LD1 Birthday Present

[Kilroysyard]

Hi, newbie from Wiltshire.

Last week I was given an LD1 as a birthday present, having always wanted a stationary engine (as did my father, but sadly he never achieved his ambition).

Mine is a 1962, last run about 35 years ago to power a cement mixer.  It turns over by hand nicely. I have just drained the oil and am turning it over with some new oil to flush things through.

It needs several new parts before I can even look at trying to start it (fuel tank, filter housing and starter handle, to name just a few!) but I'm wondering about the correct grade oil. The manual says 10W, however on this forum I see 10W/40 seems to be acceptable (avoiding synthetic).

Any advice gratefully received, and apologies if this is a biff question (I'm sure there will be a few more!)

Thanks in anticipation

Pauline

[cobbadog]

Hi Pauline,
Happy birthday and welcome to the Forum. 10W/40 oil will work very well for you and your new toy. Not sure when you dropped the old oil if you put your finger inside the sump and wipe the bottom to see if any crap is there. If there is fill engine with some diesel and with the decompression lever open wind the engine over to get the crankshaft to stir up any crap there then drain and fill with clean oil.
Someone close to you will give you a source for any parts and they should not be hard to find nor be expensive. Look online at the usual auction sites for your model Lister parts and see what pops up. Fuel tank might be the only thing tricky to get a good one and that would mean maybe having to pay up a little bit for one.
Over the years of tracking down stationary engine parts I have found some online and most through Forums like this one. Look forward to hearing that you are making progress with the the engine and enjoy the time with it running.

[Kilroysyard]

Hi, thanks very much for that.  I took off the crankcase door once the old oil was out, and wiped out the bottom of the sump, so I'm happy there are no nasties lurking in there!

Am constantly scouring t'internet for bits (but am afraid another engine might end up in the garage before this one's finished....)

[cobbadog]

That is very good news. Keep looking for your parts, soon enough someone over there in the UK will point you in the right direction for parts.
The possibility of another engine following you home is very common. It becomes a disease with no cure and the need for bigger sheds to put them into. Forunately in the UK there are many Rallies to attend as a displayer or just for a look around especially at the parts and engines for sale.