BMC BLEED NUT PROBLEM
I purchased a reconditioned engine 1.5 BMC at the start of the season. I
have had one before so consider myself familiar with the engine. I noted
that the governor bleed nut on top of the injector pump had been wired
and crimped with a lead seal. As undoing this small nut forms part of
the bleeding process I cut the wire and bleed the pump, having not done
this for some time I forgot to lock the bottom nut and think that any
fine adjustment protected by this wiring has now been thrown out. To
reinforce my concern the engine seems smoky, grey/black, and though from
your past advice given to others can be caused by other things I wonder
if it is related.
That seal is usually used, together with
an aluminium tube, to seal the maximum speed stop screw on the throttle
lever (The one that is contacted by the lever at full throttle).
I have rarely needed to bleed that
particular screw, with the one on the body being sufficient to start the
engine.
The screw you mention is fitted into
something that an best be described as the head of a bolt with a lock
not. As long as you did not loosen the locknut, or move the bolt, you
can not have altered any adjustment. In any case the adjustment is used
to fine tune the action of the governor valve to prevent the engine
surging up and down. Mall adjustment can lead to a higher idle speed,
but I can not see it causing smoke. The maximum speed stop might if it
was undone too far.
From your post, I wonder if your pump
actually had a bleed screw in the position stated. I fear that you may
well have undone the governor adjusting screw. All I can suggest, if
this is the case, is that you loosen the "bolt" with the engine on idle,
until it starts to rev up and down. (I just hope that it does), then
slowly tighten it until the speed is steady.
If this fails I am afraid that you must
get the pump to a diesel specialist for re-setting.
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questions |
BLUE SMOKE FROM PERKINS ENGINE
A friend of mine put a exchange Perkins engine in my boat using parts of
my old engine a D 315. One of the things I was not happy with was that
the fact that he left off the air filter saying that it is not that
important! It is a different style to my old one and would stick
up above the floor boards that cover it (trad style engine room at the
back) He also topped up the oil without checking with the dip stick,
consequently the oil level is at least half a inch above the max mark,
he says is OK! He did not put the sump pump back on either. This was all
about three weeks ago. The problems that I am having now are. Blue smoke
and twice since yesterday the engine has just cut out, but started again
with no problems Thank god. When it cuts out it just stops as if you
have pulled the stop lever, can you advise me at all I would be very
grateful.1 - Oil Level
I fear this action (and the failure to fit the sump pump - how are you
going to change the oil without loads of mess?) poses questions about
the rest of the job. Overfilling any sump is likely to result in blue
smoke, but more important on a diesel, in severe cases may lead to
engine run away when you just can not stop the engine revving.
2 - Air Filter
Many engines do not run with air filters and I have seen a few marine
diesels where there was not even an inlet manifold, however it is not
good practice. It leads to noise and the possibility that the engine
ingests something like a chunk of rust that damages the valves or
pistons etc. If the engine cover is close to the air intake and is
covered with foam or something, could this be being sucked over the
intake? If so, that may be why the engine just stops.
3 - The engine just stops
In view of what you have said, once you check that nothing is blocking
the air intake, I would be very suspicious of the quality of the job and
would want to take a very close look at the fuel lines and filters.
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questions |
SMOKING PETTER ENGINE
I have a 50` narrow
boat that I built as a steam driven craft for the last 10 years. The EU
finally defeated me with their latest directive ,Steam in pleasure
craft. As I have been spoilt with silent cruising, I decided to fit a
old (1946)? AV2M Petter. I kept the 22"x37" pitch prop and with the 2:1
reduction box the engine plods quite quietly. The problem is I used the
existing short funnel to vent the diesel exhaust up. This discharges 4`
in front of the helmsman and about level with the top of your head. The
white smoke that emits stings your eyes and smells. I had an oil fired
boiler of 30 KW output previously and never had a problem. Took
injectors and witnessed them tested. All 3 spray holes clear. Service
man said they were set to lift at 175 atms. He raised this to250. Still
no better on tick over(200rpm) or at work (1000rpm) The engine is an old
lifeboat unit and has LLoyds stamps on the cylinders and heads as to
being pressure tested. It has separate pumps (Bryce). It starts very
easily by hand even over Christmas at -1C.
I am afraid I am not going to be much help.
You appear to have checked everything you should, and from what you say,
all sounds fine.
I am concerned over the size of prop
because it sounds far too large - ring a prop specialist and ask them
for the recommended size for the engine and boat combination.. However
an oversize prop usually causes overloading which shows itself with
black smoke - not white.
