is much wrong with the engine other than needing a good long run varying the revs and puttinnnnnnng it under load form time to time. I sometimes grab a length of timber and while the engine is rrrrunning I put it un der the flywheel and lift it slightly. This loads up the engine and brings the governor into play so does 2 jobs at once.
These Lister engines were well and truly over designed with quality thrown in at the same time. Parts that fail have done so due to lack or no maintenance or they have really been worked very long and hard.
When you go back, go armed with plenty of good clean, fresh fuel, a spare plug, feeler gauges, points file, some carby cleaner to clean up the inside of the maggy where the popints are as sometimes there is a lot of oil there. Try a good squirt of oil down the plug hole and start it up and see what happens.

Welcome to the Forum and hope we can help you get this little gem sorted for you.
Firstly try again to start the engine but squirt some engine oil down the plug hole. This will help build up compression to make it start. If this does the trick then one of two things have to happen, run the engine at various revs for long periods of time to free up sticky ring or a hone and a set of rings is needed.
Electrics, I have come to call this side of the engines 'elctrickery'  as it can send you mad trying to sort it but once done you think how easy was that. Firstly you need to test the HT lead and the connectors from inside the cap to the brass end on the HT lead. HT leads MUST be copper wire cored and never use carbon leads. Dont turn the magneto over unless the spark can jump to earth or is grounded. Common problems with magnetos in order are points dirty and not gapped correctly. Once you have cleaned the points clean them again to make sure. HT lead already covered, condensor, which are readily available or you can fit a film capacitor to the vale of .22uf - 630v and finally coil. An even rarer problem is the magnets loosing there pull but if you have had it running I feel they are good enough.
I have posted some magneto information for you to use and your magneto should be one of the two I have posted and are basic and good magnetos when they are in good shape.  No magneto will be reliable if there are faulty parts inside. I would guess your might have the RS1 magneto which should have the model stamped on the side along with a date. All parts are available just Google magneto parts near you and then start making contact.
Yes, Other issues may be causing your problems like mentioned with valves, head rings so it is a case of testing one thing at a time and then get onto the next one. Good luck with it and we are keen to know how you get on.
Cheers Cobba

Let us know how you get on, I do find it interesting.

Hi Chris
Not sure what these are (WMO WVO) but assume they are alternative fuels. I have had no experience with these but there is a big thread on this Forum that covers this topic. I have no clue if they cause any excess wear and tear or not. I have been to Rallies where you can smell cooking oils being burnt in diesel engines and all it does for me is make me hungry.
Not sure of the cost of refining your own fuels and the time and trouble to make them or how much energy it takes to make it in the first place. All of these things you can find out in that area which is specially designed to help you out.

lovely engine. hopefully you will change all the filters to be certain that all is in best condition. Engine oil, air and fuel filters. If doing the fuel filter then remember to bleed it all the wa along the fuel system. I bleed mine when needed into and out of the fuel filter housing then inlet and outlet of the pump then at the injector. It just makes it so easy. May even be worthwhile slipping the fuel tank off and cleaning it inside as well.
If you intend to put the engine back to work then I would run the engine and get it warm then drop the old oil out, maybe even a flush out with some kerosine and drain that too then add the new oil and filter.

Hi Daniel and welcome to the Forum.
I assume it is a Lister? Are there any other pieces of information you can add to what you have listed already?
The more info you offer us the easier it is to identify. eg, if it is a petrol engine what magneto is on it, if you know the differences between them.
Lister engines are a very easy engine to work on, parts not so hard to find but may need to be bought in from the UK if no suppliers are local to you in South Africa. When I stripped and rebuilt an engine recently there was no information on it at all other than the occasional comment online as it was rare and old engine built here in Australia. So something I suggest you do is remove one thing at a time and take photos, lots of photos as a reference as to how it goes back together.
Is the engine free and turn over ok? That is half the battle the rest is easy.

No brains and happy with out them.
A company out here in Queensland named Southern Cross used to do similar experiments to rate the HP of the engines. One contract they had tendered for needed a 12HP engine and they had a 10HP so they set about increasing the rating by increasing the rpm. It did work so they kept increasing the rpm until it did explode. The flywheels were the first to let go and parts of them were found down the other end of the railway yard where they did the test.