Lets not talk Jap crap, this is pommy crap !

Discussion in 'Propulsion' started by globaldude, Oct 26, 2006.

  1. globaldude
    Joined: Jan 2005
    Posts: 110
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    Location: Whangarei New Zealand

    globaldude court jester

    Gentlemen , and others of lesser repute , I needs to know something !.
    Just spent a few hours fitting up a 12v starter to a JP4 Lister engine I obtained. It has decompresion buttons [ not levers in my case] and will turn over no problem with the starter WITH the decompresions engaged .
    I can "drop" one decompresor and with the inertia of the now spinning engine/flywheel it will continue to crank.
    I should point out that at this stage I'm not trying to start her, just evaluate the starters ability to crank it.
    1; It will not turn over with the decompresion DIS- engaged --- just bounces off the compresion !.
    2; Are these engines designed to turn over , with the electric starter, under full compression ?
    3; If not, is one expected to grovell down in the engine room while second person hits the starter at the helm , so as to be able to push in the decom- button at max cranking speed !! ??? , Surely not !!.

    I expect, and believe I need to be able to start my boats engine from the bridge , single handed.
    Does anyone agree ?.
    If this engine cannot be started remotely !!!!, I think it's no good to me.
    Pretty upseting really as I'd believed it to have certain atributes suitable for the cruising yacht I'm building. Namley , reliability, heaps of tourque, and given the low revs , economy -- although I've had many people with differing opinions on that. [ I don't know ]
    pissed off !
    __________________
    Globaldude
     
  2. Crag Cay
    Joined: May 2006
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    Location: UK

    Crag Cay Senior Member

    Would this 'Pommie Crap' be the venerable old engine that was first built in 1929, sold millions but went out of production over 35 years ago? The engine that powered the search lights, radar sets and AA guns whose lonely vigil stood defiant against the onslaught of totalitarianism? Engines that did more for the development of the third world than all the well meaning missionaries put together? And you are casting all this asunder because you can't get yours to start?

    Sounds a bit harsh.

    You will probably get more help with your enquiry if you contact people in the barge or inland waterways communities in the UK where these engines still chug along quite happily and change hands on the used market for over GBP1000. I'm sure remote starting has been well sorted.

    Or contact a barge repair company that specialises in Listers. I think these people could help: www.rwdavis.co.uk

    [​IMG]
     

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  3. globaldude
    Joined: Jan 2005
    Posts: 110
    Likes: 0, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 10
    Location: Whangarei New Zealand

    globaldude court jester

    Mr Cray, you're so diplimatic :) , Ok, I was annoyed , still am not happy if I can't reliably remote start the engine [ & stop ] .
    For the record, my wife is Japanese and I have a great respect for the reliability & durability of these engines, so no disrespect for either the "Japs" or Lister engines.

    This morning I had the engine running . It hadn't run for around 5 - 6 years and so I was systematicly going through it before I let her rip . [ making sure I had oil presure etc ]
    It took a long time to bleed it -- because, as I found out when she fired, the throttle was the reverse of what, I thought, it looked it should be !!! .[ cranking by hand @ percieved full throttle to get the fuel through ]
    So I've paid for my ignorance !!.

    I emailed that link you gave me - thankyou - and am waiting to hear back.

    I was thinking of easy to start - stop - control engines in boats and recalled at least two accounts of yachtys who arguably owe their lives to fast starting engines.
    One was recently on the infamous boxing day tsunami where apon seeing the tidal wave heading toward their yacht, even though at anchor, they imediately started their engine and shoved it in full ahead.They believe that saved them.
    The other was a yacht moored fairly close to shore in a small bay in antarctica. They were woken by a hissing roar and at fist thought they were dreaming, as the boat was still and there was no wind. They rushed topside to see a huge wave bearing down on their boat and imediately started their engine, which they say is their habit of leaving in forward gear for emergencys.
    The waves, there were a couple of lesser ones after, were the result of a huge piece of an ice burg having dropped off the island like iceburg that had drifted by the bay during the night. the waves were such that they went strait over a small headland between them and open sea and snapped one of their mooring lines.
    Harrowing stuff, but again, their engine, and it's imediate responce, saved the day.
    So My point was, unless the Lister can be made to remotly start and stop, I can't see it being suitable for our cruising life style.

    This engine is very like the one you took the time to find then post - thanks - but mine has a casting that holds the CAV starter to the block, on the left looking from the front.
    It was my assumption, that because it had a starter motor, it would be able to start remotely.
    Perhaps I should have asked myself why then the need for decompresion buttons ?. Again, I'd assumed they were for starting by hand !!.
    I say somewhere assume stands for - makes an *** of U and ME .:D
     
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