Your original boiler should always have
had more than sufficient oxygen to burn all the fuel, however in a
diesel, there will be parts of the combustion chamber that get starved
of oxygen, so will not fully combust the fuel. This is likely to give
rise to the nasty smell. The particulates that diesels produce (very
small pieces of carbon) will also not do you any good at all.
It is possible that the white smoke is
actually steam + particulates, caused by the exhaust pipe and silencer
running cold, but I regret that apart from lagging, I can not see how to
rectify this. I would not expect lagging to be very successful. If you
can get to a river and give it a good, higher speed, run, if the "smoke"
eventually disappears you can conclude its steam.
In view of what you have already done,
the only thing left is to fit a taller exhaust stack - and spoil the
look of the boat.
White smoke can be caused by the
injection timing being incorrect - I forget if its advanced or retarded,
but it matters little because whichever way it is, the timing has to be
checked.
I do not know your engine, but suspect
that the timing is adjusted by annular shims placed under each injector
pump.
If you look at the rod coming out from
either side of your pumps and forming part of the pump linkage, you
should see a line scribed to one side of each pump. With the links
pushed one way (often with a gauge between the end of the links and the
governor) both lines should be flush with the side of their respective
pump. If not the linkages needs adjusting. As you can see there is a
distinct possibility that you need a gauge and full instructions (which
I do not have).
Once the linkage has been set the
individual pump timing can be checked. This usually involves a high
level fuel tank, the removal of the delivery valve, the fitting of a
swan neck, and setting the engine to a specific position. Once this is
done shims are added or removed from the pump to get the correct number
of drips from the swan neck.
The above probably looks like gibberish
if you have never timed a diesel, so I fear its a case of getting in a
specialist for that range of
engines, but first I would get the pumps checked for wear in the roller
cam follower that they usually employ.
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questions |
BLUE SMOKE FROM KINGFISHER
ENGINE
I have a Kingfisher KD16 in my narrowboat which at time leaves a
substantial blue/white emission across the canal. At other times the
exhaust emission is barely noticeable. The following work has been
carried out to try and cure the problem. New big ends and pistons. The
bores deglazed. Head skimmed flat and a new valve seat fitted. Injectors
machined. ( Release is at 150 bar). sae30 Viscostatic being used. The
timing has not been touched.
This certainly sounds like burning oil, but you appear to have had every
thing done that you should.
My Bukh does this, and strangely new
engine mounts which stopped it jumping about so much, made a big
difference - I surmise oil was being drawn into the crankcase breather
system.
If it is after a period of slow
speed/idle there is an outside chance that its valve stem oil seals, but
this should not really be the case
on a diesel.
Make sure you do not overfill the oil &
check any valves in the breather system.
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questions |
WHITE & BLACK SMOKE
FROM BMC ENGINE
My 2.5 BMC diesel engine is putting out white and black smoke, has lost
a bit of power and tends to overheat slightly more easily than before. I
have come to the conclusion that it is the injectors. Do you think this
sounds right? Do you think more than one would need replacing - should I
replace them all? Could it be the injection pump?
White AND black smoke?. If the white is
soon after a cold start, and the black once under way, I would suggest
that you check your heater plugs to ensure the engine is starting as
quickly as possible, otherwise it fills the engine and exhaust with
unburnt diesel which will "burn" off as white smoke.
Then check you aircleaner is clean (if
fitted) and ensure a free supply of air to the engine room. Check any
air trunking for kinks, dead mice, water etc. If all this is ok, check
your prop is clear.
Only after checking the above consider
getting the injectors serviced. I would advise that you take them to a
diesel specialist for overhaul or exchange and settle with the company -
even if you do have to pay someone to remove & replace them. The
injector pump is far less likely to cause problems, so try injectors
first.
If this is a wet exhaust boat, are you
sure your white smoke is not steam, caused by a faulty raw water pump or
impeller. I have also known de-laminating exhaust hose to cause such
back pressure that the pump can not push water into the injection elbow,
so the exhaust steams.
Not knowing what type of boat we are
talking about, is it possible that your hull needs a scrub off and is
causing the engine to overload by resistance to moving through the water
- especially if the prop was never 100% correct for the boat - this will
not normally apply to a narrow boat.
