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Author Topic: c201 thermo king/isuzu  (Read 21367 times)

mobile_bob

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c201 thermo king/isuzu
« on: August 25, 2006, 06:46:53 AM »
came across a stash of pullout engines today, my business partner and i got 7 of them for a grand total

these are governed at low setting of 1300 and high of 2400 so they are somewhat mid speed engines
4cylinder 2 liter diesel, electric start, full pressure lube, and filtration etc.

pretty cool units, that when up to snuff run pretty efficiently and quiet.

i figure to sort out a couple as runners and make the others into parts donors

hope to post some pix soon

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
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slowspeed1953

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2006, 02:31:00 PM »
Congrats brother, sounds exciting keep us posted!

Peace&Love :D, Darren

oldnslow

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2006, 09:07:26 PM »
Where do you search for pull out's? Would it be salvage places or auctions? Thanks.
Mistakes are the cost of tuition.

mobile_bob

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2006, 01:45:38 AM »
actually we ran into them at an equipment salvage yard,
the story goes that they were pulled out of some surplus shipping containers units, that were going to be set stationary
and were converted into electric powered units

i am told they are not too hard to find and can bring as much as 500 bucks or so for a good known runner, they go for 4400 bucks each exchange for rebuilt units on average.

engine rebuild kits arent too bad though, they can be had for around 475 bucks, include the normal stuff like pistons, rings, rods and main brgs, cam brgs, soft plugs, gskts and seals, intake and exhaust valves, water pump, oil pump and valve guides,,, pretty much everything in the kit but cam and lifters, crank and casting,,, oh ya and it comes with new glow plugs!

they might be a reasonable alternative for those that either can't or don't want to build up a listeroid, or can't get one.

typically they have two rpm settings, solenoid controlled ~1300 low speed and ~2400 high speed, but i am told that can be altered to about whatever one wants up to about 4200 rpm (which is way too fast for long life)

i am not sure but i think they had about a 20 year production run, so there are literally millions of them out there all over the world.

monday we are picking them up, so i will try to post some pics for those interested

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

Jim Mc

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2006, 03:20:38 AM »
Now THAT'S my idea of an engine with a long-term, well established reliability record.  Not as sweet sounding as a listeroid, but probably a more practical choice...

Are these set up to direct-drive the compressor, or were they belt drive?




mobile_bob

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #5 on: August 26, 2006, 05:48:15 AM »
they were setup to be direct drive, they have rubber insert grommets in the flywheel and the compressor drive hub has pins that fit into the grommets, looks like an effective an long lived drive.

upon further research they look to have average lifespans of around 20,000 hrs, with average maintenance(whatever that is)using conventional oils, and reportedly upwards of 60,000 hrs with synthetic oils and good maintenance (whatever that is :) )

the compressors were somewhere around 120,000 btu,, now that is alot of cold! sure would knock the edge off a hot day in most folks homes :)

also they hold 15 qts of oil! thats a bunch for a little motor, perhaps an indication that they knew that no one would check them very often.

also the flywheel housing is cut out at the bottom about 1/2 giving good access to the flywheel.

i have sketched out a trigenerator based on this engine, an st 15kwatt head, two 160 amp leecenevilles and a york a/c compressor, nice neat compact unit. about half the size of a regular refridgerator.

with some controls i can trip the high idle to generate 120/240 off the st head, or trip back to low idle to run the alternators and a/c or run some of each at high idle setting.

cant wait to get em in,,, and get one running enough to mock up with.
will make for a nice winter project

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

slowspeed1953

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2006, 06:13:27 PM »
60,000 hours! :o That would be 1.8 million miles in a automotive application.

