single cyl lister.. what is it?

[Merritt]

hey everyone... i got a single cylinder lister diesel today... came off a traffic arrow board.. its direct coupled to an automotive 12v alternator.

the number i get off the plate:
00732LT1A30-00

b.s.649

what are the specs on this? where can i get service/operating information?does it have a built in governor? if i couple this to an ac generator, how many kw can i expect at 1800/3000 rpm?

thanks
-merritt

[ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by Merritt

hey everyone... i got a single cylinder lister diesel today... came off a traffic arrow board.. its direct coupled to an automotive 12v alternator.

the number i get off the plate:
00732LT1A30-00

b.s.649

what are the specs on this? where can i get service/operating information?does it have a built in governor? if i couple this to an ac generator, how many kw can i expect at 1800/3000 rpm?

thanks
-merritt

Engine number breaks down as follows:

00 Is the year of manufacture: 2000
732 is the serial number
LT is the type
1 is the number of cylinders
A is Anitclockwise rotation
30 is the build number
-00 is the accessories or special items number

So you have an LT1 engine, built in 2000, serial 732.

I don't have a manual here for that one as it is a very late engine, but if you look on:

http://www.shellplant.co.uk/parts-books.htm

There are .pdf copies of the LT series operators book and parts list.

Peter

[B.Sparks]

ListerDiesel - You're close, but...

00732 = Serial Number
LT1 = Model LT, Single Cylinder (Yes, they did come as two cylinder.)
A = Anticlockwise Rotation
30 = Year (Add 50 to the number) = 1980
00 = Build Number

The LT1 was introduced in 1977. They were very popular with arrow boards here in the States. A bit heavy, but good for 30,000 hours and can be overhauled. I built a nice 4kW genset out of one. The governor springs and weights were replaced so that my unit would run at 2300 rpm @ 5% regulation. (The governors in some of the builds were 10%.)

Chances are your unit has a lot of hours on it. It was light duty, to be sure, but they ran 24/7 during the highway construction season. The rings might be stuck and the exhaust passages filled with carbon deposits. Remove the muffler and make sure your unit doesn't have a restrictor plate.

[ListerDiesel]

[quote=B.Sparks]ListerDiesel - You're close, but...

00732 = Serial Number
LT1 = Model LT, Single Cylinder (Yes, they did come as two cylinder.)
A = Anticlockwise Rotation
30 = Year (Add 50 to the number) = 1980
00 = Build Number

I am using the later numbering system as Lister never used leading zeroes on the earlier numbering system, and only used build numbers on the later system.

Peter

[B.Sparks]

I got my information from Lister-Petter's US operations in Olathe, KS. The gentleman from the engineering division explained (in a delightful British accent) the numbering system to me. I though it strange, for example, that it was necessary to add 50 to 'year' to arrive at the correct figure but that's appearently the Lister-Petter way. And I've found it to be correct. A friend gave me an ST-1 with a date code of "35." I remember him buying the engine new in 1986. Date codes aside, don't you find it strange they Lister-Petter would only allow for a 3 digit serial number? You'd think they'd figure on building more than 999 engines. In this case (LT1) the engine was introduced in 1977 and the unit in question was built in 1980. It's reasonable for Lister-Petter to have built 732 of this model in the 2 - 3 years (2 years = late '77 to early '80) of production.

But I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong. The Lister-Petter engineer also mentioned that he could tell that my engine was built for export (from the UK, that is.) Lister-Petter probably uses a different numbering convention to differentiate engines intended for domestic or export sale.

So we're probably both right.

[B.Sparks]

Arrowboards powered by diesel engines were obsoleted by solar powered units in the mid 1990's. I bought about a dozen assorted diesel engines from scrapped arrowboards. Several were made by Lombardini, others were Lister-Petter AC1's and 2 were LT1's. The LT1's were the best built. The mechanic at the highway construction company said the LT1 outlasted the others 2 to 1. I still have several of these engines including an LT1 that I plan to rebuild some day. My brother in law wants to make a "pocket chopper" motorbike out of one of my Lombardini engines.