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questions |
SMOKING
BMC
My BMC 1.5 diesel marine
engine is emitting too much smoke. I have just had reconditioned
injectors fitted to the engine, and it is now kicking out lots of white
smoke whilst it is idling, once under load it almost disappears. Before
the injectors were replaced, it smoked slightly on idle for about ten
minutes or so then settled down to a reasonable level. What could be the
cause? I have been told that the pump will need to be overhauled, is
this correct? I do not know when the pump was last overhauled, but
certainly not in the last 12-15 years according to the previous owner of
the boat.Did anyone loosen the
injector pump mounting nuts? - if so I suspect your pump timing is now
wrong. If you look on the flange that the pump is bolted to, you should
see a pointer at one corner. This should be pointing to a line on the
pump flange.
Otherwise I can only see two possible
causes.
1. One or more of the injectors are
faulty - even if they have been overhauled. Who did them? Did you take
them out and personally take them to the specialist for overhaul? Were
new copper washers and nozzle heat shields fitted (and the old ones
removed)? - You can often get away with not renewing them, but if any
came out on the injector and were not renewed, they are now missing.
Many "diesel mechanics" think they can
"overhaul" injectors with a simple cleaning kit. In my view they can
not, especially the type used on a 1.5 (pintaux). The only people to do
it are the specialist injection equipment people. If you paid a mechanic
to do it, I would demand to see the bill/invoice from the specialist. If
the injector(s) is dribbling, has a bad spray pattern, or has the
auxiliary spray hole blocked, you will get smoke.
2. One or more of the "top hats" that are
a very light push fit into the head, at the base of the injector "hole"
came out on the injector and was discarded by the overhauler. This would
give low compression and white smoke, but also more reluctant starting.
Sorry that I can not be much more help at
long range, I would also like to know why you had the overhauled. If you
were trying to solve a problem, that problem may not be injectors (or
pump) and may have simply got worse.
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questions |
STARTING
BMC
Sorry to trouble you with some simple questions but I just don't know
the answers and the answers I have had so far are all conflicting. I
have recently brought a 27' Creighton with a BMC diesel engine that runs
absolutely great with no smoke of any colour hot or cold, it's smooth
and touch wood up to now reliable, The only problems that I have is that
I do not know how to tell if the engine is a 1.5 or 1.8 diesel and what
is the best way to start it without easy start, heater plug timings and
full throttle, half throttle or no throttle. In other words how do I
start it properly. My other concern is that the dip stick seems to sit
on the floor of the sump and is not suspended off it by any means at the
top, it's just straight from the eyelet at the top. If this wrong how
could I correct it.Find your
injector pump - follow the pipes from the injectors, back down to the
pump. If the pump is stuck out the side of the engine (in a similar
position to an old petrol engine's distributor) it is a BMC 1.5. If it
is lying parallel to the engine block its a BMC 1.8. The numbers are
often cast into the block, below the manifolds.
The best way to start from cold is to set
the engine to about half throttle (strictly a diesel should start on
tickover), hold the heaters on for a slow count to 30, and then operate
the starter. As soon as it starts, reset the throttle to a no faster
than a fast tickover for a few minutes. This ensures oil circulation
with minimal load.
If the engine does not start after a
couple of tries, you need to get the heater plugs checked.
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questions |
BMC 1.5L PROBLEMS
I recently
purchased a narrow boat fitted with a BMC 1.5 L engine. The engine was a
little worse for wear so I decided to have it reconditioned. Since
reinstalling the engine I have a couple of problems and was wondering if
you could help me out.
My engine doesn't want to
start, now I don't know too much about diesel engines so you'll have to
forgive my ignorance. It will start with persuasion (I'm a chemist, I
think this probably explains a lot) and will start again once up to
temperature. I have checked the heaters and they are taking volts, does
this mean that they are working?
No. The fact that the "ignition
switch"/heater button connects the cable to the battery does not mean
that any current is being drawn.
Take each heater plug out (if the engine
has been overhauled they should come out easily - if they are very stiff
& snap off, I am afraid you got a **** overhaul) connect them to the
battery, terminal to pos. & body to neg. Use thick wire (each may draw
20 amp at first). the tip of each plug should glow. If it does not, you
have found the problem, so replace the faulty ones. Refit with
copperslip (copper grease).
Keep your flesh clear of the tips when
testing!
If all the plugs are working, there is
something else preventing a sufficient high temperature being reached in
the cylinder. The diesel relies on the compression of air to create a
sufficient temperature to ignite the fuel - your engine also needs the
assistance of heater plugs for cold starting.
Things to check are:
are you sure there is no air still getting into the system - loose
joints etc.
do you have clearance on all the valve rockers (tappets) or are some
tight, allowing compression to leak past the closed valves? If you can
check the clearances on an old car, you can do it on this engine.
If all the valves have a clearance on
them, I suggest that you get another engineer to do a compression check.
