I used to own a 16 foot heavy clinker boat with a single cylinder air cooled Lister that was made lord only knows when and in all the time I owned her she never let me down once ,but the engine was that simple it was almost perfect I mean there was no starter motor to worry about ,no alternator, no battery, just a quick swing on the starting handle and drop the compression lever and off she would go ,and being air cooled there was no heat exchanger or water pump to get blocked and you could run her all day on a gallon of diesel. They were a well designed tough engine that required the minimum of maintenance would keep going on forever
I worked at Listers (Dursley) more than 50 years ago making these engines. They will run forever given minimal maintenance fuel and oil. Excellent for genny's, pumps, small inboard marine applications. Almost unbreakable. Listers water cooled CS (cold start) diesels have been made for 90 years to pretty much the same design, 45 years in England and ever since copied in India and Iran.
Hi I came to Dursley a couple of times to bring my HRW 6 to be re built, I also had half a dozen fifteen horse marine engines, sw 2 ? maybe. Then I built a 36 ft lobster boat. I wanted a 6LXB Gardner, but I went foe a JW 137 hp Lister as it was £3000 cheaper. It ran like a clock, but was a lot thirstier than the Gardner would have been. No complaints. I was warned, the foundry is mainly women, dont go in there you wont come out with your trousers on. I didnt check it out cheers.
Yo los reparaba esos motores lister,atravez de Sánchez y cía Venezuela y conocí un representante inglés de la Marca,de apellido Ruesa ,años 75 78 en aquellos años se usaban mucho en el campo,muy buenos motores , saludos 😊
@colddiesel Absolutely sir, i am from India state Punjab as we have been using the single cylinder 16hp long stroke (with dual flywheel on both sides) diesel engine for bore well water pump from 1988 to 2007. We shifted to submersible pump in 2007 but still we used this engine on 12 KW generator. The engine haulage was done back in 2007 as till that day the crank, connecting rod was 100% but water galleries were filled with rusty water and particles. With new piston and rings as well as new plunger with few other parts for FIP too were installed. We installed the radiator as we used ground water previously. Somehow we managed to match the rpm with generator as the engine runs fine at @1200-1400 rpm but gen needs 1500 rpm. The small stroke lister peter model of 15hp run fine @1500-1700 rpm. On submersible motor we use it sometimes during power cuts in the fields and its working perfectly fine. Get the oil change on time, clean the filters and water separator, make sure the tappets are accurate and don't use the ground water in radiator, it could run fine for decades.
Enjoyed watching this video. My dad was a lobster fisherman and in the 1970'2 had a Lister powered 26ft inshore fishing boat. It was the 2 cylinder version and we hand cranked it witht he compression off until we had enough speed at the hand crank. It would run all day to haul up 300 lobster traps and then get us back to the wharf. It never skipped a beat. Cheers from Nova Scotia Canada.
I had a 30tonne 72ft rivetted steel narrowboat built in 1936. At some point in its life it had a Lister HR2 installed because thats what I used to steer it in and around London. I love the sound of those 2 pots especially when theyre idling and your exhaust points out at the concrete bank of the canal, you get some really great reverberations going! I never knew anything about engines at the time but went on a quick weekend course with an amazing guy called Keith Duffy and after realisign how simple these engines were, felt so proud to be able to service it myself. So many good memories from living nomadically for 7 years on a floating home :) Thanks for sharing this video. Beautiful engines.
Oh and the only time I had an issue with this engine (it was flaming out the exhaust) - I checked my prop and I had a mattress caught around it. Took that off, let the engine cool down and it kept on going for the rest of the day no problemo.
I used to deliver degreaser 10ton at a time to Lister diesels in the 80’s on the back of my Leyland truck,still thousands of Lister diesels powering canal boats in the UK.As I cruise my canal boat all summer in England 🏴 I see them every day,as for my boat I have a Yanmar slightly more refined 😂 brilliant video sir keep them coming.
I’m a boatman in the UK and we had an old ex Royal Navy cheverton work boat with the lister 3 cylinder in it, a fine engine but a bugger to start! Unfortunately the starters were low down and would get damaged with bilge water so the starting handle would be used… hard work if you didn’t have the knack! If you Google the paddle steamer Waverley you will see she’s a small coastal ship built in the 40s… both her paddles operate at the same time so she’s not very manoeuvrable so our little boat would push the bow around for her which it did just fine… so for a small low hp diesel they get the job done! We sold it but The boat is still local with the original engine and is still giving great service… ironically she’s only about 20 miles from the lister factory in Dursley, Gloucesters in the UK.
I’m originally from Newfoundland. In the 1960’s all the fisherman had these motors in the small boats, 30-40’. Often the motor is in the middle of the boat, or the stern. When you travel to different “outports” these small boats chug out to the ship with cargo, people getting moved back and forth. What stands out in my mind is the sound of the boats as they travel. It’s distinct and memorable. Some of the most scenic places in the world, and up until the seventies most inter coastal travel was in boats powered with these motors. I’ve always had a special place for these motors, and I’m thinking I might acquire one to use for emergency power generation in my home here on the mainland North America, I can’t imagine what the suburbanites will think when I fire one of these things up. Who’s knows, what’s old is new again.
Wonderful work, my late father had a business using these engines for the longest time ever however they are so reliable and i miss him but i still use and maintain this engines, LORD bless every one in the channel great job indeed.........
The cylinder with the valve that the fuel flows through is called a Fuel Sentinel. Its a safety shutdown. On this engine it monitors oil pressure, that why there's an oil pressure line plumb to it. If it loses oil pressure its shuts the fuel off. I think if I remember right you have to reset it every time you start the engine. The oil field put them on all there stationary engines. I really like those old diesels before computers. You could always get them running usually. Nowadays there's an electronic controller or module on everything and your screwed when it goes.
In my younger days when I work in the shearing sheds here in Australia, most of the engines that run the shearing gear where the Lister motors there bullet-proof they last forever, that’s one thing the British did well, building small diesel motors, gardeners ,Perkins ,and listers to name just a few, Nice to see those engine running.
In early 60's had 2 cyl lister hooked to a 5 kw generator. I remember small oil cups by compression levers for cold start priming and a Lever on the same side but below the cylinder head . Up for run, sideways for start, also sideways and hold down to stop.. winters in Alaska we would drain oil while still warm and keep on back of stove to keep warm for next time we started. No luxury of electric starter, hand cranked.
