Update on that Lombardini

The consensus seems to be that the oil bumps the compression up which makes for better starting. Makes sense to me.

Reading a bit further in the Lombardini manual I found for my engine, you can also temporarily increase the stroke of the injector pump by pulling out on the stop lever (versus turning it, which is what shuts the engine down).

This engine is actually designed to be started with a rope like a lawn mower, and electric start is an option.

It's 15º in my garage at the moment. I squirted a little oil in the reservoir, bumped the throttle up to about half, pulled out on the stop lever and hit the starter. I don't think that thing made two full revolutions before it lit off.

Not bad for a 40-ish year old engine.

In fact, my John Deere should start that good!

Some things should have been used throughout the industry. Simple things like that would sure make life easier for many. Jim

Small industrial diesels seem to be something that the US mainly didn't have. Very common in Australia.

I guess fuel price had a lot to do with it. In 1922 here petrol was 35c/Imp gallon, kerosene 22c and crude oil 5c.

So we saw a lot of these engines out of particularly England (Listers, Petters particularly)and even a few Armstrong Siddley air cooled (they came out in 1931 from the firm that made air cooled radial aircraft engines).

And there was a local industry as well, with the major brands being Ronaldson Tippet, Southern Cross and Kelly & Lewis. Ronaldson Tippets were license built German Guldners and used a cleistory head for the mechanical minded to marvel at. These used diesel for starting assistance.

Southern Cross was home grown and has an oil measure in the head. The oil bumped compression and did a temporary seal if worn. We still have a 1940 version in regular use on a bore pump. They got up to 40hp four cylinder ones. A tribute to their lasting abilities from a sawmiller - "They ran for years surrounded by sawdust and neglect" - even without an air cleaner on the early ones.

Kelly & Lewis might have had European connections (some metric threads) but I haven't been able to find any info. We have a mid-1950's 5hp one on another bore. Its starting aid is a removable felt pad that you soak in half petrol/half diesel and insert in the air intake for starting. Rattles a bit.

Starting on all isn't too bad down to about frost level if in reasonable condition.

Ian thanks for the neat information. Jim

Interesting! Thanks.

I agree, small diesels are a seriously underserved market in the US. If the #)($ing EPA would mind their own business, you could sell a TON of 4 cylinder diesel midsized pickups in this country.

In fact, in central Michigan where I grew up, BIG diesels were quite rare in agriculture until the late 60's.

I have a 6,5K YanMar genset that has a single cyl diesel in it
. It has a start position on it and if the battery has enough snott to get it over the top the first revolution, it will start.
Loren, the Acg.

Fawteen

We still get the smaller diesel pickups here - Toyota HiLux, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Izuzu/GM (Holden Colorado here), Ford Ranger/Mazda BT 50. A lot of these are via Thailand due to a free trade agreement. Plus some coming in from China now - Great Wall (described by an owner as an Izuzu with Mitsubishi running gear)and the latest I've seen advertised is the Futon , with a Cummins engine. Plus Mahindra from India.

And lately VW.

On the bigger end Landcruisers, Nissan Patrols.

Very few of your US full size, and the bulk of those Ford F trucks. And expensive.

The US does like full size fuel guzzlers. Look at the sales figures of Ford trucks. #1 selling for 32 years straight I think I read. It outsells cars.

"I agree, small diesels are a seriously underserved market in the US. If the #)($ing EPA would mind their own business, you could sell a TON of 4 cylinder diesel midsized pickups in this country."

Problem is, that EPA's business is minding ours. I say get rid of it and other freedom limiting "agencies", and the market will find us.

Or the whole post will go poof, and we will pretend to know nothing about it.

I run one of those (one cylinder) on my 4' wood splitter. At a fast idle it will split anything I can get on the beam and run for a long day on a gallon of fuel.