Unfortunately you need a special bolt in diesel gauge for this. Make
sure you get a written report, because this may be the start of
litigation or dealing with Trading Standards.
I think that this may
also relate to my other problem namely, white smoke. Once said engine is
running I get a lot of white smoke out of it, this also smells of
unburned diesel.
This is not unusual, and the longer you
have to "persuade" it into starting the worse it will be. Basically its
unburnt fuel vaporising from the exhaust and cylinder walls. It should
clear within 10 minutes or so. If it does not, suspect faulty injector
spray pattern or incorrect spray pressure. Your injectors should have
been sent away for overhaul & re-setting as part of the engine overhaul.
Other boaters
have advised me that I need to 'lean out' the engine. I have looked and
can only find one adjustment, which controls the idle speed but does
nothing for my white smoke.
They are talking **** - you are correct.
Tell them to go back to the petrol engines they obviously do not know!
there is no adjustment you can do.
Do you know how
I might be able to get less fuel going through the pump? I don't even
know if there is a standard fuel pump for this type of engine.
Yes - its a hydraulically governed DPA
injector pump and it is set to suit a particular engine on a test rig.
This is something else that should be done as part of the overhaul. Only
by putting it on the rig can the max. fuel and automatic advance/retard
be set. This needs to be done by a specialist.
I do wonder if the injector pump timing
has been correctly set. Look at the side if the engine with all the thin
pipes on it. You will see the
injector pump is a round body with a "turret" on it, mounted to the
engine by a triangular flange with three nuts securing it in place,
through elongated holes.
Look at one of the upper corners of the
triangular flange, on the engine block side (the front one, I think) and
you should see a pointer secured to the block flange by two screws. A
line scribed (cut) on the pump flange should be in perfect alignment
with this pointer. If not, slacken the three nuts and force the pump to
twist to align the pointer and mark.
Unfortunately the pointer should have
been set during overhaul, using a special tool to remove the play in the
pump drive - we have no idea it this was done.
One symptom of incorrect injector pump
timing is white smoke (incomplete combustion), so you could try running
the engine, under load for about an hour (to remove any unburnt fuel)
and then try slightly turning the pump. The engine speed will alter, but
with a bit of luck and care, you will find a point where the white smoke
is at the minimum. If you do, then you can assume the timing was wrong,
so get the pointer set and the timing redone by a BMC specialist (e.g.
Calcutt).
I am concerned because the injector pump
drive gear needs an oil jet on it. This and its associated stariner is
provided by a vertical and horizontal bolt head on the other side of the
engine - towards the back. These do block with old oil or stuff left
over from cylinder boring and should be checked and cleaned. If they
block the gear wears and completely messes up the timing.
Steps:
1 make sure heaters are working
2. Make sure there is no air in the fuel.
3 Make sure all valves have clearance
4 Visual check of pump timing (adjust if out)
5. Get professional to check pump timing, pointer setting, &
compression.
There is a Dutch site (can't remember the
name) that I understand has a copy of the manual for download, otherwise
talk to Calcutt Boats of Southam.
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questions |
BMC STARTER MOTOR
I'm trying to find
a compatible starter motor for my BMC 1.5 . I've been in touch
with Lucas but they weren't very helpful. I think the engine is from a
J4 Van? and have been told that maybe a 3 series Landrover starter will
fit, do you know if this is so or can you recommend anything
else that would fit?
What I think you are asking for is the Lucas part number and our 1.5
does not have a legible part number on it - in any case the starter body
(with the part number) may not be the original.
I do not have this to hand, but am sure
that Calcutt Marine of Southam could supply you with an exchange unit,
or any decent autoelectrical outfit could overhaul an existing unit.
You should take care when taking starters
from vehicles because although the pinion (gear) might have the correct
number of teeth, and the fixing bracket might have compatible mounting
holes, the solenoid could well be in an inappropriate place for marine
use.
Either ask someone with a 1.5 in their
boat if you can look at their starter to find the number, or repost the
question on the news group uk.rec.waterways.
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questions |
KEEL COOLING OVERHEATS
I hope you can
help. We have a 60ft narrow boat with 1300cc Mitsubushi and a single
side keel cooling tank. Although is adequate for canal work and only
overheats when the prop gets weeded up. We also spend time on rivers and
are unable to take advantage of the engines capabilities, (I know its
not a speed boat) but it does not take long to overheat (approx 100
deg). Would it be possible to add fresh water cooling that I would be
able to turn on and off. I was a Motor Engineer for 25yrs but have had
no experience of marine engines. I have been looking on the web for
diagrams of freshwater cooling, but as yet have had no luck.