I had to go to a mountain top communications site in the middle of the winter where we had to carry a small generator to run a heater to warm the Lister generator. We were able to hand crank it to start it.
I remember seeing one of those that came off of a tugboat that was direct current generator of some kind I forget the voltage and it had those levers I believe they were on the head or the valve cover
Hi . in the 60's ,i had several Lister Petters engines, the crank pulley had a notch cut out of it, Wrap a rope around it, bounce around the compression stroke, by pulling and releasing Two /Thee times, One big pull when the compression was found started every time, used the decompressors to stop the engine. fantastic reliable engine. leave the pump lever in run position
Those little listers make hella nice genset engines, they've got enough grunt and download torque that they can handle quite a large genset compared to most engines that size. Here in Springfield Kentucky there are a couple of local businesses that still use old Lister engines for backup generators.
Good work in getting both going, mate! I know both belched out clouds of smoke to start with, but both soon settled down with pretty clean exhausts - which suggests to me that you have good compression, meaning that the bores, pistons, rings and valves are all sealing properly. As for their use; those Listers were built to last pretty near forever, so a job like powering an irrigation pump, running day in, day out, for years on end is exactly what they were built for. As WidowUK says, below; keep an eye on oil levels, change the oil as required, and keep the filters clean, and the beggars will still be going strong when you and me are both dead and buried!
The know you saw at the start is for starting. Pull it up and it lets the fuel rack go full open. The governor resets the knob when it starts. I worked on Lister Diesels in the oil patch for years. I may have worked on that actual 2 cylinder
We had a Lister powered mobile work platform where I worked and watching this the memories came flooding back. It was single mated up to a three speed box and it was a beast to operate, it never let you down.
That button you lifted up is the cold start button for excess fuel, you only really need the decompressors for hand starting or if you have a weak battery, have had several on boats and ships, very reliable and use hardly any fuel. Great to see them running. The handle goes on the crank or for confined spaces it can be mounted above the rocker covers via a chain and sprocket, when in good condition they start easy even on bitter cold days.
Those Listers are real heavy duty engines. We had a bunch of em when I worked in the oil field. I worked on derrick barges offshore and there was always a little hand cranked one cylinder lister engine driving an air compressor somewhere down in the bowels of the barge. That would be how you start the barge if there was no power, compressed air or anything else. Those round things with the spring loaded twist lever on it is called a Fuel Sentinel. It cuts the fuel in case it loses oil pressure. To start the engine you have to rotate that lever to open the fuel valve, after the oil pressure comes up, the lever will flip back with the spring, but the oil pressure will keep the valve open. I have never seen one fail, but I'm sure that they do. The only bad thing I can say about Listers, its a b-word to set the timing on the injector pumps. You have to install or remove shims under the pumps to get them set right. Other than that, they are very easy to rebuild or repair. They are solid and long lasting.
I am currently using a ts3 lister air cooled engine, powering a 20kw generator. Currently using it in my small woodworking factory. I converted it to a soundproof generator. Works efficiently.
Enjoyed you video very much. I have a couple of old Listers myself and I love their reliability, durability, and , most of all, the way they sound! I live in hurricane country, so I made one of mine into a generator set and it has given my many hours of trouble free power . Thanks again for your most enjoyable video
On the 2 cyl you we're running on the fuel left in fuel lines and pump on cyl 1. The starter is either 24v or 12v and your battery is discharged as the starter should turn it over no problem on full compression a lot faster than it did with the decompressors on. Right at the start you could hear the injector creaking when you first tried the starter. If you hear the creak most likely it will fire on the first compression. You need to get your fuel system to run freely, change the filters and bleed the fuel system properly. These engines will idle way below 500 rpm. As stated in other posts these engines are bomb proof.
I noticed that as well, only running one cylinder. Amazed it even started without purging the complete system! When I worked at UK Plant, we had one idle at 80 rpm but didn't keep it there as oil pressure 'disappeared' Flywheels are HEAVY pieces of cast iron. .
@@RichBurn They will go a lot lower but the small ends don't get any oil and can seize. It's kinda how you see how 'good' engine is but don't leave it there too long
Greetings, I have a Lister HR3 like your 3 cylinder engine coupled to a 25 KVA Generator as a dairy farm stand-by generator. I installed it in 1978, it's done over 2,000 hours and have had no trouble with it. You do need to be careful when bleeding injectors, the fuel falls down in to the sump to mix with and thin the oil! (25 Kva at 1500 RPM for Europe 50Hz but would produce 33 Kva for U.S. at 60Hz) Lovely engine and now becoming a collector's piece!
Can I ask you a few questions? Ive also got an HR3. How much HP exactly are the HR3? I've got a 31kva @ 1500rpm/ 37kva @ 1800 RPM genhead that ill be attaching to it. Also, are there any tachometer kits available for these engines?
We sold 3 cylinder Lister engines in the 1960s they also had a compression release and a hand crank to spin them up. Then when you could stop cranking and close the release and it would start. We used them to power a hydraulic pump on smaller log loaders with a capacity of 8,000-10,000#.
Good work Brother. I am a Retired Diesel Mechanic and those Diesel engines have quite a lot of torque and they have meany of great uses 😀 👍 keep up the good work Brother and always remember those hose clamps lol I've forgotten a few in my long life career of being a Mechanic I actually was Diesel and a Gas Mechanic and worked on a wide variety of equipment most will a lot of big trucks busses Moterhomes ftractor of all kinds cars lawn care equipment good Lord you name it even a little bit of Air plane not a hole lot but enough to no the basics of aviation lol my Job I Retired from we worked on a lot 9f stuff fire trucks trucks All the CDC Preson busses for California good Lord the list goes on l again good job well done.👍👍🏁🏁🏁
I've known these Listers from Childhood, my dad have like four of it, one (1) Cylinder and three (3) cylinders, he prolly uses them power his band saws and table saw machines in his timber shop.
Two old sr listers they are bullet proof little engine I have one in a boat and one on my 10kva generator that’s now converted to a modern day start o matic. Both engines have a lot of hours on them but lister engines was over engineered and as long as you change the fuel filter and oil and pull the wire gauze filter in sump/pan going it through the lower side cover they have no issues. How ever if you have to set them up after a piston failure the barrels are set up on shims and the easy way is use some solder placed on top of the piston at dtc the solder flattens down giving you the gap size for compression ratio just remove or add a shim to the bottom of the barrel to adjust it, they also don’t have a head gasket on the sr model. There designed to be serviced in the field and put straight back in to action.
