Hand Cranking

[Kristal]

I know I've gone on about this before, but I really just can't get the hang of it. I always wanted to be able to do it in case of emergency, and now that Crystal seems to have a bit of a battery problem, it's even more important.

I can't swing the engine whilst the cylinder is under compression - decompressing it with the lever, cranking up and letting the lever go serves only to try and break my wrist.

Does anyone have any tips? If Roger could do it aboard the Goblin in We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea, I b****y well ought to too!!

 

[Santana379]

Hi /<rystal

FF has a 2 cylinder Lister 20 diesel.

Not a chance of me swinging it under compression, even given my 16 stone (you're perhaps too young to understand that terminology, even after yesterday's birthday, so think of it as an analogue measurement) and given the absolutely superb access to the front of the engine.

I crank with both hands at once, and someone else has to knock it back into compression. Not helpful if you're on your tod, and I have often thought that a bit of string round the waist, connected to the compression lever, tightened by a belly dancer's hip shimmy, might be the answer.

I've never had a problem with the lever trying to hurt me when using both hands. Is your lever fixed or detached?

I must say its a wonderful comfort knowing you can start an engine manually, particularly given the problems marine electrics seem to experience.

 

[mainmarine]

try to build up a momentum, don't hook your thumb round the handle
ie: keep your thumb and palm on the same side of the handle, this should stop it hurting if it kicks back

 

[Santana379]

The thumb tip sounds very sensible - I'll bear that in mind too.

 

[Kristal]

Thanks for those tips - I will give it another valiant effort, but I'm fairly sure that I'm simply not strong enough, even with a single-cylinder engine. Even having built up a good speed, the moment the lever drops it's Casualty time. Perhaps, FF, when I'm in Woodbridge we could try adding your 16 stones to my 11 and give it another shot.

/<

 

[Santana379]

No worries /<rystal - we could even get Smiffy along!

What you didn't say is whether you are successful with the hand start out of compression. If you are, them Mainmarine's tip should solve the wristbreaking problem. If not, then it might be that slight reduction in cranking effort when you knock the compression back on makes you lose too much of the momentum.

I have hand cranked FF's engine at Woodbridge Haven buoy in a situation when I couldn't have stemmed the ebb and got into the Deben under sail. Crystal's powerful rig might make it slightly less critical, but still most useful.

 

[Mirelle]

Roger was hand starting a Thorneycroft Handy Billy - a small petrol engine with a magneto and with far less compression!

I used to be able to handstart Mirelle's MD2 but I cannot do so these days unless it is already warm.

 

[Kristal]

I can turn the engine when decompressed fairly easily, but even if I have someone else to dump the compression back in, it still just bounces and kicks back.

There is something I haven't considered though...

The crank-handle fits onto the shaft with an oddly-shaped drive - presumably to shove the handle away when the engine starts running. This dictates that the engine can only be hand-turned in one direction - but what if it's the wrong way? Far-fetched I know, but if it was the wrong handle, or there was something strange about the engine installation that I don't know about...

Would the effect of 'bouncing back' happen if one tried to fire the engine in the wrong direction, do we think?

/<

 

[Peterduck]

The kick-back is due to the abundance of compression. The momentum of the flywheel is supposed to overcome the compression once it is restored by flicking the decompression lever back on. The shape of the starter handle boss and the shaft with which it engages should automatically disengage the handle once the engine fires. Alternatively, there might be a ratchet in the chain drive to the crankshaft. There has to be one or the other. The fact that the engine is kicking back tells me that you don't have enough revs up [ie, momentum in the flywheel] before dropping the decompression lever back on. Almost universally engines are designed to run clockwise as you see it from the front. The output shaft to the prop. may be in either direction due to gearing, but the input is pretty much standard. Some engines have an arrow cast into the starter system to remove all doubt.
Peter.

 

[ongolo]

I had a small 1 cyl lister LT1 in my boat for driving a compressor and two alternators. I was the only one who could start it with one hand, and the other I operated the lever. The engine stood a bit strange. Because nobody except me could start it I sold it. Too late I found out about this:

http://www.dieselproducts.com/springstarter/pentham.html

I am ooking for a small two or three cyl. yanmar. This will he get a spring starter and if possible my 80hp 4 cyl Deutz wil also get a spring starter. I dont know why thewy are not more widely used.

regards ongolo