You have fresh water cooling already, I
suspect you mean direct cooling. Diagrams on
www.reading-college.ac.uk/marine .
Make sure there is a way for any gas/air
that is trapped in the top of the skin tank to be removed, and also make
sure you do not have an excessive build up of blacking on the outside of
the swim on the skin tank. If that does not solve the problem I think
the easiest way to solve the problem is to fit a number of pipes outside
the swim on the opposite side to your skin tank. These would typically
be four of half inch ENGINEERS - not plumbers, copper or bronze/brass
pipes, about 4 to 5 feet long running betwen headers (they are
commercially available, but may take some finding). The headers are
fitted through the hull and piped in series with your existing skin
tank. The engine thermostat will ensure you do not overcool.
You could also bend up a single length of
(say) 1.4 inch bore pipe in a serpentine fashion and mount this outside
the other swim side.
If you can "dump" the hot air, you could
put a car heater box and blower in the calorifier circuit (or where a
calorifier would be fitted), and turn the blower on when on the river.
As long as you have no head gasket faults
or cracks in the head or cylinder (and as you say you are a motor
engineer I assume you do not) I think the problem is simply a too small
or badly designed skin tank.
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questions |
NARROWBOAT
COOLING PROBLEM
I have a 3 cyl Lister Alpha engine in a 50 ft narrowboat. The cooling
has always been a bit dodgy from new, but now it is getting a lot worse.
The primary problem (I think) is the skin tank is only 4.5 sq ft, small
for a 32bhp engine, plus it is 4 ins wide which won't help. When
we accepted the boat we didn't know much about these things.....
It runs OK at canal
speeds, up to about half max revs, but then starts to overheat. I have
installed a car radiator and fan in the calorifier circuit (mainly to
keep feet warm in winter); the radiator is about 3 ft above the engine,
and running this keeps the engine temp OK at higher speeds (which we
need to get up the Severn from our mooring) but this is not much fun on
hot days.
The thermostat
is OK and I have tried running pressurised and not: this doesn't seem to
make any difference. I am fairly sure the pump is OK (or the calorifier
circuit would not work) and I have put a pipe from the top of the tank
to the overflow bottle, so there is no air at the top of the tank. Temp
gauge and alarm have different senders, so I don't think it is
instrument problem. Doesn't use water, so I assume its not head gasket
gone.
Boat has been
drydocked 4 times, so has 800microns++ of bitumen covering the outside
of the tank. I have not yet tried cleaning any rust/sludge off the
inside of the tank (tricky) or scraping the bitumen off.
The obvious
answer is make the skin tank bigger by welding a second tank on the
outside of the hull, but this is expensive (at least at the local yard
RWDavis). Do you have any thoughts on alternative solutions?
I am fairly sure its is a "size of skin
tank" problem. I saw a lot of this when I was running the engineering of
a Thames yard with narrow boats overheating then flogging upstream
though they never had a problem on the canals.
You appear to have done all you
reasonably can - your radiator more or less proves the problem.
I can think of one solution, but it might
end up being more trouble than its worth - but if you are handy (which
you appear to be) you could always "disconnect" my suggested mod if it
all goes wrong.
I hesitate to suggest putting anything
that may be thought of as vulnerable outside a NB's hull, but it occurs
to me that you could fit a set of keel cooling pipes outside the other
(non skin tank) swim. You would simply pipe these in series with your
existing skin tank.
You need a couple of "faired" headers and
a set of keel cooling pipes. Try contacting Norris of Isleworth or the
engine manufacturers to try to get a lead on ready made up systems. If
you can not get a ready made up system you need to organise four pipes
running between the headers, outside the hull, each about 1/2 to 3/4 in.
diameter and about 6 feet long if you can accommodate this length on
your swim. Ideally they would be of bronze or brass, bout I suspect
thick walled ENGINEERS copper tube (not 15mm plumbers) would also do the
job. They are normally fixed but compressed rubber bushes to allow hull
movement, but seeing this is for a steel narrow boat I think brazing,
soldering etch would do fine.
All you now need is a dry dock/slip, and
hole cutter and drill. Carefully mark the swim and drill two holes to
accept the headers , seal and fit. I think I would use nylon washers and
sealant to ensure a watertight fit. Then pipe in series with the skin
tank, add more antifreeze (50% to minimise corrosion) and I think your
problem will be solved - what happens if you bounce the pipes off
something goodness only knows. If a pipe leaks you will start to loose
coolant.