Great video! I have a Lister HB3 in my narrowboat. starts every time off the key and has a raised hand start. It does search though when cold, high and low revs.
Here in the UK the lister engine's are used to power narrow boats on canals and rivers, a norrow boat is up to 70 feet long 7 feet wide and can weigh upto 30ish tons if they are used for cargo, at a speed of about 3 mph.
Worked in Colombia when they were in a drought and were rationing power every day. The Lister generators were very popular and easy to maintain. They come with this very simple tool kit with just a few wrenches that allow you to disassemble them and change parts. Of course they are not licensed for permanent installation here because they don't meet our more stringent EPA guidelines. But if you're out in the woods somewhere I don't think you can do any better for a reliable power source.
that 3 cyl one we actually had that one in a bedford 3t dumper and they were awesome to drive and had massive amounts of torque it litrally pulled a 10t cement truck from being bogged. from the looks of it ours was slightly different configeration since this one we used had a turbo and a mechanical pump but is the same block.
My granda had a hand cranked Lister with a 240 generator for the house lights. It was stopped by switching off the last light before bed! I loved the big wooshing sound of it shutting down!
Used to have the 3 cylinder on a trailer as a donkey it drove the hydraulics for a 45 ton meter crane we used to run it pretty hard at quite high revs and it saw very little maintenance the only time it ever let me down was due to wiring issues because it was exposed in all weathers on the back of the trailer
We used these to drive air pumps on vacuum pressure tankers. Bulletproof units just serviced them. One fractured a fuel pipe to the Injector and filled the sump with diesel which diluted the oil, the engine started to run on that mix and ran away (High Speed uncontrollable) we ran away as well as there is no way of stopping the engine unless you blocked the air inlet. It consumed the fuel oil mix until the level dropped sufficiently for it to slow down and stop. It could have put a con rod through the block and that would hurt buried in one’s head. We just changed oil filters adjusted valves did the belts looked after the air filters and all good. That was 35/40 years ago.
Quite a few decades ago, I worked at a rental yard, that had 3 old Lister engine generators. One was a 3 cylinder, the other two were 2 cylinders. Nary a starter on the whole bunch. I liked starting them up, every week or so. Yes, that flywheel is MASSIVE! You need to try every cylinder by itself, to see if all of them are running. Either of those engines should run on a single cylinder. steve
Nice Lister diesel engines, Very reliable machines. They would be great for a standby generator or waterpump. I have a Lister HA4 diesel connected to a 25 kVA alternator for standby power at home. The alternator is currently at the rewinders as I had a flashover between 2 phases at 400 Volts.
As a kid growing up I built these engines I still have about 10 of them in my yard I see a lot of people in America do the same as you on all engines, you must never open injector pipes on the injection pump it only slows down the bleeding process and roast the starter motor , only open on injector side of pipes
These Lister engines were probably made at the Large Lister factory which had for generations been just outside Swindon UK, I drove past the place many times, but eventually it closed and the place became a large housing estate.
This channel is just pure fun. Love it! Just as well diesel is not as flammable as gasoline - shouldn't be a problem I just about choked on my morning coffee. I love the way you got both running without spending hardly a zack. Just fuel and oil essentials
The rig I worked on had one for cold starts. It was hooked to a little air compressor. Literally crank it up and build air pressure until you had enough to start a generator, pneumatic starters.
Since it's a Lister it probably takes a lot of oil. In an oil field application where it could run for a good 24 hours between checks I can see it easily taking five gallons of oil. They have special extra capacity oil pans as a common selection.
Fantastic video, tons of fun. I’d love one of these for emergency power generation. I will eventually find one for my retirement house in rural Canada.
I’ll have to find me one of them, looks perfect for a project I’ve been wanting to do: a hydraulic-powered shop. Drill press, lathe, band-saw, etc all powered by a Diesel engine running a hydraulic pump, shop is plumbed and each machine has a hydraulic motor in place of their electric motor. Great option for an off-grid shop, or one where you can’t get 3-phase .
You could even do a line shaft like they used to do with flat belts. Probably would be a bit more efficient without heating up the hydraulic fluid, but positioning the equipment would be tricky.
I've had several Listers. They're great engines for off-grid/prepping. In fact, I'd say a Lister should be the first choice. Hand-crank if you're a prepper. Keep in mind, it needs to be maintained and you might need to fix it at some point. How well is that gonna go with a modern engine? Listers are just big Meccano with hardly anything to go wrong. No electronic injection, no sensors to malfunction. They'll run on whatever oil ya chuck in the tank, unlike a modern engine. They love a bit of wood-gas too. Makes 'em run smoother and quieter. Apart from being damn big and heavy, they are very easy to work on. Many spares are still available, at least in UK. There does seem to be a couple of manufactures making new gaskets, pistons/rings etc. Listers have a following here, with an owners club. Pretty sure somebody is still making Lister clones out of India too. Personally, I think such motors are going to become quite valuable in the not-so-distant future.
I know very little, the water separator is probably a Murphy hooked to oil pressure, I think they might be called a sentinel. They are loud and shake everything to pieces.
Cool stuff man. I've always been mechanically inclined and love working on stuff. Diesel is new to me and still learning it, especially old school. Systems that are old but work. I can't say I've ever seen these before. Definitely make a reliable engine for a generator or perhaps a tractor
I worked on those for about 8 years, amazed you got either running without purging air from the system. They should gravity feed without needing an electric fuel pump. There will be provision for a lift pump somewhere if it isn't a gravity feed. Fitting new filters may 'cure' the problems Hand cranking was a two man job though, one turning crank, the other ready to flip de-compressor levers. 'We' would have machines sitting in yard in all weathers, sometimes for years but they always started with minimal work. (although when really cold we sometimes used propane or oxy/ acetylene to warm up the intake air. Connect them to a generator or pump, they are probably more fuel efficient than a lot of more powerful newer motors and will run 24/7 for months or years at a time (changing oil on running engines is 'interesting') Looks like they have not been worked hard, probably need to be loaded down for an 'instant de-coke' I actually preferred the Lister's to the Deutz or Hatz multi cylinder The 50HP Deutz worked fine but did need periodic re-builds plus I remember lift pumps failing a couple of times (once on a compressor that had something to do with a tunnel boring machine, rental price £50,000 an hour)
Ive got a Lister TS3 mounted with a Quincy 390 pump. Runs fine with no load at any rpm. When you put load on it(close air tank valves and pump starts making pressure ) it goes slower and slower until it dies. Thinking its starving for fuel but its gravity feed with new filter. Does that mean the individual pumps are going bad or something else?