In the early '90's, Lister-Petter introduced an interesting variant of the LT1. It's called the "build 32" and was specificially designed for arrowboards. There was no cooling fan or shroud. It ran at (if I remember correctly) about 700 rpm and produced all of about 3/4 hp. The highway construction company, where got the other engines, had one. They said it was very efficient. Ran something like 24 hours on a gallon of fuel. I wish I could have got one of those to play with...

[ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by B.Sparks

I got my information from Lister-Petter's US operations in Olathe, KS.

Bill:

The date that was generated by adding 50 was from 1950 onwards, hence the '50' to make the date up.

I haven't all the manuals here to show the later date code build, but it should be the same as the USA numbering.

It does sound as though there is an anomaly in the system, as I have seen none of the earlier engines with leading zeroes on the serial.

The serial number was only valid for that year once you were on to the 1950's or later numbering system, which is why the year came into the equation. Earlier engines all got very muddled with the same sequences used for all the engines except the JP, CD and CE engines.

I'll scan the details of the later nameplate with the breakdown of the numbers, then you'll see where I am coming from :-))

Got your message as well, thanks.

Peter

[ListerDiesel]

[quote=ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by B.Sparks

ListerDiesel - You're close, but...

00732 = Serial Number
LT1 = Model LT, Single Cylinder (Yes, they did come as two cylinder.)
A = Anticlockwise Rotation
30 = Year (Add 50 to the number) = 1980
00 = Build Number

I am using the later numbering system as Lister never used leading zeroes on the earlier numbering system, and only used build numbers on the later system.

Peter

Scanned image is attached to show the later/latest numbering system as discussed. I think this explains it better than words :-))

Peter

[Merritt]

ok well heres my status report...


IT DOES RUN, with issues... the drive and it looks like now the rotor shaft may be trashed on the starter... does anyone have a good working starter theyd be willing to part with? it is made by bosch america and is similar to a marine outboard starter...

the fuel pump looks bad.. its one of those little tiny cube shaped ones.. where can i get those? i was suffering from a lack of fuel out of the top of the injector pump and after smacking that little lift pump around it seemed to work better

how exactly are you supposed to start this thing? ive been holding the compression release open, cranking it and gradually closing it until it started firing on its own... the starter wont crank it with the compression release closed, but that may be because the starter was trashed... when i start it by my method the engine kicks around for a bit until it gets up to speed and then its smooth...

btw, anyone have a 4kw belt drive generator head theyd like to sell??

[BTPost]

Most folks keep the Compression Released, untill they have the machine
spinning as fast as they can crank, then kick it off and continue to crank
untill they get a few pops in a row, then slide the crank of the shaft.
Hot air down the air intake makes hand starting Listers a whole lot easier.
This is the same technique I use on my Fairbanks/Morse 45B turning a 3Kw
genend.

Bruce in alaska

[Arthur]

[quote=ListerDiesel]

Originally Posted by ListerDiesel

Scanned image is attached to show the later/latest numbering system as discussed. I think this explains it better than words :-))

Peter

Peter,today I picked up what you fellows are discussing. I was going to ask for any kind of info. as this is the first one I have seen. It looks almost unused,and run fine.

Lister-Peter
No. 40 02428 ACICO53
Power 6.5 r/m 3600

On starter-Magnet Marell?
270180 12 V
Date-25-99
Type-M79 (0.9)

I think from a heating unit.
Is this one of the better ones? Thank you for any kind of info. all I have is what I've just read. I'm told it is surplus. Thank you Arthur

[B.Sparks]

"Is this one of the better ones? "

It's a good engine for its type, ie. aluminum block, non removable cyliner. Made out of sand cast aluminum with a cast iron cylinder liner. It's a much heavier duty design when compared to a die cast Yanmar style air cooled diesel. The design life is 20,000 hours. The AC1 was introduced by Petters, LTD. in the mid 1960's and this engine model was carried over when Lister bought out Petter. The AC1 was available in 2 variants, a direct injection and indirect injection. A water cooled version was offered.

The AC1 was in production until just recently, so obtaining parts is not a problem. Operating at 3600 rpm makes it easy to build up a genset. Just couple up a 4 Kw, 2 pole gen end. Or you could lower the speed down to 2200 - 2400 rpm (via a new governor spring) and belt drive a 2 - 3 Kw gen. The engine will be quieter and last a lot longer at the lower speed.