Your thermostat will ensure your
calorifier (and radiator) will continue to work, and that the engine
stays at optimum operating temperature.
back to
questions |
BMC
REPLACEMENT SOLENOID
I have a narrowboat fitted with a BMC 1.8D engine, and the glow plug
solenoid has stopped working. Do you know where I can get spare parts
for this engine?Strictly
speaking you do not need a solenoid, although good practice means one is
fitted to minimise voltdrop.
These are normally car starter solenoids
of cars built up the 80s with an inertia starter.
Go to any car electrical specialist and
as for an inertia starter solenoid. Ideally try to get one from an
automatic that uses an inhibitor switch - if you can ignore the next
paragraph - if you can not take note of it.
This will almost certainly be an "earth
return" unit, bolt it to the engine or a piece of wood, so the negative
is not connected to the hull (could, and only could lead to corrosion).
If you have an inhibitor switch one, you
will see two bolt type terminals - these take a battery supply to the
heaters. You will also see two small - probably blade type - terminals.
one is connected to the heater position on the ignition switch, and one
to the battery negative or the engine block.
If its an ordinary solonoid you will only
have one small terminal. This is connected to the heater position on the
ignition switch. An "earth" is wire the run from a mounting screw to the
block or battery negative IF ITS NOT MOUNTED ON THE ENGINE.
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questions |
DISSOLVING EXHAUST SYSTEM
I have a Ford Petrol 113 (derivative of the 105E) engine, 4 cylinder
marinised engine which has soldiered on via Wortham Blake gearbox for
over 30 years... But! There is a mixing box which receives exhaust gas
from the "car type" manifold, and also raw water from the cooling
system, which effectively silences the exhaust, which then discharges
both over the side. This mixing box/silencer was made of aluminium
alloy, and it has dissolved. It seems to be of simple construction, so I
would have thought that there may be other makes on the market, as
Wortham Blake have long gone. Alternatively a box could be welded up out
of stout mild steel or even stainless. Are there any published diagrams
, which I can copy?
I know of no-one who publishes diagrams.
Normally a Wortham-Blake marinised engine
would have a marine exhaust manifold. Usually this is made out of cast
alloy and surrounds the manifold with a water jacket which is plumbed
between the engine coolant outlet and the exhaust mixing elbow (the
thing that has dissolved on your boat).
As you say you have a "normal" car
exhaust manifold, all you need is the mixing elbow. The idea is to
introduce the water below the manifold level, to minimise any danger of
the engine drawing water back into the exhaust ports.
You need a mild steel plate to match the
end of the manifold (probably oval with one very large hole in it, and
two smaller ones), a black iron plumbers bend of suitable size and
threaded pipe to connect the exhaust hose to (nipple). Drill the bend
fairly low down, and insert a scrap of copper pipe. Get this brazed or
silver soldered in, making sure the pipe is bent so it injects water
downwards. Get the plate welded onto the bend in a suitable position,
and bolt the whole lot up, connecting the water supply by hose & clip to
the injection pipe.
Do not forget to lag the manifold and the
hot end of the bend very well.
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questions |
EVINRUDE OUTBOARD
WON'T RESTART
I recently purchased an old Evinrude 18hp outboard motor. It cranks
after the first or second pull and runs fine. My problem is after it is
shut off it won't start back up.
This is difficult without seeing the engine,
but it sounds like a heat problem. When the engine is hot, remove the
plugs and clamp the to the engine where you can see them. Crank engine.
If you still have a fat blue spark you can be 75% certain the ignition
system is OK. IF not suspect (according to type of ignition) Contact
points, capacitor, stator (all under flywheel), coil, plug leads
(measure resistance on 20 Kohm scale, expect a maximum of about 25 Kohm
per metre - so about 4 or 5 Kohm), Electronic ignition module.
If you do have a good spark when hot, its
may be too rich a mixture - blocked air ways into engine, or bad
adjustment.
After that its looking for loose joints
(like carb to block) that allows the engine to suck in air, or simply
worn parts.
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EXHAUST SYSTEM MATERIALS
I purchased a used boat that has an exhaust run about 7 feet long. The
previous owner installed a steel pipe about 4 feet long and the
remainder rubber exhaust tubing. All the standards for exhaust systems
that I have read, recommend rubber exhaust tubing, however,
filament-wound tubing is also sold for this purpose. Of these three
alternatives steel pipe is the least expensive. Why is steel pipe not
used instead of the other two?
Steel pipes rust and may well set up
resonance both inside themselves and outside.
In the UK the "rubber" exhaust hose is a
composite of rubber and fabric sandwich reinforced with a spiral wound
steel wire between the laminations.