@@RichBurn Probably best place to start is get injectors tested. It's pretty simple and uses a 'hand pump' (although it does go to about 5,000psi) You find them at any diesel repair place and most boatyards. The pop off around 3,000 psi. The pump could be worn or not timed right as well, messing with governors is incredibly common by people wanting more rpm or power but not knowing what they are doing
@@1crazypj Mine has individual pumps per cylinder each going to their own injector. gravity fed from tank to filter and then pumps. They are bryce pumps. It runs great until i close the tank and it starts making air pressure . doesnt seem to have a governor. just an on off switch that cuts fuel and a variable throttle control that runs off pneumatics. But its not even moving or up to the cutoff by the time it starts to slow down. How do i even check compression on one of these?
@@1crazypj so are you saying to test the injectors themselves or the pumps? Its like if you could start your diesel truck and idle it and rev it in neutral for as long as you want but when you put it in drive and started going around the block you wouldnt make it back home. best explanation I got of the symptoms.
@@RichBurn The injectors are real easy to remove so they easiest first test. You can take the pumps along as well if you want but once injectors are tested you just connect them to fuel delivery pipe and crank engine (pipe will swivel around so you can see whats happening) If the spray pattern looks good just button things up. Have you had the injectors out to clean them?
These Motors are ideal for Boats! They are known to be reliable which is what you want on a river Boat or Narrow Boat. Long-stroke gives loads of Grunt. Nice one, thanks for the Video.
You have a Lister HR2 and a Lister HR3, the 2 cylinder is firing on both but the 3 is only on 2 cylinders. The pump bleeds are the small 7/16AF spanner size fitting with a screwdriver slot just above the pipe banjo you were undoing to bleed it from. If your HR3 does not start firing on 3 I'd have a look the delivery valve in the injection pump to see if it's stuck open, I'm sure you can download a Workshop Manual from the internet if you want. As a time served Lister engineer you made me laugh with some of your comments, the HR3 will make a great saw mill engine and the HR2 a great home standby generator engine, good luck
I put a 2cyl detroit from the 60s on my chipper that I found at the scrap yard. Bought it from them took it home and it fired right up it runs amazing and chips everything I put in it.
Just found the channel and absolutely love it Me and my mates do things like you and I have my own graveyard of stuff that I can’t bring myself to throw out and make interesting things Gday from Australia 🇦🇺
Definitely need to find a couple of generator heads for these. As easily as they both started once you got fuel up, I would bet they have a LOT of life left in them. That 3 cyl. at 44 hp. should handle a 15-20 kw. generator easily!😄👍👍
I haven't had a chance to catch up with your videos until lately, but i always learn so much from your content. I recently picked up a 100k mile '88 Jeep Comanche Pioneer. 4x4 Renix. Just can't beat the simplicity of an old Jeep. I'm envious of how everything you work on seems to have almost no rust. Not the way it works here in Kentucky ! 😂
I used to own a 16 foot heavy clinker boat with a single cylinder air cooled Lister that was made lord only knows when and in all the time I owned her she never let me down once ,but the engine was that simple it was almost perfect I mean there was no starter motor to worry about ,no alternator, no battery, just a quick swing on the starting handle and drop the compression lever and off she would go ,and being air cooled there was no heat exchanger or water pump to get blocked and you could run her all day on a gallon of diesel. They were a well designed tough engine that required the minimum of maintenance would keep going on forever
I worked at Listers (Dursley) more than 50 years ago making these engines. They will run forever given minimal maintenance fuel and oil. Excellent for genny's, pumps, small inboard marine applications. Almost unbreakable. Listers water cooled CS (cold start) diesels have been made for 90 years to pretty much the same design, 45 years in England and ever since copied in India and Iran.
Yall did a fine job, they are great engines.
Hi I came to Dursley a couple of times to bring my HRW 6 to be re built, I also had half a dozen fifteen horse marine engines, sw 2 ? maybe. Then I built a 36 ft lobster boat. I wanted a 6LXB Gardner, but I went foe a JW 137 hp Lister as it was £3000 cheaper. It ran like a clock, but was a lot thirstier than the Gardner would have been. No complaints. I was warned, the foundry is mainly women, dont go in there you wont come out with your trousers on. I didnt check it out cheers.
Yo los reparaba esos motores lister,atravez de Sánchez y cía Venezuela y conocí un representante inglés de la Marca,de apellido Ruesa ,años 75 78 en aquellos años se usaban mucho en el campo,muy buenos motores , saludos 😊
@colddiesel Absolutely sir, i am from India state Punjab as we have been using the single cylinder 16hp long stroke (with dual flywheel on both sides) diesel engine for bore well water pump from 1988 to 2007. We shifted to submersible pump in 2007 but still we used this engine on 12 KW generator. The engine haulage was done back in 2007 as till that day the crank, connecting rod was 100% but water galleries were filled with rusty water and particles. With new piston and rings as well as new plunger with few other parts for FIP too were installed. We installed the radiator as we used ground water previously. Somehow we managed to match the rpm with generator as the engine runs fine at @1200-1400 rpm but gen needs 1500 rpm. The small stroke lister peter model of 15hp run fine @1500-1700 rpm. On submersible motor we use it sometimes during power cuts in the fields and its working perfectly fine. Get the oil change on time, clean the filters and water separator, make sure the tappets are accurate and don't use the ground water in radiator, it could run fine for decades.
My only issue is they hid so much of the fuel system within the engine's casing. But otherwise incredible engines.
Outstanding! Converting diesel into noise, without the side effect of power.
Nicely done.
Nice sarcasm 😏
Enjoyed watching this video. My dad was a lobster fisherman and in the 1970'2 had a Lister powered 26ft inshore fishing boat. It was the 2 cylinder version and we hand cranked it witht he compression off until we had enough speed at the hand crank. It would run all day to haul up 300 lobster traps and then get us back to the wharf. It never skipped a beat. Cheers from Nova Scotia Canada.