Peace&Love :D, Darren

MeanListerGreen

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #7 on: August 26, 2006, 08:34:10 PM »
Thermo King also uses mercedes and vw engines.  I have a vw engine.  I would like to get my hands on an isuzu. I hear alot of good things about those engines and the other models they make.
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mobile_bob

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2006, 04:19:53 AM »
well it is set we will pick them up monday morning, and if all goes well will sort out the best looking one
and test fire it.

i got to looking at my parts stash, and i think i have all that is needed to assemble my first trigenerator based on this engine.

at this point i don't anticipate having any of these engines to be good enough to run long term as is, but i might be surprised.

we only have ~ 150 bucks each in them so i guess having to overhaul one wouldnt be bad at all, at least then i would have one that is in perfect working order.

drew up the sketch today and firmed up the plan,

basically the engine will be mounted above a 15 kwatt ST head, with belt drive down to it, mounting the head on a swivel
base to take up belt tension.
leaves the two outer grooves to drive two alternators, and an a/c pump with a pair of industrial double V belts in a serpentine fashion above the crankshaft centerline.

plan calls for a double door one of which will mount the oil full flow and bypass filter, primary and secondary fuel filters and oil drain tube, so when you open the door it swings out over a drain pan easily. hinged with lift off style hinges of course.

the other door will have the tach, oil and water guages, and other related engine controls , with quick connects and lift off style hinges here to.

drive end will have a door and the breaker distribution panel on it, same style hinges

front end will mount a small car rad with electric fan, rear panel to be louvered for cooling air flow

top cover to mount the air cleaner and muffler

so far looks to be a very compact easy to maintain and repair unit, at least that is the plan

what i am trying to do with this thing is to design and build it with easy access and the ability to maintain it
without alot of hassle based on years of having to work on other ill conceived machines.  i think i know now
what not to do!

gotta get it, and start fabricating :)

who knows there might even be a market for one of these?

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

dkwflight

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2006, 12:06:07 PM »
Hi Sounds like a plan!
What speed are you planning for the engine?
Dennis
28/2 powersolutions JKSon -20k gen head
Still in devlopment for 24/7 operation, 77 hours running time

Jackpine Savage

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2006, 12:12:52 PM »
That sounds like a great plan. I hope you'll keep us updated and take lots of pictures.

mobile_bob

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2006, 03:09:29 PM »
Dennis:

well i am planning on using the thermo king solenoid controller to give it a dual rpm range,

high range to generate power with the st head, engine speed 2200-2400 depends on gear ratio of the pulleys on hand

low range, i am not sure of yet i can reset the TK solenoid stops to get down from the factory setting of 1300rpm so i might
bring it down to 700-800 rpm range, this would still crank the alternators up to around 2000 and the A/C pump to around 1200, which is not
optimal but i can still get around 180 amps charging off the alternators (peak) and ~ 15,000 btu off the A/C compressor at low speed setting

or if i need much more charging and cooling i can hit the switch and bring it up to high speed, and get ~320 amps (peak) and upwards of 40,000 btu off
The a/c pump using r22, although i would not be able to pull all that and the ST head at full output

will take pics and post

bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

dkwflight

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #12 on: August 27, 2006, 04:00:54 PM »
Hi I know you can slow most compressors and use them at reduced capacity. The only problem I can think of is lubrication at reduced speed. I don't know much abut these particular units. I was thinking about the piston area which gets splash or thrown oil to lube them. Probably will be ok.
Dennis
28/2 powersolutions JKSon -20k gen head
Still in devlopment for 24/7 operation, 77 hours running time

mobile_bob

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #13 on: August 27, 2006, 04:15:53 PM »
Dennis:

thanks for the observation, i think i will be ok at the lower speed as it is still a bit faster than the ~1000 rpm that they run on hd trucks at idle speed.

anyway maybe i should check with York on that one, to be sure, seeing how i have the ability to get it right i may as well do it right the first time,
besides it is usually cheaper that way  :)

thanks
bob g
otherpower.com, microcogen.info, practicalmachinist.com
(useful forums), utterpower.com for all sorts of diy info

dkwflight

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Re: c201 thermo king/isuzu
« Reply #14 on: August 27, 2006, 04:30:44 PM »
HI When I first started out there were a number of belt drive comperssors still running. They were adjusted for capacity and life span by adjusting the speed of the compressor with the belt ratio.
The Refrigeration Service Engineers Society among others have a lot of resources available to help you design an A/C  system that will work right for you. You should be able to check a friends system for correct pressures to compare to your system. Having an idea of what to look for will help a lot.
Of course I dont know your bacground and I may be telling you how to do what you know well.
Dennis
28/2 powersolutions JKSon -20k gen head
Still in devlopment for 24/7 operation, 77 hours running time