This allows the rubber to damp the sound
energy within itself and not get crushed/flattened when it goes through
bulkheads and round corners. It also allows the inner lining to char to
a certain extent (when to cooling water fails) without leading to hose
failure and consequent leaks of cooling water into the boat.
As long as it was adequately supported so
any resonance tended to be damped, I would have no problem is using
black iron plumbers pipes, but I would expect them to rust through after
a number of years (by which time the rubber hose would have probably
failed due to periodic loss of cooling). Just make sure some flexible
hose is used to allow the engines to vibrate!
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LISTER
CANAL STAR RATTLE
My canal star 36 started to rattle which comes and goes but is more
commonly heard at tick over. It sounds like a loose metal plate is
rattling on the outside of the engine but having gone all over the
outside of the engine I cannot locate any thing loose. At this point I
am getting worried that this may be coming from inside the engine.
First you may simply have picked up some
fuel with a low octane rating, this will give rise to diesel knock which
can sound like a rattle. It may go away when the engine gets hot.
If you suspect that it started after
filling with fuel, add a few gallons of road diesel (I know it will cost
you) and see it it improves. If so you can be fairly sure its the fuel.
You might have broken a piston ring or
something, but its unlikely.
Make sure all the engine feet are tight
onto the beds. If the sound appears to be coming from just in front of
the gearbox I fear the gearbox drive plate is starting to fail. I would
suggest the box is taken off and the plate inspected/replaced.
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BMC CAPTAIN OIL FILTER
I just purchased a boat that
has a BMC 1.5 Captain made in Fredrikstad, Norway and I want to change
oil and filter right away. I was wondering if you would have any idea
what type of oil filter I need. moreover, do you know of any good
general resources for these engines.
The original engine had an element type
oil filter inside a can with a centre bolt, but many have been converted
to a screw on throw away canister type.
If yours is the later, I would suggest
that you remove it and take it to whoever supplies your motor trade with
parts (we call them Motor Factors). They should be able to pattern it up
and supply a suitable replacement. They may also be able to supply a
replacement element if you tell them its off a BMC J4 or Sherpa van.
Calcutt boats
http://www.calcuttboats.co.uk/
of Stockton, near Daventry UK specialise in these engines and may well
post stuff to you, the only problem might be the Norwegian marinisation.
There is a Dutch (I think) website that
has a number of marine engine manuals on it. I think they have a BMC one
- I regret I can not remember the URL, but join a newsgroup (uk.rec.waterways
is a good one for BMCs) and ask them.
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REPLACEMENT GEARBOX FOR BMC 2.5.
I have a BMC 2.5 diesel
engine fitted to my 40 ft narrowboat and it is coupled to a BMC
Commander gearbox which is not selecting gears properly, in fact its
knackered. Now is their another gearbox system I can use to mate up with
the BMC 2.5, the engine is in perfect running order and it would be a
shame to replace it .If your
box is the mechanical "B type" box then there are adjustments for the
ahead clutch toggles and the reverse gear brake band. These are under a
rectangular cover, on top of the box, held down by 4 x 1/2" AF screws
(as I recall). I regret that I can not describe how to do it here - its
simple enough to do, but would take hundreds of words.
The other thing is that the ahead drum on
theses boxes have long through bolts. These snap, and stop gear
engagement.
If I am right about the box, I seem to
recall that it has a solid drive adaptor from the centre of the
flywheel, rather than a "flexible" drive plate. If so, you may well need
to get the flywheel drilled and tapped to accept a drive plate. You
would then need an adaptor plate to fit between the new gearbox and the
flywheel housing. These might be available from the gearbox supplier, or
they might supply a drawing so you could get one made up by a jobbing
machine shop.
Nearly any box would do the job, but I
would go for a PRM from choice - if they put up with hire fleets they
put up with anything!
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SMOKING
BMC
I have my engine out of the boat at the moment, unfortunately I do not
know the history of the engine as it came from a breakers, therefore it
is probably a little worn. The engine fires up and runs fine at all
engine speeds, obviously it is not under load as it is out of the boat.
The engine is however giving blue smoke at idle and low revs, this seems
to clear at 200 revs and above. On removing the rocker oil fill cap
during running I would say that their is little pressurisation of the
crank case and little fumes are emitted from the filler point when
running. I have not performed a compression test yet, but is it possible
that it may be an injector problem??
Everything has been
sitting for 4 or more years without use until I started it the other
day.
Many BMC engines smoke a bit when cold
and first started after standing for a while, so there may not be any
real problem, but the smoke is usually whitish (unburnt diesel).