They were popular here in Newfoundland too, they replaced a lot of Acadia and Atlantic make 'n breaks.
My father bought one 3 piston in 1976
.I am trying to have it repaired
I had a 30tonne 72ft rivetted steel narrowboat built in 1936. At some point in its life it had a Lister HR2 installed because thats what I used to steer it in and around London. I love the sound of those 2 pots especially when theyre idling and your exhaust points out at the concrete bank of the canal, you get some really great reverberations going! I never knew anything about engines at the time but went on a quick weekend course with an amazing guy called Keith Duffy and after realisign how simple these engines were, felt so proud to be able to service it myself. So many good memories from living nomadically for 7 years on a floating home :) Thanks for sharing this video. Beautiful engines.
Oh and the only time I had an issue with this engine (it was flaming out the exhaust) - I checked my prop and I had a mattress caught around it. Took that off, let the engine cool down and it kept on going for the rest of the day no problemo.
I used to deliver degreaser 10ton at a time to Lister diesels in the 80’s on the back of my Leyland truck,still thousands of Lister diesels powering canal boats in the UK.As I cruise my canal boat all summer in England 🏴 I see them every day,as for my boat I have a Yanmar slightly more refined 😂 brilliant video sir keep them coming.
I’m a boatman in the UK and we had an old ex Royal Navy cheverton work boat with the lister 3 cylinder in it, a fine engine but a bugger to start! Unfortunately the starters were low down and would get damaged with bilge water so the starting handle would be used… hard work if you didn’t have the knack!
If you Google the paddle steamer Waverley you will see she’s a small coastal ship built in the 40s… both her paddles operate at the same time so she’s not very manoeuvrable so our little boat would push the bow around for her which it did just fine… so for a small low hp diesel they get the job done!
We sold it but The boat is still local with the original engine and is still giving great service… ironically she’s only about 20 miles from the lister factory in Dursley, Gloucesters in the UK.
I’m originally from Newfoundland. In the 1960’s all the fisherman had these motors in the small boats, 30-40’. Often the motor is in the middle of the boat, or the stern. When you travel to different “outports” these small boats chug out to the ship with cargo, people getting moved back and forth. What stands out in my mind is the sound of the boats as they travel. It’s distinct and memorable.
Some of the most scenic places in the world, and up until the seventies most inter coastal travel was in boats powered with these motors. I’ve always had a special place for these motors, and I’m thinking I might acquire one to use for emergency power generation in my home here on the mainland North America, I can’t imagine what the suburbanites will think when I fire one of these things up.
Who’s knows, what’s old is new again.
Mechanical beauty, no electronics around these engines.
Wonderful work, my late father had a business using these engines for the longest time ever however they are so reliable and i miss him but i still use and maintain this engines, LORD bless every one in the channel great job indeed.........
The cylinder with the valve that the fuel flows through is called a Fuel Sentinel. Its a safety shutdown. On this engine it monitors oil pressure, that why there's an oil pressure line plumb to it. If it loses oil pressure its shuts the fuel off. I think if I remember right you have to reset it every time you start the engine. The oil field put them on all there stationary engines. I really like those old diesels before computers. You could always get them running usually. Nowadays there's an electronic controller or module on everything and your screwed when it goes.
In my younger days when I work in the shearing sheds here in Australia, most of the engines that run the shearing gear where the Lister motors there bullet-proof they last forever, that’s one thing the British did well, building small diesel motors, gardeners ,Perkins ,and listers to name just a few, Nice to see those engine running.
As long as they stay away from wiring 😀 here is an old joke:
Why do the English drink warm beer? Because their refrigerator was wired by Lucas
Yep ,had a single cyl,air cooled,lister,6hp in a chevington champ work boat,kept running for years.
@@juliogonzo2718 the Prince of darkness
@@juliogonzo2718 Poor wiring especially bullet connectors helped to kill British motorbikes.
Often coupled to a Dunlite generator and sometimes a Dunlite wind generator both made here in Adelaide.
Had those 2cyl Listers on a genset.Ran it ten hours a day 365 for about ten years.Most reliable engines ever made.
Whoah, those are impressive numbers. 35k+ hours is a lot for any high speed diesel.
I love the sound of an old engine barking fire again.I've got 2 British seagull outboard motors from the 50s. Beautiful things
Love the casual nature of these explanations and commentary within the videos, trying to cover up exceptional competence, knowledge and expertise!
In early 60's had 2 cyl lister hooked to a 5 kw generator. I remember small oil cups by compression levers for cold start priming and a Lever on the same side but below the cylinder head . Up for run, sideways for start, also sideways and hold down to stop.. winters in Alaska we would drain oil while still warm and keep on back of stove to keep warm for next time we started. No luxury of electric starter, hand cranked.
Neat story, thanks for sharing..
I had to go to a mountain top communications site in the middle of the winter where we had to carry a small generator to run a heater to warm the Lister generator. We were able to hand crank it to start it.
I remember seeing one of those that came off of a tugboat that was direct current generator of some kind I forget the voltage and it had those levers I believe they were on the head or the valve cover
29 hp would be good for about 15 KW. We have one that runs very cheep.
Hi . in the 60's ,i had several Lister Petters engines, the crank pulley had a notch cut out of it, Wrap a rope around it, bounce around the compression stroke, by pulling and releasing Two /Thee times, One big pull when the compression was found started every time, used the decompressors to stop the engine. fantastic reliable engine. leave the pump lever in run position
Those little listers make hella nice genset engines, they've got enough grunt and download torque that they can handle quite a large genset compared to most engines that size. Here in Springfield Kentucky there are a couple of local businesses that still use old Lister engines for backup generators.
The make brilliant welding sets, a nice stable arc thudding away, better than the Lincolns.
Good work in getting both going, mate! I know both belched out clouds of smoke to start with, but both soon settled down with pretty clean exhausts - which suggests to me that you have good compression, meaning that the bores, pistons, rings and valves are all sealing properly.
As for their use; those Listers were built to last pretty near forever, so a job like powering an irrigation pump, running day in, day out, for years on end is exactly what they were built for. As WidowUK says, below; keep an eye on oil levels, change the oil as required, and keep the filters clean, and the beggars will still be going strong when you and me are both dead and buried!
