Petter mini twin

[cindersailor]

I have just bought a boat with a petter mini twin diesel. I have read all of the adverse coments her about their unreliability, but it seems to have been looked after and I intend to see how I get on with it. However, I do not have a manual - is one available? What is the recommended starting proceedure? It apparently has glowplugs fitted. The sale details say that it is rated at 14hp, all other mini twins I have heard of are 11 or 12 hp, did they also produce a 14 hp version?

Any other general comments about how to live with this engine would be valuable.

Thanks

 

[Guest]

Many boats are happy with them ... they are lightweight and do their job.

A lot of problems are reported due to warped heads / cracked alloy etc. They are a lightweight alloy engine based on truck fridge engines .... you see the engine box on front top edge of refridgerated trucks ... so have to be light.

The 12 is basically 2 mini-6's together .... ok a bit of engineering as well .... but yes you are right - they are 12hp .... as they go up in multiples of the base unit 6hp.

If the engine is in good order - look after it and you should enjoy good service.

Manual may be available via the good old Dutch site :


http://www.boten.nl/~motoren/

or

http://www.instruction-manuals.co.uk/category/engines.htm

Good luck ....

 

[twisterkai]

The most common reason for the petter diesels to give up was the heads corroding, which was generally down to poor maintenance. It's therefore essential that the engine anodes are inspected and replaced as soon as necessary - if it hasn't been converted to 'pencil' anodes then do so, they're screwed into an adapter block on the injection pump side of the barrels. Also, it's recommended that the head gaskets are renewed every 2 years. Whilst I don't think that's strictly necessary, I think it should probably be done every four years as a minimum. It may sound excessive, but once you've done it once it only takes a morning to do both of them. If you find the heads are corroded then it certainly isn't terminal, they can be welded and then skimmed to restore the surface. Generally, once they've been overhauled, subsequent head gasket replacement only requires light surface grinding (flat block and wet & dry using WD40 or diesel as lubricant).

Another thing to watch is the cold start lever. Because it's mounted just below the water pump, any leaks from the pump can eventually cause it to seize. As the lever is an aluminium casting, tapping to free it usually results in it breaking off, so ideally if that does happen then you'll need to remove the engine front cover.

If I recall correctly, the starting proceedure was throttle set to 1/3 - 1/2, cold start lever depressed (make sure it can come back up easily) you should hear a 'click', and start. If it's really cold then you may need to use the inlet manifold heater plugs - they just warm the air to assist combustion - and then start it. Also, if it's extremely cold and/or it hasn't been run for some time, you can inject a little oil into the bores using the priming plungers on top of each head. If it runs and then cuts out but you're sure the fuel system is properly bled then the most likely culprit is the cold start system not disengaging properly - took me ages to work that one out when I first had one! As to the power rating, it's allegedly 12HP, but I think that's a little optimistic for continuous running.

On the whole they're a great little engine but only if looked after properly, so good luck with it!

 

[cindersailor]

Many thanks for the useful advise. I have just spoken to Lister-Petter in Dursley who say that the workshop manual is available for £30 part No 027-08228