Lister CS 6/1 - anyone done this?

Hi,
A picture of my lister below. It’s done 10 years of good work on and off at a camping barn attached to a small generator, with water circulated with a hot water pump though the engine/ exhaust heat exchanger and then a hot water cylinder and one radiator. I’m stripping he down to decarb, and clean her. The crank case breather is all gummed up and she’s blowing all everywhere! Discovered the intake valve didn’t have a cap on all these years and wearing down - will replace. Piston head looks ok.

I’m going electric now - adding solar/ wind and inverter.

What I’d really really like to do it keep the lister - runs on my home made biodiesel [not straight veg oil, please] - as a back up for the battery bank. But...

...this lister is circa 1939, and has no stop solenoid, start motor, but has a glow plug instead of compression valve. Has anyone used/ converted one of these to use as a back up generator?
I can see ways to add a starter motor, and perhaps a relay to light up the glow plug to get her going. however, with no stop solenoid it would keep running! I’ve had a hb2 lister before with a stop solenoid attached. Wondering if I could somewhere fashion something to work...

Still, anyone tried this/ done it/ have suggestions?

I’ve looked at new back up diesel generators...ugh.

If you can find the remains of a proper start-a-matic set you would have all you need to make your engine totally self starting/stopping, the genny has a starting/charging circuit, solenoid and control box, only other thing you would need sort out would be the glow plug.

Looking at the state of your cylinder head it looks like the poor thig hasn't had much services work done, I can't remember seeing a CS with so much sludge on the head, if the crank case is that bad no wonder it's blowing oil everywhere, are you running it hot enough? It's been my experience with people who run combined heat and power sets using the engine to provide hot water that the engine runs too cold and you get carbon issues on the valves and exhaust system.

Thanks for the reply and thoughts. A start-a-matic is a good thought - but finding one in good condition...
Yes, the CS needs a good service. I haven’t a thermostat set up installed, so it will have been taking longer to get up to temperature for sure. I have a temp gauge on the outlet pipe and it does get toasty and hot but takes a while, what with the cold water circulating through a radiator and cold water cylinder. If I set it up and running again, a thermostat would be installed.

So lister back home and being dismantled for cleaning, renovation and repainting. I’ve never taken off a lister wheel with the Gib key. On one side I’ve got an extra drum, which will have been driving something in the past but isn’t needed now. Thoughts on how best to remove it?
There’s a hole to access a bolt, which goes into the shaft, and looks like it keeps a Gib key in place?
Having removed that, am I likely also to find another Gib key keeping the main spoked wheel on as well?




Here’s some of the cleaned up pieces...
The fuel filter wick was caput, and wondering whether to replace it with one of the newer filter elements inside rather than a wick. Half the price, but are they only half as good?

"" On one side I’ve got an extra drum, which will have been driving something in the past but isn’t needed now. Thoughts on how best to remove it?
There’s a hole to access a bolt, which goes into the shaft, and looks like it keeps a Gib key in place?
Having removed that, am I likely also to find another Gib key keeping the main spoked wheel on as well? ""

The extra drum is a pulley for driving a machine with a flat belt.
Unscrew the bolt with the square head and remove it.
This then takes the pressure off the parallel gib key.
At this point you should spray some lubricant into the hole where the bolt was.
Leave for a little while and see if you can pull or pry the pulley off.
If not you will need to use a puller to remove the pulley.
Once you have removed this you will be able to see the flywheel gib key. This will be a tapered gib key.
You will need to use a gib key removal tool to get this to move (if you are lucky).

thanks Blue Cat. Just what I needed to know: flat or tapered Gib key. I’ve already started the lubricant soaking and I’m in no hurry.

Ok. Update. Didn’t have a puller the right size so got this for £30 from fleabay. Having moved the bolt, and oiled it well...applied. Pulled. Success!
I’ve a nice 5 ton puller.



Now for the tapered Gib keys...

That looks a hell of a puller! Got a link?

These are the Mutts dangle for gib keys.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAPERED-KEY-DRIFTS-STRIAGHT-CURVED/182963279071?hash=item2a997614df:g:CiUAAOSwY~1aMmTB

The puller is ebay item 363081272023

The Mutts dangle looks cool, but I’m trying to fashion my own Gib puller using my welder...wish me luck!