The know you saw at the start is for starting. Pull it up and it lets the fuel rack go full open. The governor resets the knob when it starts.
I worked on Lister Diesels in the oil patch for years. I may have worked on that actual 2 cylinder
"Knob"....
Thanks for the info, I'll try the knob next time I fire one up. Would be neat if you actually had worked on one of these.
those Lister engines go on for ever i love the sound of them just look after them and they will be there in 100 years time thanks for the video
We had a Lister powered mobile work platform where I worked and watching this the memories came flooding back. It was single mated up to a three speed box and it was a beast to operate, it never let you down.
Those engines make the best generator engines ever. They can run all week no problem.
I second that.
Solar panels don’t use fuel.
@@andydelarue9344 Solar panels don't make anywhere near the power and don't make any all night.
That button you lifted up is the cold start button for excess fuel, you only really need the decompressors for hand starting or if you have a weak battery, have had several on boats and ships, very reliable and use hardly any fuel. Great to see them running. The handle goes on the crank or for confined spaces it can be mounted above the rocker covers via a chain and sprocket, when in good condition they start easy even on bitter cold days.
Those Listers are real heavy duty engines. We had a bunch of em when I worked in the oil field. I worked on derrick barges offshore and there was always a little hand cranked one cylinder lister engine driving an air compressor somewhere down in the bowels of the barge. That would be how you start the barge if there was no power, compressed air or anything else. Those round things with the spring loaded twist lever on it is called a Fuel Sentinel. It cuts the fuel in case it loses oil pressure. To start the engine you have to rotate that lever to open the fuel valve, after the oil pressure comes up, the lever will flip back with the spring, but the oil pressure will keep the valve open. I have never seen one fail, but I'm sure that they do. The only bad thing I can say about Listers, its a b-word to set the timing on the injector pumps. You have to install or remove shims under the pumps to get them set right. Other than that, they are very easy to rebuild or repair. They are solid and long lasting.
Pretty cool. It would be awesome to see a jeep chugging along with one of these diesel engines 😃
I love bringing old engines back to life!
I am currently using a ts3 lister air cooled engine, powering a 20kw generator. Currently using it in my small woodworking factory. I converted it to a soundproof generator. Works efficiently.
Enjoyed you video very much. I have a couple of old Listers myself and I love their reliability, durability, and , most of all, the way they sound! I live in hurricane country, so I made one of mine into a generator set and it has given my many hours of trouble free power . Thanks again for your most enjoyable video
On the 2 cyl you we're running on the fuel left in fuel lines and pump on cyl 1. The starter is either 24v or 12v and your battery is discharged as the starter should turn it over no problem on full compression a lot faster than it did with the decompressors on. Right at the start you could hear the injector creaking when you first tried the starter. If you hear the creak most likely it will fire on the first compression. You need to get your fuel system to run freely, change the filters and bleed the fuel system properly. These engines will idle way below 500 rpm. As stated in other posts these engines are bomb proof.
I noticed that as well, only running one cylinder.
Amazed it even started without purging the complete system!
When I worked at UK Plant, we had one idle at 80 rpm but didn't keep it there as oil pressure 'disappeared'
Flywheels are HEAVY pieces of cast iron.
.
for my Lister TS it says 850 is minimum rpm
@@RichBurn They will go a lot lower but the small ends don't get any oil and can seize. It's kinda how you see how 'good' engine is but don't leave it there too long
Your deadpan delivery in your commentary is great. Clearly sarcastic but straight faced. I’m a new subscriber and glad I did.
Thank you, and welcome aboard!
When I worked in West Africa we used Lister motoers to run water pumps and generators.
Greetings,
I have a Lister HR3 like your 3 cylinder engine coupled to a 25 KVA Generator as a dairy farm stand-by generator. I installed it in 1978, it's done over 2,000 hours and have had no trouble with it. You do need to be careful when bleeding injectors, the fuel falls down in to the sump to mix with and thin the oil!
(25 Kva at 1500 RPM for Europe 50Hz but would produce 33 Kva for U.S. at 60Hz)
Lovely engine and now becoming a collector's piece!
Can I ask you a few questions? Ive also got an HR3. How much HP exactly are the HR3? I've got a 31kva @ 1500rpm/ 37kva @ 1800 RPM genhead that ill be attaching to it. Also, are there any tachometer kits available for these engines?
I’ve the older ld2 version in my forklift . Starting handle start and super reliable . Lovely engines like all Lister products .
Great engines worked on them for years and the lister Blackstone range.
We sold 3 cylinder Lister engines in the 1960s they also had a compression release and a hand crank to spin them up. Then when you could stop cranking and close the release and it would start. We used them to power a hydraulic pump on smaller log loaders with a capacity of 8,000-10,000#.
Listers were commonly used in ship's lifeboats - I've worked on many in my time at sea. Easy to maintain, easy to start - ran like clockwork.
Good work Brother. I am a Retired Diesel Mechanic and those Diesel engines have quite a lot of torque and they have meany of great uses 😀 👍 keep up the good work Brother and always remember those hose clamps lol I've forgotten a few in my long life career of being a Mechanic I actually was Diesel and a Gas Mechanic and worked on a wide variety of equipment most will a lot of big trucks busses Moterhomes ftractor of all kinds cars lawn care equipment good Lord you name it even a little bit of Air plane not a hole lot but enough to no the basics of aviation lol my Job I Retired from we worked on a lot 9f stuff fire trucks trucks All the CDC Preson busses for California good Lord the list goes on l again good job well done.👍👍🏁🏁🏁
I've known these Listers from Childhood, my dad have like four of it, one (1) Cylinder and three (3) cylinders, he prolly uses them power his band saws and table saw machines in his timber shop.
I'm not a diesel mechanic or anything. I just stumbled onto this video for something to watch.. Pretty entertaining video i must say. Good job !.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
This channel gets better and better 👍
Thank you!
The amount of engines available is just amazing. You need to know the right people. Good luck and peace.
Had fun watching this. Brings a lot of memories when i was a kid. We used to have a lot of lister engines back home.
Two old sr listers they are bullet proof little engine I have one in a boat and one on my 10kva generator that’s now converted to a modern day start o matic. Both engines have a lot of hours on them but lister engines was over engineered and as long as you change the fuel filter and oil and pull the wire gauze filter in sump/pan going it through the lower side cover they have no issues. How ever if you have to set them up after a piston failure the barrels are set up on shims and the easy way is use some solder placed on top of the piston at dtc the solder flattens down giving you the gap size for compression ratio just remove or add a shim to the bottom of the barrel to adjust it, they also don’t have a head gasket on the sr model. There designed to be serviced in the field and put straight back in to action.
