Chopping up my Listeroid!!

[Stevels]

I am looking for some advice from the forum regarding disassembling and moving my Listeroid 12/2.  In order to complete my new design of a waste vegetable oil based cogenerator, I need to move my Listeroid into the basement of my garage.  Yes, it is strange that a garage would have a basement, but this new property I bought is a strange place indeed! 

There is a trap door in the garage floor that will allow me to use a winch to lower heavy loads to the basement, but it is fairly small, about 2 ½ ‘ X 3’

I will have to partially disassemble the engine to get it through the hole, but I want to do this intelligently and not just take the impact wrench out for gratuitous disassembly.

Can anyone tell me what easy, basic pieces from the Listeroid 12/2 can be taken apart for moving?  Roughly what will the size and weight of the largest single piece be?

Also, when I remove the fly wheels, will I have to mark the original positions of the wheel relative to the crankshaft because of balancing issues?

Any advice would be great, as I am about to chop my baby up any day now!

Thanks,

Stevels

[hotater]

Stevels---

You DON'T need an impact wrench to work on a 'roid!!  Two Crescents and a screwdriver  will do.  I thin bladed putty knife is handy.

Start at the top and work downward.  You've obviously never had it apart, so it's likely not in really good long-term running condition anyway.  Keep track of the thicknesses of the stacks of gaskets under the blocks, but it's not neccesarily right.  There's plenty of discussion and how tos on setting that measurement.

The crankcase on my SIX-one is light enough for me to move it around by hand and dolly.  Your dually will probably be 300 pounds or so and will be your heaviest part.   Once the crank is out of it run a section of 2x4 across  the crankshaft hole, inside so a chain bears on it to lift the whole block end-ways to lower through the hatch.  (30x36in. is going to be a tight squeeze, but doable.)
(Tell whoever is down there to NOT try to catch it, if it falls.) 

If in serious doubt, set up right next to the hatch and start dissasembly and lay parts out on the floor in order.  Once the crankcase is lowered into position  and **mounted**(?) you can re-assemble in order.

There's one thing for SURE!!   Ain't NObody gonna steal your engine!!!   

[biobill]

.....or, you could just make the trap door bigger

[Stevels]

.....or, you could just make the trap door bigger

Ahh, good point!�  You are thinking outside the box, or at least the trap door!

I think, however, that I will be able to get it through the trap with only a little disassembly, and some Vaseline on all the edges.�  It is just as well considering my winch has only a 1,000 pound capacity.� 

I will post pictures once the “co-generator” is installed.�  I am excited to finish my design and harness the waste heat from the Listeroid directly into my central hydronic heating system.�  It will be installed directly into the existing waste heat powered “loop” I just built, which ties together two buildings, all domestic hot water for both buildings, a 40,000 gallon pool and a hot tub too!� 

Sure, it won’t heat it all, but the waste heat from the ‘roid will all be used for sure!�  Since I will be running 100% waste vegetable oil, I will capture the waste of the waste.�  How Zen.

I should be posting the progress to my project site at:
www.LiquidSolarPower.com

Thanks!

Stevels

[skeeter]

I'd disassemble completely, and make the hatch bigger. Couldn't imagine having one of these and not completely taking it apart. This way, you're know how to fix it when it breaks.

[Doug]

Or you can also learn to break it and then move on the fixing lol.

Not to worry as my old handler Jerry used to say " if it was built by a man it can be fixed by a man "

[skeeter]

Heating 40,000 gal. of water, that's going to take real energy. I hope it's indoors. This summer, I heatx my 12/2 to my pool. It's 24' x 54" deep. I believe the capacity is around 15,500 gals. I hardly seen a change in pool temp, but cooled the engine great.

[Stevels]

Yeah, I agree that the engine is not going to do much against heating 40,000 gallons of pool water, but I just assume dump the waste heat onto the pool than into a radiator.

Once I can figure out how to take my flywheels off, I should have the engine moved soon.  I can't seem to get the key out so I can pull the flywheels.  I suppose I should read up on how to remove the woodriff key before I break out the TNT.

[Doug]

I think you mean Gib head key puller.
And as RCA says there are several simple home builts that will work.

Here's mine made from some common plate

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4159569
http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=4164987

Here's the night I pulled the key. There are some other good threads and equal or better home built pullers

http://listerengine.com/smf/index.php?topic=1358.0

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=random&cat=0&pos=-326

[rcavictim]

I think you mean Gib head key puller.
And as RCA says there are several simple home builts that will work.

Jens gets the credit for suggesting to select a puller design from those posted, not me.

[Stevels]

I am happy to say that I am about to go online with my WVO Lister co-generator.  I realized that I don't have some very basic information about this engine and I am hoping some nice forum person can help point me in the right direction for this info, as I will be going live any day.

Here are some really basic questions about my 12/2 that I really don't know the definite answers to:

1) How long can i go between oil changes?
2) How do i drain the oil? there is no obvious sump drain plug?
3) Can I install an oil pressure gauge? If so, where would it go?
4) Can I install an oil filter? If so, where would it go?
5) is there a list of the daily, routine maintainance to keep this running 24/7?

I have lots more questions, but this is a good start. I assume this info is all here, but where?

Thanks! 

Steve

[Stan]

I don't think having a basement under the garage is weird!  I have one.  The garage floor is supported by railroad tracks (the iron kind) embedded into the concrete walls.  Then there's 3"x6" planks on top of that. Then another layer of 3x6 planks running the other way, then 3/4" plywood (I added that) on top!  Nice and sturdy!  I have a door from the garage basement into the house basement though, makes using it as a shop much easier. 
Stan

[Stevels]

Thanks Jens,

do you have any pictures of your system?  I can't seem to locate most of these areas on my lister, and suspect it is because I am a moron.

300 hours between oil changes.. wow! 

[hotater]

Stevels--
Could it be you're into this project nearly two years and still don't have 'George's CD' which answers all questions and has two years worth of reading in it?

Tsk tsk.  You're getting further behind by the day.   

[Stevels]

As always, gentlemen, thanks for your posts and comments!

I do have George's CD, and  have for years.  I believe I have read through most or all of it, but I have certain pockets of stupidity that prevent me from actually figuring out the basic care and feeding sections are among all the massive amounts of details that I also find interesting.  I thought perhaps if there were some threads on the forum of the reader's digest, condensed operators manual, it would be helpful to get the facts in one, small place.

As for the original manual, I bought this engine in 2005 from the back of a guy's truck.  I don't think there were more than two guys in the states back in 2005 that sold these - none of them being actual "dealers"  If I recall, we practiaclly had to smuggle these engines in to the states. 

I don't believe I ever had an operator's or service manual that explained anything.  in fact, I was surprised that I was never shipped instructions on even how to start the engine.  I recall the only thing that the engine came with was some parts lists written in Indian.

Maybe this is why I am feeling so dumb. (or not)

Jens, Thanks for the reference to the photo.  This is exactly what I thought, but I am glad to confirm it.  Part of my confusion is that the top of this pump, there is a bolt that I thought would be the place to mount an oil pressure gauge.  When I do, it does not show any pressure at all

So, does anyone know where I can get a PDF of the Operators and Service manuals for a 12/2?

Thanks, oh, wise men.

SA