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Hi All

I have a diesel engine with 14,000 hours on the clock and have just replaced the valve guides and new valves, ground in and nicely seated.

Luckily I can get to the big ends in situ and wondered if anyone thinks it is worth replacing these, the oil pressure is good at 60psi and oil loss is small since the new guides were installed. I did pull  one and it looked like there was a colour change on a small part of it?

Also can anyone comment on how far out a tappet should be before it is reset. The normal set point is 10 thou and so if it is 9 thou does it need to to be reset or can I wait till it is 8 thou?

Thanks
s or r  

14,000 hours is about 630,000 miles or so...

i would think that i would stick my nose deep into the factory service manual for that motor.. most of them have really good detailed bearing wear and replacement charts...

preventive maintenance is what you are asking about..    it's really a judgement call on you....   if you can change the lower end bearings without getting a spec of dirt in... it might be worth it...   can you prelube the motor just before starting or assemble the bearings with moly graphite assy lube so it does not drip out while waiting to start the motor...   most bearing damage is done at start up...  as the engine is cranked without the protective film of pressurized oil for the first few turns..  possibly 30 or 40 turns..  i had a friend who set up stand by gen sets for a TV station.. he had heaters installed in the remote pumped stand by cooling system.. so it was almost at operating temp... and a full time lube electric pumped lube system...  with the air starters when the voltage coming up the mountain dropped..  it took 7 seconds to get back to full broadcast power..  

Thanks for your thoughts. The manual is a bit basic for this engine and although it specs the tolerance on the big ends it means removing the pistons and rod to be able to measure them. There is no chance to get the pistons out of the top of the block without breaking the rings and maybe scoring the bores. So its back to guessing really.

Your comments about your friends genset is pertinent as this is indeed a genset and my primary (only) source of power. I would have pulled it all to pieces and done a complete bore and new pistons, brgs, cam etc but that kind of machining is not available here. The cost to send it overseas is not really worth it!!

The tip about moly lube is interesting and I shall try to get some sent out.

Anyway - do you have any comments on how much the tappet clearance can close before resetting them, it is something I just cant find any data about. There must be a general number for how many degrees the valve timing is changed for each thou of clearance?

s or r  

here is a link to the assy lube...

http://www.amazon.com/Sta-Lube-SL3333-Anti-Seize-Engine-Assembly/dp/B000CPAWP6

they used to sell it in larger tubes.. but i have not seen it in a while...

i have also used this stuff on head gaskets...  and not had to redo any since i started..

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97824

what make and model motor do you have.. i am in so cal.. there are tons of manuals floating around for sale here...

i don't do a lot of diesel work... so i really cannot advise you on lash setting and how much or when....

here is a 20KW at a decent price... just in case... the shipping might set you back..

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=192


i have always wondered what they did with all the gen sets they take off ships when the break them ...  


got wind there?????    some 55 gallon drums????  some thing to spin them on a vertical axis???

how about a high area for some kind of water pool....    fill it with pumped water while the gen set is running.. run a peltier wheel during off hours...


check your private messages for my direct Email address... you have to log in to see them....

wayne.  

Thanks for the lube stuff, must get some.

The genset is cheap but way too heavy, mine is a 12KVA set and only 600lbs and half the length, it runs at 1800 giving 60Hz but the key thing is it water cooled. It would be a lot of work to convert the genset from HFT to water cooled I fear. Still if they do a 12Kva model for an even sillier price it may be worth the effort - that is if the shipping is cheap enough.

Wind - yeah - we have loads at the moment and its just started to blow 40Knots so a delay in the message till it passes. The high ground wont work as we live on the water!

The problem is that the moment you mention words like 'tuned', or 'sport' or 'marine' the price is promptly multiplied by at least 4. Hence the need to keep an old donkey as sweet as a Lyons Cup Cake.

s or r  

i ran across this site...
http://www.stiltman.com/html/wind_power.html
and loved the design of the blades..  but there was a link somewhere where they had taken some steel drums and cut them and reformed them into similar shapes with great results... my idea was to use a unitized hub and bearing assy off a car or truck... they are waterproof... and have great stability. so only one would be needed ... mounting the matching brake rotor and caliper...both properly powder coated to prevent rusting out .. the caliper so you could stop it...

oh.. and put a CV shaft through the middle of the bearing splines like it is on a front wheel drive.    a long shaft through the pole to the generator mounted close to the ground..

those blue plastic barrels could also be used... less corrosion problems...  

a different way of cutting the drums..    don't cut the top and bottom.. cut a strip out of the side  and unfold it.. to make the rest of the inner blade shapes... so it still maintains it structural strength...  

i was even thinking of a pinwheel...   remember those on a stick... but mounting it also on an automotive hub and bearing assy...  but mounting it at an angle with the tower able to rotate also...  this way... you could control the angle of attack and the speed...  now... think of doing it in carbon fiber... so speed is not an issue... the same cv driveshaft could be used... or a light weight perm magnet generator at the top...

since you live on the water... i was wondering if you like my other idea...  ever see the outboard power head jet drive..  but the one that is mounted deep in the hull with an outlet under the boat..  i was thinking ..  with that vertical jet pump.. but with a diesel powerhead  instead of gas... and several valved outlets that could be hooked to hoses with spring loaded through hull fittings... one could put steering thrusters on any boat... one could even use more than just bow thrusters... with careful design or placement.  one could move the boat in any direction... or keep it still in mild winds...  

hi I don't know just how long it is that you go between service, but on the big rigs we do our valve adjustment at 50,000 miles or six months, rod and main bearings at 250,000 miles you can average your hours into mile by 50 miles an hour and work out a schedule, you don't have to pull the heads just the pan and loosen the main caps use a carter pin in the oil hole(be sure it dose not fall in) and rotate the old out and the top in, the rod bearing you can do by tapping the piston up after unbolting the cap and use a piece of hard wood to tap them up the bearings will roll on to the bottom by finger, be sure to lube the new with white grease.   Have fun!