Lister D-running hot-advice please

[Mick Lane]

Just completed a full overhaul and rennovation of my first stationary
engine - Lister D, Spec 23DH, No. 148683
Only petrol to hand was unleaded. Well pleased when it started first swing
and continued to run.
After warming up (water steaming) I tried retarding the timing to try and
get it running slower, smoother and with a less aggresive exhaust note.
Had to stop quickly when I noticed the paint on the repainted cylinder head
starting to blister.
Could this be caused by :-
i) retarding the timing (estimated at 5 degrees before TDC)
ii) using unleaded petrol

Any contructive comments would be most welcome.

Mick

[Roland Craven]

Hi Mick
The engine was designed for unleaded and that should not cause any
probs.
Undoubtedly the problem is caused by retarding the ignition (normal is
about 20 BTDC). The mixture will still be burning as its leaves the
exhaust so burning the paint round the exhaust flange and giving a
nasty harsh exhaust note. Might be worth checking the valve timing to
be valves rocking at TDC.
The usual way to slow em down is to remove one or both inside governor
springs and fit a weaker outside spring (at the same time as screwing
the air valve down). Personally I prefer a load as running these old
things at well below design speed and off load causes lots of oiling
probs.
hope that helps
--
Roland Craven
nr Exeter Devon. UK
rc9...@eclipse.co.uk
http://www.eclipse.co.uk/rolands-yard/

[Adrian Hodgson]

I would have said that the un-leaded petrol is not the problem, as these
engines could run on Kerosene (paraffin) as well as petrol the compression
ratio is quite low (5:1) when compared to the modern engines of today.
Also as no lead was added to paraffin there should be no problems with
valves.

I have had my engine running today for several hours and the water does give
rise to vapours from the head but not to any steam.

There are a few things to check.

1) The paint you are using, have you given it time to cure completely
before running the engine, if still soft it could blister easily.

2) There is a hole in the water jacket that sometimes gets blocked and may
caused localised heating, See SE issue 281, page 6. Letters "Lister D
addendum by Rex Chatfield. If you do not have a copy, give me an email and I
will forward a copy of the letter. It is unlikely this would let the block
get hot enough to blister the paint though.

3) What type of carb is fitted, try adjusting the needle valve to provide
a bit less fuel if the engine is hunting and adjusting the governor
linkages.

4) The timing is normally 20 degrees BTDC and articles say could be
adjusted to 10 degree BTDC if running without a load and to make it
smoother. Again would not expect higher temperature due to this.

5) Was there signs any repairs to the cylinder head prior to painting?
Perhaps a very slight crack is letting water get behind the paint?

I would tend to hope it is just paint that has not cured correctly and that
after a while the problem will sort it self out.

I am also restoring my first Lister D spec 18DH serial number 134040
although I am still unsure of the spec numbers meanings.

I guess buying the books will help.

Have fun and enjoy yourself.

--
Cheers
Adrian
Homepage http//www.aphtrading.co.uk
Lathe and Coffee Can Foundry at http://www.aphtrading.co.uk/pages/apage1.htm
Better Foundry at http://www.aphtrading.co.uk/pages/apage2.htm
No longer trading.
Mick Lane <mick...@hemscott.net> wrote in message
news:8c85qq$8d1$1...@lure.pipex.net...

[David Trewern]

A word of warning here.... don't run the engine too slowly. They are only
lubricated via the "dipper" and this will not work properly if run under
speed I believe.
Good luck.
Dave T