Thanks again for the info.  All good stuff.  I'm still wondering about the finger tite tappet guides. 
they have light weight brass stampings that hold the guides down to the deck.  I'm sure I could bend these stampings with my bare hands, so they're not very strong.  I've been wondering about replacing the brass stampings with sone 1/4" steel cut  to the same pattern. Overkill???   Thanks for the help.
Zeke

Hi, folks,  as I've commented a time or two I'm the happy owner of a shiny new Lovson 20-2.  This engine will, I hope, be my primary off grid power source for my mountaintop farm in eastern Oklahoma.  I'm not a mechanic, machinest, engineer, and have no financial interest in any listeroid related business.  I'm a 59 year old good ol boy who does my own routine maintenance on my trucks(and bulldozer), and I own the basic hand and power tools that any DIYer would have.  So, I am not an expert in anything to do with diesel engines and am totally open to all comments and suggestions.
       So, here I am with this huge crate in my garage.  We drove to Dallas yesterday and picked it up from the folks at generator depot USA.  The unloading was uneventful with some 2" oak planks and a come-along directly into the garage.  The first thing I did was look into the sump,  where I found clean amber oil with the usual amount of grit, sand, and cast iron fragments.  Even tho the Lovson web site assured me the engine would be clean inside, I was not too suprised.  I've dis-assembled the engine down to the crankshaft--further work will have to wait till monday when I can get a piece of 1/2" steel to make a gib key puller.  So far, I;ve found:
1.  a small washer on top of a piston with no apparent damage
2.  Scratched big end bearings
3.  tappet guides that came out by hand.  Is this a problem??
4.  scratched crank surface(under the rod bearing)
5.  braided stainless flex low pressure fuel lines.
6.  a servicable looking fuel tank
7.  the cylinder has a mirror surface,  I think this means I need to hone it??
8.  Tappets with a fairly smooth bearing surface, but the edges are pretty beat up.
9.  a very normal looking fuel filter--I'll probably replace it anyway.
10 every piece that came out of the engine looked dirty and had a gritty feel.
11. minor surface rust on many parts.

In summary, no big suprises-except the washer!
I'll let you know how it goes with the rest of the tear-down.
Zeke

 

Hotater,
I   really would like to investigate running my 20-2 at a slower rpm.  How would I provide some load for the engine before I decide on a speed and have a pully made?  Thanks,
Zeke

I too, a newbie, must be crazy.  Tomarrow I drive to Dallas to pick up my lovson 20-2 and 15kw gen head .  I went with 15kw because I plan to run the 20-2 at 850 rpm instead of 1000.  This will be for an off grid homestead we're buildong on an Oklahoma mountaintop.  I may buy a second lister so I can have power if one should need repair (God forbid!).  I'm hopeful that if I keep about 500lbs in spare parts I might keep from losing the meat in the freezer, etc.  I wrote to lovson last month and Mr. Shah assured me that there in no sand or grit in these machines.  I intend to check and will post the results.

Zeke

generator depot USA is selling  Lovson listeroids from  6/1 to 22/1 and a couple of 2 cylinders.   They are just north of Dallas.  website is generatordepotusa.com     
Zeke

Have you looked at Lovson's website lately?  The FAQ section addresses some of the quality concerns we all have.  Someone in India has been listening.  Will that result in improved quality?? They sure are saying the right things, but I'll just wait and see.
Zeke

mr. Shah, at Lovson has informed me they have gone to cast steel for their timimg gears.  Might help if they also fixed alignment.
Zeke