Thumper update

[Jens]

I haven't posted in a while so I figure an update is in order.

Last Wednesday night, Thumper died due to a plugged fuel filter. This particular filter was relatively new and had , I am guessing, maybe 25 gallons of fuel through it. It is a Racor unit and the element is something like $25 via Ebay or $40 locally (but no shipping). In any case, I decided that enough was enough. We were leaving for a quick vacation the next day so I just let Thumper be.
We got back last night and today I had a chance to play with Thumper. The Racor filter was pulled (I think it was a 200 series) and replaced with a Racor 1000. This thing has possibly up to 10 times the filter area of the old unit and the filters are available for $10 when bought in bulk.
I did manage to complete the changeover but so far I have been unable to start Thumper. Even Ether doesn't help because - it ignites prior to top dead center and actually reverses engine rotation. There should not be a problem with air in the fuel lines but I have not checked for the appropriate injection event noises yet. That will happen tomorrow followed with a line purging if required.

Unfortunately I do not know the exact history of the fuel I was using which caused the quick filter clogging. It was fuel that went through settling but it might have been prior to the point when I started to run the settled fuel through a 5 micron bag filter.

My electric motor powered centrifuge project has stalled for now but hopefully this huge filter will give me some breathing room until the summer.

I have also had my first neighbour complaint re noise and this will have to be addressed with some engine room modifications and more sound insulation. In the meantime I am limited to daytime running hours.

Jens

[billswan]

Jens

Nice to hear from you was starting to wounder what happened to you.

Good luck with your fuel problems. Seams you have lots of gremlins giving you grief with fuel filtering and delivery.

I guess that comes with the use of veggy.

My 10/1 CHP was slow to get off the ground this year, just to much farm and family that has to come first.

Have had my Omega running now for a couple of weeks and hope to have all the murphy shutdown stuff in place and wired up very soon. Make a little head way each day so will soon be able leave it run without wondering if it will be ok.

Billswan

[mobile_bob]

Jens:

glad to read elsewhere on the forum that you finally got thumper doing what it does best

i was beginning to get worried that you were getting discouraged and would lose interest in working
with it.

so many learn from your work here, and i hope now you will have a few hundred hours of trouble free run time.

bob g

[mobile_bob]

i suspect this is going to be really useful info for others that might find themselves in a similar situation with veg oil.

bet it feels good to finally have this resolved, i know how it feels to have yanked out the last hair from your head trying to
get something to run again.

especially when it comes down to a relatively simple fix

bob g

[JohnF]

Jens;

I'm not nearly having the same problems as you regarding using WVO.  My engines (6/1's ans 10/1's) regularly run thousands of hours before IP adjustments are needed.  I'm also not seeing any polymerization. Could it be that your higher temps (you said that the engine was 40-50C when trying to start) is causing a problem?  Mine are usually around 20 - 30C but I do start and stop on dieael - excpetfo the 10/1 'cause I tran out of diesel in that shed, but it does have an electric start.

[JohnF]

Jens;

You say you stop and start on diesel, which puzzles me a bit.  If you run the engine long enough (say 5 mins) on the diesel line, where is the veggie in the IP's coming from?  What method do you use for turning off the veggie and turning on the diesel? 

I can see how the much higher heat could cause a problem.

[JohnF]

Yes, it does.  Where I find problems is on the slide (I think you alluded to that as well) and I fix that by putting a few drops of 3 in 1 oil (sowing machine oil) on the slide every week or so.  The oil is thin enough not to cause problems but is able to clear the slide.  If you have some goo sticking on the slide ratchet  brush it off with a brass brush and oil.  Move the slide in and out until it works better.

As for the stuff underneath, yes mine builds up a bit but it has never caused a problem yet for me.  I do have to clean IP's every few thousand hours but that is just normal maintenance.

[oliver90owner]

If one IP is giving more trouble than the other, there is a simple check.  Swap the IPs over.  One more possibility then eliminated, so you can actually easily get to the root cause of the issue.

Regards, RAB

[rl71459]

Jens

First, I would like to say how much I enjoy following members projects and there candid descriptions of
the issues they have encountered while doing so and I believe that is one of the reasons I like this forum
so much. With that said... Please take my comments in a constructive way as most of you have much
more experiance than I do with diesel engines.

It is possible (very likely I would think) that the tolerance stack & finish quality of one pump vs the other makes it leak more than the other. My guess is that the condition is going to switch sides with the pump when it is swapped.

Has anyone here had multiple IP's disassembled? If so have they been very consistant with the fit and
finish of the plunger and cylinder? If not... Is it possible to do parts tolerance matching to allow a more
consistant performance from one pump to another.

Rob

[oliver90owner]

rl71459,

Definitive way to find out.  Do it!  It makes not a jot of difference to me, but it may to Jens.

That is one standard method of approach to a diesel engine miss-fire.  Swap the injector to a 'good' cylinder and check to see if the miss moves with the injector or stays with the cylinder.

Jens,

Don't guess, do it! You will then know for sure.

Regards, RAB

[Tom Reed]

The rack on my pump also gummed up from running WVO and the engine would way over shoot RPM's on startup. Mine is out in the open and is room temp. To free up the rack I used Marvel Mystery Oil and a bit of carb cleaner. The MMO cuts right through the gum. I tested it on a fuel can spout that was also gummed up, Acetone would not cut it, but the MMO did immediately.

The repair was accomplished with out disassembling the pump. I cupped my finger around the rack shaft and kept a pool of MMO around it while working the shaft in and out. This was last fall and the pump is still free.

Tom

[veggie]

Marvel Mystery oil is a gasoline and diesel fuel additive meant for cleaning (and prevention) of varnish and other buildup.
I wounder if it could be added to WVO to prevent all of these problems ?

http://www.marvelmysteryoil.com/index.php/site/mmo/

Apparently it's available at NAPA and Walmart,

veggie

[Lloyd]

Hi Jens,

I suggested MM on the thread we were talking about polymerization. It runs about 7.00 us a gallon, I run 1 gal of MM to 200 gals of dino, it increases luberosity for the pump and injectors.

Back in my hot rod days I worked for an old diesel mechanic, he swore it was magic.

Before he would tear down an engine for rebuild, we would start the engine and get it up to running temp, then kick it to high idle, and slowly pour a half pint of ATF down the carb, then after a minute pour the balance until it killed the engine(on diesels we would pop the valve cover and pour ATF across the valve train). Then we would drain out the engine sump, and filter, and re-fill with a mix of 4 quarts of ATF, and 1 of kerosene, hook up a mechanical oil gauge start the engine an let it run till the oil pressure started to drop, about 2 min or less. When we tore the engine down for the rebuild it was clean as a whistle. I have seen many an engine that this treatment raised the compression, and eliminated all sorts of ruff running conditions caused by sticky valves, as well, he called it rebuild in a can.

If your hands are every filthy with engine sludge, ATF works better then gojo....and it loves to eat hard burned carbon and varnish.

Somewhere I have a PDF on the contents of MM, that some lab diagnosed as almost straight mineral oil, with some other minuscule additives...on the order of 95% mineral oil.

So maybe an experiment is on order for both ATF and MM.

Lloyd

[mike90045]

MMO sure don't smell like mineral oil