If the engine has been standing for a
while, rig up some sort of cooling system and run it for quiet a long
time, gradually increasing the revs, but do not let it go much over
about 2000rpm. This should give any stuck rings a chance to free
themselves and wear away any rust in the bores. Also it will burn off
any oil that has leaked down the valve guides, or past the pistons if
the engine has fallen over at any time. Ideally the engine would be
under load, but you will find that very difficult to organise.
Blue smoke is oil, so you could have oil
control ring problems or glazed bores (quiet likely if it came out of a
British Gas/Transco engineers vehicle). Glazed bores can sometimes be
"rectified" by using a special oil, under load, from someone like Morris
Oils, but you would have to get the engine loaded to try that.
Whilst the engine is out of the boat, I
think the most satisfactory plan would be to send the injectors away for
overhaul (Specialists in all major towns) and then remove the head &
sump, draw the pistons, and glazebust the bores (rudimentary glazebuster
attachments for electric drills are not too expensive). This will give
the opportunity to assess/measure the bores and inspect the rings.
If this is not an option I fear you will
have to marinise it, put it in the boat, and run it under load, and
hope.
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BLUE
FUMES FROM DIESEL ENGINE
We have looked at a Creigton 4-berth cabin cruiser and are thinking of
buying it. We are having a survey done on it next week. When we looked
at the veh, the BMC 1.5 diesel inboard engine is under the bunk bed in
the rear cabin, it is not boxed-in but has a curtain covering it over !
We would, of course, box this in should we buy it.
We noticed when the boat
was running, this rear cabin became full of diesel fumes and a 'haze' of
blueish fumes/smoke was in the cabin, which we could see. This would
make it impossible for anyone to be in that cabin when the boat was
running as one wouldn't be able to breathe and pretty unpleasant to
sleep in at night too. My partner looked at the engine and thought the
exhaust gasket may need renewing. We could see no obvious oil leakage
onto the engine which may have accounted for the smoking. We realise
that diesel inboards are rather smoky and smelly, but this was really
bad. That may be due to the fact that the engine is NOT boxed-in, but it
made us suspicious. The owners never mentioned any faults with the
engine and they are aware we are having a pre-purchase survey done.
Inboard diesels are not particularly
smelly or smokey if they are well maintained and fuel/oil leaks
rectified as soon as possible. It also helps if they are washed down
once a year.
As far as I am concerned, if someone fits
an engine into an accommodation area and does not properly encase and
ventilate it, I wonder what other wonders there may be to find -
probably expensive, and probably after you have bought it! I have a
feeling that this is a very cheap craft, but even so, for goodness sake
at least get a knowledgeable friend to have a look over it (if its
within an hour of Reading, we will see what can be arranged). You should
really pay for a survey though.
If an exhaust gasket has failed to such
an extent that the cabin is filling up with fumes, you should be able to
feel the gasses "chuffing" out when the engine is running - just do not
get your hands so close to the exhaust that you burn yourselves.
Blue smoke is usually an indication of
burning oil, but there are a number of other things to think about.
1. Narrow beam craft often have dry exhausts, if so they may also have a
flexible section in the exhaust pipe. If this fails, it may be hidden by
asbestos lagging (wet it right through and wear a good mask when
removing and disposing of it - then refit glass fibre bandage (or an old
fire blanket).
2. When the engine was in a vehicle it had a crank case breather pipe
from a side cover, below the manifold, running to the air cleaner or
below the vehicle. This is often just left open on shoddy marinisations.
When the pistons/rings/bores wear or glaze, fumes can pour out of here.
If this is the case and you have the expertise, drill and tap the inlet
manifold, reasonably close to the engine, and lead the pipe to here. The
only downside is that a badly worn or glazed engine - and yours sounds
like it might be - could start to burn the fumes as well as diesel, so
you loose control of it. I suppose it does have an inlet manifold? I
have seen marinisations without them - just two holes in the cylinder
head!
3. Some marine manifolds have rubber caps on either end to facilitate
the use of a heat exchanger if that is the form of cooling that is
required. If someone decided to fit a dry exhaust manifold, without
replacing the rubber caps with welded on plates, these would burn and
leak fumes.
Finally, if you do decide to buy the
boat, you really should box the engine in, but make sure it can draw
lots of fresh air into the case. At 2000rpm you engine will require
something like just over 1000 litres of air per minute - imagine that as
1400 wine bottles or 200 oil cans in a big heap! You need at least 6"
diameter ducts, and I would advise two of then.
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