I pulled the head to see what the clearance was today while I had a teenager to help with the heavy lifting. Put some lead solder in there, torqued the head to 165 lbs, cranked it around to squish the lead.  It was 0.098 !  Gee, no wonder it did like to start cold at 6000 feet (where my present home is). 

There were 4 paper gaskets stacked under the cylinder, 50 mils thick.  (Stock should be two gaskets 16 mils each, I believe.)  Now I"ve only got a single sheet of typing paper (3 mils), and clearance of 0.057 inch.  I hope the 3 mil laser printer paper will seal the cylinder OK! ( I did use a very thin layer off silicone gasket goo under the bottom side of it as the machined face there was a bit rough).

The other revolting development-  I believe my cylinder is a used one.  The bore was smooth, almost no cross hatching left.  No vertical scratching, just worn smooth. I've not put more than an hour of running on my engine.  Grrrr.  It measured at 4.985" (edit 1/24- should read 4.485"), I'll have to check that against specs.  I didn't have a proper cylinder hone, so just did a little  by hand with some 400 grit silicone carbide.  The bore is so hard that didn't do much, but at least it's something.  Any suggestions on this situation would be appreciated.

The oil filter and oil sight/low level sensor are installed and I'll so some more testing on them shortly.

Best Wishes,
Bruce
Metro 6/1 head casting says 2002
Snowflake, AZ

After an educational failure, I had an inspiration:

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-97
http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-98

It doesn't get much easier to build, it works great and is easy to adjust.  The oil level is easy to see. Previous testing with 3/8" tube showed 1/2" lower of oil with engine running, but a steady, clear level visible. (Much easier to read with black oil!)

Too nasty outside to hook it up, so I'll have to show you the hook up on the Lister after the weather improves.  The 1/2" tube will run from a 90 degree 1/4" hose barb at the top left side of the crankcase facing the breather door to a barb on a 3/4" pipe Cross on the crank sump drain (1/2" NPT).  The Cross will also provide a drain and a 3/4" upright filler nipple with cap.

An operational question:  What is an acceptable range of oil levels to be operating at, as measured on the splash dipper? 

Best Wishes,

Bruce McCreary
Metro 6/1
Snowflake, AZ

I"m thinking of using a section of a rectangular or large round air filter as the media for a splash lube, gravity flow (Hotater type) oil filter. 

Is there a difference between air and oil paper media that I should know about?

TIA
Bruce McCreary
Metro 6/1
Snowflake, AZ

I saw this fue preheat setup on Mr Lister's UK web page, and wondered if this is safe?  It sure is an easy way to preheat fuel- and should kick in much faster than using coolant fluid.

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-3

Bruce
Snowflake

My ST 3000 watt head makes a strange grrrr noise when loaded.  It increases with load.  It's loud enough to mask some of the engine mechanical noises.  The unit does not run hot, and the output is good under load.  I did not repack the bearings yet, but they feel smooth.

Any thoughts about the source of this sound?  Could it be the "dog house"?

Bruce

I'm about to install my Metro Lister 6/1 in a new generator shed and need some fuel system advice.

I was thinking of running the injector overflow line all the way back to the (proposed) 50 gallon drum fuel tank;  this would seem to avoid air injection into the fuel line which would make fuel line bleeding less of a chore when changing fuel filters, etc.

Any words of wisdom regarding using 50 gallon drums for gravity fuel tanks?

Thanks!
Bruce McCreary
Snowflake, AZ