New member

[Tanman]

Hello all, I am new to the listeroid and was wondering what readily aquirable brands and models have the best replacement part availability? Trying to figure this out before I run out and buy one.

Thanks,

[ajaffa1]

G`Day Tanman, availability for listeroid parts is primarily determined by where you live. While all listeroids are copies of the original Lister CS product the quality can vary. Almost all are now made in India with DEV Precision producing most of the machined parts. Parts are generally interchangeable but quality is sometimes questionable. I have seen Lister copies made in China but have no knowledge of their quality.

This forum should be able to point you in the right direction if you let us know where you are and what you are trying to achieve. A lot of very smart/experienced people here(I`m not one of them).

Good luck and welcome, let us know how you go.

Bob

[Viking66]

Welcome to the forum.  This place is Awesome and you can spend hours reading on the Listeroid Engines.  That will help you right away to get part of your question answered.  The other is as ajaffa1 says...let everyone know what you have and the answers will flow 

Thom

[dieselgman]

Welcome! What is your location?

Brand (or exporter) has very little if any meaning when talking about this product from India. Everything is done via networks of mostly micro cottage industry, and there are no manufacturers (in the Western sense of the word) who produce everything from start to finish.

If you go with a true clone vs Listeroid type machine, you will not have any problem with parts interchange. Specify original British design when you purchase your machine.

dieselgman

[38ac]

Hi and welcome. Some call any Indian engine a Listeroid Personally I group the engines into three basic categories and have names for all of them.
A- There are close copies of the CS that some like me refer to as  "clones" .
B-  Then there  are the most common type of engine which are modified/simplified versions that are dislike the originals in more ways than they are like.  These are most usually called Listeroids by all including me.
C - Then you have engines that share nothing with a CS other than they are diesel and have two flywheels. Big bores, long strokes, direct injected etc etc etc. I call these bastards myself to most others they are Listeroids.

The order listed above is my preference for parts availability, current and long term. Parts for a standard CS type or clone  should be available for a very long time.  The more  modifications or changes that are on a particular engine the  more susceptible it is to future parts issues. be it supply OR getting across to the supplier the exact parts you need.

As stated parts availability varies with where you are located. Currently in the states it is easy to obtain parts  for a clone or most Listeroids.  Parts for the bastards are available if you buy it from the right place (Gary at Diesel Electric)

[BruceM]

Another issue with location; if original CS engines are available in your region/country I think most would suggest that as a great starting point, with carefully inspected Indian parts for restoration as needed.

If you were to provide details on your intended purpose for the engine and location, you will likely be pleased with the support and suggestions you might get as to best choices for you.

Welcome!
Bruce

[Tanman]

Wow, thank you for all the responses. I'm located in Minnesota, USA. I want to use it as a reliable backup generator that could flex into long hours of use if needed. I also love the fuel flexibilty of the listers.

[dieselspanner]

Welcome,

Have search through the past treads, there's guys on here who have used pretty much anything you can get through an injector, for any perpose you care to imagine.......

Cheers
Stef

[ajaffa1]

Hi Tanman, while the Lister CS or a clone is a wonderful and almost bombproof tool, Lister has made a lot of other generating sets since then. Just occasionally a backup unit from a hospital, or other essential service provider, shows up on fleabay, dumbtree or other auction sites. Keep your eyes open and don`t bid too high as another one will come along sooner than you think.

Bob

[Viking66]

I grew up in Minnesota 

[2Ton46]

Welcome Tanman!

As long as your willing to deal with the eccentricities and issues that can and do come with a clone or 'roid, they can indeed be a reliable source of power. If you enjoy working with machinery, they can be a very enjoyable and rewarding project. I'm looking forward to seeing what you end up with.

[BruceM]

The whole point of the Listeroid for me was sound. I can't handle 3600/1800 rpm gensets at all thanks to the never ending "hangover" that MS is for me.  My 6/1 has proven reliable and I like the chug chug sound I can barely hear from it's remote location but it did eat a great deal of my time.

There are so many high volume,  off the shelf backup gensets of all fuel types of modern design with modern CNC type parts reliability, both new and used,  that they do warrant looking at closely. 

I have some friends who are living the RV livestyle and they have migrated to the propane Honda inverter generators for very low noise and fabulous fuel efficiency regardless of load.  I had one of them stay on my land behind a rock outcropping and I could never hear that Honda run and his small 12V PV system required it's regular use.  This batteries were not AGMs so could not take very high current charging, so the engine rpm would have stayed quite low.

For a backup, the fuel stability of diesel or propane or NG make them the obvious choice.  Inverter generators can save a lot of fuel, noise and engine wear.

Older Honda gensets on propane for PV/battery/inverter backup and occasional winter charging are common in my rural off grid area.  I have one 85 year old neighbor who has one that's been in service for 21 years and counting.

You will be happiest with your choice if you make it with a good awareness of what you're getting into.  I do think the Lister CS is a marvelous old low rpm engine design and the availability of parts plus a large following with knowledge and expertise is a huge plus.

[AdeV]

I myself ( at the risk of committing treason here) would go for another engine.
...
I'll go stand in the corner now for my blasphemous words.......   

Not that treasonous, we're a broad diesel-loving church here

Fact is, when I first found this forum (many moons ago), I was actually on the hunt for an old Detroit Diesel 1-71... turns out they're rarer than rocking horse shit, and the Lister CS - on this side of the Atlantic at least - was a far better choice.

[Tanman]

Love the responses, what if you were going to have one generator for a long term emergency situation with no near end in sight. What platform would you choose for fuel flexibilty, reliability, parts availability (US).

Side note: I am pretty handy, with mechanical things, it sounds like that would factor into this.

This is more of what I'm after.

[38ac]

India engines can be reliable performers, it just isn't very likely that it will happen without going through them and correcting the problems. Some areas will never be the full equal of a CS Lister due materials but the design is pretty forgiving of such. I have two sets, an 8HP Clone and a 22HP Chinese horizontal both driving ST heads. They have been good but neither has over 150 hours.
I was born Waseca MN and we lived near New Richland when I was young.