Great video! I have a Lister HB3 in my narrowboat. starts every time off the key and has a raised hand start. It does search though when cold, high and low revs.
Here in the UK the lister engine's are used to power narrow boats on canals and rivers, a norrow boat is up to 70 feet long 7 feet wide and can weigh upto 30ish tons if they are used for cargo, at a speed of about 3 mph.
Worked in Colombia when they were in a drought and were rationing power every day. The Lister generators were very popular and easy to maintain. They come with this very simple tool kit with just a few wrenches that allow you to disassemble them and change parts. Of course they are not licensed for permanent installation here because they don't meet our more stringent EPA guidelines. But if you're out in the woods somewhere I don't think you can do any better for a reliable power source.
I think solar panels are also a great option
Yeah, they want to preserve the environment so they can grow more cocaine.
that 3 cyl one we actually had that one in a bedford 3t dumper and they were awesome to drive and had massive amounts of torque it litrally pulled a 10t cement truck from being bogged. from the looks of it ours was slightly different configeration since this one we used had a turbo and a mechanical pump but is the same block.
I used to work on them at UK Plant usually overloaded by contractors to as much as they could get in bucket, up to 5 tons sometimes
A place I worked at had two of these on mountain top communications sites and one was always running. They replaced them after about 30 years of use.
Patience is the key to getting these old gems going awesome video thanks.
Glad you liked it!
My granda had a hand cranked Lister with a 240 generator for the house lights. It was stopped by switching off the last light before bed! I loved the big wooshing sound of it shutting down!
One of my guilty pleasures. Love this channel.
Thanks!
Been watching your show for a few yrs now from Liverpool, UK, love what you do, keep up the great content.
These engines may not make a lot of horsepower but, they probably make a LOT of torque. Such an engine is ideal for pumps, generators, etc.
Used to have the 3 cylinder on a trailer as a donkey it drove the hydraulics for a 45 ton meter crane we used to run it pretty hard at quite high revs and it saw very little maintenance the only time it ever let me down was due to wiring issues because it was exposed in all weathers on the back of the trailer
We used these to drive air pumps on vacuum pressure tankers. Bulletproof units just serviced them. One fractured a fuel pipe to the Injector and filled the sump with diesel which diluted the oil, the engine started to run on that mix and ran away (High Speed uncontrollable) we ran away as well as there is no way of stopping the engine unless you blocked the air inlet. It consumed the fuel oil mix until the level dropped sufficiently for it to slow down and stop. It could have put a con rod through the block and that would hurt buried in one’s head. We just changed oil filters adjusted valves did the belts looked after the air filters and all good. That was 35/40 years ago.
Quite a few decades ago, I worked at a
rental yard, that had 3 old Lister engine
generators. One was a 3 cylinder, the
other two were 2 cylinders. Nary a
starter on the whole bunch. I liked
starting them up, every week or so.
Yes, that flywheel is MASSIVE!
You need to try every cylinder by
itself, to see if all of them are running.
Either of those engines should run on
a single cylinder.
steve
Brilliant engines for UK narrow boats.
Am I the only one that thinks this is the voice of the king of the hill guy? Great video!
Nice Lister diesel engines, Very reliable machines. They would be great for a standby generator or waterpump. I have a Lister HA4 diesel connected to a 25 kVA alternator for standby power at home. The alternator is currently at the rewinders as I had a flashover between 2 phases at 400 Volts.
As a kid growing up I built these engines I still have about 10 of them in my yard I see a lot of people in America do the same as you on all engines, you must never open injector pipes on the injection pump it only slows down the bleeding process and roast the starter motor , only open on injector side of pipes
❤ the videos and your ability to use what you have around the garage 👍
Great job my friend, I wish you success, I love these engines so much
I liked your tips at the end. 👍
Thanks, I almost didn't video that part, but I'm glad I did!
My dad love the lister engines and those engines would be good in a small boat or houseboat
These Lister engines were probably made at the Large Lister factory which had for generations been just outside Swindon UK, I drove past the place many times, but eventually it closed and the place became a large housing estate.
I had the SR2 on my canal narrowboat. It would runs for hours noisy as hell, but great in the winter as the hot air covered me.
Those Lister engines are works of art, they run for years.
This channel is just pure fun. Love it! Just as well diesel is not as flammable as gasoline - shouldn't be a problem I just about choked on my morning coffee. I love the way you got both running without spending hardly a zack. Just fuel and oil essentials
Thank you, glad you like it!
The rig I worked on had one for cold starts. It was hooked to a little air compressor. Literally crank it up and build air pressure until you had enough to start a generator, pneumatic starters.
Wow! Would love to hear one of those! Hope the mud is nice in wagonwheel this weekend.
Definite win! --It might make a good stationary motor. Sure looks heavy. --You do cool videos.
Since it's a Lister it probably takes a lot of oil. In an oil field application where it could run for a good 24 hours between checks I can see it easily taking five gallons of oil. They have special extra capacity oil pans as a common selection.
Had one of these in my Cornish oak constructed Sand Barge, in 1973, The "Little Audrey"
Lister engines were made about 20 miles from where i live (UK). Another great vid
Fantastic video, tons of fun. I’d love one of these for emergency power generation. I will eventually find one for my retirement house in rural Canada.
I’ll have to find me one of them, looks perfect for a project I’ve been wanting to do: a hydraulic-powered shop. Drill press, lathe, band-saw, etc all powered by a Diesel engine running a hydraulic pump, shop is plumbed and each machine has a hydraulic motor in place of their electric motor.
Great option for an off-grid shop, or one where you can’t get 3-phase .
You could even do a line shaft like they used to do with flat belts. Probably would be a bit more efficient without heating up the hydraulic fluid, but positioning the equipment would be tricky.
I've had several Listers. They're great engines for off-grid/prepping.
In fact, I'd say a Lister should be the first choice. Hand-crank if you're a prepper.
Keep in mind, it needs to be maintained and you might need to fix it at some point. How well is that gonna go with a modern engine? Listers are just big Meccano with hardly anything to go wrong. No electronic injection, no sensors to malfunction.
