Detecting Diesel in Engine Oil

[fordman]

There are 2 known issues with Transit Customs.

1 A batch of engines with a known injector issue which leads to oil dilution. I believe there is a recall out for this, but it has effected so many engines that there is a back log due to a shortage of replacement injectors.

2 Oil change warning light, there is a recall out for this to upgrade the software as Ford got it wrong to start with. I have seen the info on this one as my son had a letter sent to him by Ford. He had an argument with a Dealer earlier this year as they were adament there wasn't a problem! Funny that!

 

[Robotstar5]

I was reading about oil analysis in Classic tractor mag and they recommended SGS kits

 

[Farside]

Pheasant feeder oil drum explosion killed Warboys man http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-46829660

Good grief; one had already flashed up in his face and he carried on...

 

[Farside]

and McFarlane alternator.

McFarlane of Glasgow and not the Australian crowd?
If so, before my time with them, as by 1980 they'd moved to Ayr and were no longer making alternators, which dates that set somewhat. Even so, I'm not at all surprised it's still going and worth repairing.

 

[awemawson]

1972 according to the Dorman engine. I can’t find any name at all on the alternator, it was Puma that told me it was a MacFarlane. The AVR card in it is Markon, but is likely a replacement.

 

[HughF]

No I don't think so

Oops.... First rule of modern diesel ownership - make the finance company own it

 

[HughF]

Sitting here waiting for a lorry to arrive with a big generator on it - 11 litre 6 pot Dorman 6LE engine and McFarlane alternator. It's a 110 kVA Puma set (that needs repair)

Found one then, good stuff

 

[dobbslc]

Oops.... First rule of modern diesel ownership - make the finance company own it

That's a bloody good idea if your after a new car!

 

[Farside]

1972 according to the Dorman engine. I can’t find any name at all on the alternator, it was Puma that told me it was a MacFarlane. The AVR card in it is Markon, but is likely a replacement.

Quite possibly. I know that MacFarlane were using a lot of Markon alternators later, and the older stuff of theirs that turned up at the works had mostly Newage, Stanford, GEC, Brush, etc on them. Very few with actual MacFarlane-made alternators fitted, so even in their heyday perhaps the % of MacFarlane-made alternators was quite low.

In the latter years, it was common enough (and still done by plenty of other companies) to push the assembled set as a Brand-X, when it's nothing more than a Z-engine and W-genhead, the only Brand-X thing about it being the control box and signage. Earlier MacFarlanes did exactly the same.

 

[awemawson]

Took my courage in both hands today and went for a 'first start' under jury rig conditions - a few more details in this youtube link:

She starts, runs a clean exhaust and make electricity - now I need to strip off all the wiring and relay controller and wire in a Deep Sea 3110 control that I happen to have

 

[HughF]

Very nice Andrew.

 

[awemawson]

Hugh, (and Pete and Johnny-Bravo who've also been involved in this search!) as you know it's been a long journey, and it's really only just begun as although the alternator and engine are apparently absolutely fine I've a lot of work to do tidying it up and re-wiring the new controller.

Be nice to try and incorporate some sort of acoustic cover or box if anyone has any suggestions ?

 

[HughF]

Hugh, (and Pete and Johnny-Bravo who've also been involved in this search!) as you know it's been a long journey, and it's really only just begun as although the alternator and engine are apparently absolutely fine I've a lot of work to do tidying it up and re-wiring the new controller.

Be nice to try and incorporate some sort of acoustic cover or box if anyone has any suggestions ?

Could you get a local drylining company to build a room around it out of acoustic stud and rockwool Batts? I assume it's going to stay in the barn rather than outside?

 

[MCKDAVID]

on a similar note, marine container then lag it with rockwool - relatively cheap, and has the added advantage of being fire retardent and can go outdoors. You just need to sort out cooling air and combustion air in, in and out, exhaust out.. all easy enough. regularly done for mechanical packages, fire pumps, gen sets etc. you can pick them up relatively cheaply.

 

[awemawson]

It's going in the 'stable' which is the right hand wing to the main workshop - or just possibly I may scrounge an old concrete sectional garage for it and steal a bit of the wife's vegetable plot when she's not looking It's 10 foot long, 3 foot wide and about 6 foot tall.

 

[Pete.]

Damn if you had asked about 3 months ago I had to dispose of three large acoustic screens that a previous contractor left on site (when they got kicked off for damaging a party wall).

I think that most of the noise could be dampened by getting a large silencer for the engine.

 

[HughF]

It's going in the 'stable' which is the right hand wing to the main workshop - or just possibly I may scrounge an old concrete sectional garage for it and steal a bit of the wife's vegetable plot when she's not looking It's 10 foot long, 3 foot wide and about 6 foot tall.

Concrete sectional is a good shout. I have a certain soft spot for them they're nearly always free if you take them down.

 

[Johnnybravo]

Damn if you had asked about 3 months ago I had to dispose of three large acoustic screens that a previous contractor left on site (when they got kicked off for damaging a party wall).

I think that most of the noise could be dampened by getting a large silencer for the engine.

I had a friend years ago that used to design gensets for built in applications. Exhaust noise was minimal. Sound attenuation for the cooling fans invariably was a bigger task. They use to design those screens...

 

[awemawson]

Oddly this one has a set of louvre baffles on the output of the cooling air from the radiator that can be adjusted from fully open to fully closed, and show evidence of a motorised actuator (three wires emerging from a conduit adjacent to the operating lever). Heck of an air blast when it's running - quite enough to blow your toupee off