They'll run on whatever oil ya chuck in the tank, unlike a modern engine. They love a bit of wood-gas too. Makes 'em run smoother and quieter.
Apart from being damn big and heavy, they are very easy to work on. Many spares are still available, at least in UK. There does seem to be a couple of manufactures making new gaskets, pistons/rings etc. Listers have a following here, with an owners club.
Pretty sure somebody is still making Lister clones out of India too.
Personally, I think such motors are going to become quite valuable in the not-so-distant future.
Interesting and fun video. Got them running. Congrats..
the funniest mechanic and fixer up of things in the world. enjoy the heck out of this channel. so thank you for sharing with us.
Thanks, glad you like it!
I know very little, the water separator is probably a Murphy hooked to oil pressure, I think they might be called a sentinel. They are loud and shake everything to pieces.
You're correct, it is a Sentinel.
👍👌👏 Great boat engines, great forklift engines.
Great FUN! I admire your knowlege and patience. Excellant work / fun.
Brought a smile to my face too see them run ! I actually have a WW2 generator I got running but not generating electricity , 2 cylinder gas engine !
Water pump power source on a farm , bulletproof
Cool stuff man. I've always been mechanically inclined and love working on stuff. Diesel is new to me and still learning it, especially old school. Systems that are old but work. I can't say I've ever seen these before. Definitely make a reliable engine for a generator or perhaps a tractor
Rob from Iowa really enjoy what you do.
You got some nice Lister motors. Treat them better than their previous owner did. That muffler probably had a pipe on the exit side, too.
Great for a pump or a generator.
Plenty of those here in UK.
I have some single cylinder version on my channel.
Great video thank you 🙏
I just found this channel.an I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!!!
Thanks, glad you like it!
I worked on those for about 8 years, amazed you got either running without purging air from the system. They should gravity feed without needing an electric fuel pump. There will be provision for a lift pump somewhere if it isn't a gravity feed. Fitting new filters may 'cure' the problems
Hand cranking was a two man job though, one turning crank, the other ready to flip de-compressor levers.
'We' would have machines sitting in yard in all weathers, sometimes for years but they always started with minimal work. (although when really cold we sometimes used propane or oxy/ acetylene to warm up the intake air.
Connect them to a generator or pump, they are probably more fuel efficient than a lot of more powerful newer motors and will run 24/7 for months or years at a time (changing oil on running engines is 'interesting')
Looks like they have not been worked hard, probably need to be loaded down for an 'instant de-coke'
I actually preferred the Lister's to the Deutz or Hatz multi cylinder
The 50HP Deutz worked fine but did need periodic re-builds plus I remember lift pumps failing a couple of times (once on a compressor that had something to do with a tunnel boring machine, rental price £50,000 an hour)
Ive got a Lister TS3 mounted with a Quincy 390 pump. Runs fine with no load at any rpm. When you put load on it(close air tank valves and pump starts making pressure ) it goes slower and slower until it dies. Thinking its starving for fuel but its gravity feed with new filter. Does that mean the individual pumps are going bad or something else?
@@RichBurn Probably best place to start is get injectors tested. It's pretty simple and uses a 'hand pump' (although it does go to about 5,000psi) You find them at any diesel repair place and most boatyards. The pop off around 3,000 psi. The pump could be worn or not timed right as well, messing with governors is incredibly common by people wanting more rpm or power but not knowing what they are doing
@@1crazypj Mine has individual pumps per cylinder each going to their own injector. gravity fed from tank to filter and then pumps. They are bryce pumps. It runs great until i close the tank and it starts making air pressure . doesnt seem to have a governor. just an on off switch that cuts fuel and a variable throttle control that runs off pneumatics. But its not even moving or up to the cutoff by the time it starts to slow down. How do i even check compression on one of these?
@@1crazypj so are you saying to test the injectors themselves or the pumps? Its like if you could start your diesel truck and idle it and rev it in neutral for as long as you want but when you put it in drive and started going around the block you wouldnt make it back home. best explanation I got of the symptoms.
@@RichBurn The injectors are real easy to remove so they easiest first test. You can take the pumps along as well if you want but once injectors are tested you just connect them to fuel delivery pipe and crank engine (pipe will swivel around so you can see whats happening) If the spray pattern looks good just button things up. Have you had the injectors out to clean them?
These Motors are ideal for Boats! They are known to be reliable which is what you want on a river Boat or Narrow Boat. Long-stroke gives loads of Grunt.
Nice one, thanks for the Video.
holy crap, those weigh more than my FE engine in my '72 ford F250! holy hanna, what a boat anchor
You have a Lister HR2 and a Lister HR3, the 2 cylinder is firing on both but the 3 is only on 2 cylinders. The pump bleeds are the small 7/16AF spanner size fitting with a screwdriver slot just above the pipe banjo you were undoing to bleed it from. If your HR3 does not start firing on 3 I'd have a look the delivery valve in the injection pump to see if it's stuck open, I'm sure you can download a Workshop Manual from the internet if you want. As a time served Lister engineer you made me laugh with some of your comments, the HR3 will make a great saw mill engine and the HR2 a great home standby generator engine, good luck
with the amount of smoke those engines produced, it would keep the mosquitos away....good video! Hope someone has a use for these old gals!
Thanks! Just glad my neighbors weren't home when the cloud went by...
I put a 2cyl detroit from the 60s on my chipper that I found at the scrap yard. Bought it from them took it home and it fired right up it runs amazing and chips everything I put in it.
Just found the channel and absolutely love it
Me and my mates do things like you and I have my own graveyard of stuff that I can’t bring myself to throw out and make interesting things
Gday from Australia 🇦🇺
What you need for that jeep is the little Isuzu diesels for refer trailers
Definitely need to find a couple of generator heads for these. As easily as they both started once you got fuel up, I would bet they have a LOT of life left in them. That 3 cyl. at 44 hp. should handle a 15-20 kw. generator easily!😄👍👍
great chanel love those old engines
I haven't had a chance to catch up with your videos until lately, but i always learn so much from your content. I recently picked up a 100k mile '88 Jeep Comanche Pioneer. 4x4 Renix. Just can't beat the simplicity of an old Jeep. I'm envious of how everything you work on seems to have almost no rust. Not the way it works here in Kentucky ! 😂
Great old motors that's why they used them in the oil patch