new (but sat for a long time) engine start up

[NSboatman]

Hey experts - got a not-necessarily-marine engine start up question. Here's the setup:


About 13 years ago, I was a part of a team that bought a lovely small stand-by diesel generator set, about 10kW; intended to be a backup for a truck-mounted Onan system. This one is a Norpro I believe, and is based on a 4 cyl Isuzu with a cab mounted heat exchanger. The unit was purchased, test run by the supplier, and put in the corner of a heated shed for the last 13 years. The Onan is still going strong, so this backup has never been even turned over; connected to anything or run in any way. It has always been warm and dry.



I've been asked to set it up on it's own skid to support a different operation now.


So, I'm wondering about how I carefully examine and start up this wee beast, and what I should expect to have to replace on it (seals? hoses? all rubber? anything?). Changing all the fluids at a minimum I'm sure, but should I pull injectors and flush cylinders/pop a little penetrating oil or rust check in there before even trying to turn it over in case there's a stuck ring? put an external oil pump on the galleries to flush some oil through them all before startup? pressurize the fuel feed to the HP pump a bit first to lube it up?


Or - am I overthinking this and I should just hook it up and fire that baby up?


...that seems a little foolhardy.



Ideas?


thanks in advance!

[Shrew]

13 years. I'd assume every hose and seal would need to be replaced. I'd also be very concerned about the rings and whether they've been married to the cylinder wall after all that time.

Do you know how it was put to sleep 13 years ago?

[skipperpete]

Follow the time honored rules, check the oil and coolant levels, roll it through 2 or more full revolutions manually. Loosen the injector lines preferably at the injector pump and spin er over until you get oil pressure and fuel at the loose connections...... this usually requires pushing the shutdown circuit override button or device. When you eventually have fuel from all the injector pipe unions, operate the stop lever and again crank the engine..... there should be no fuel now. Alternately, if you can’t get to the stop lever or it has a fuel line solenoid, remove the air cleaner and prepare to block the air flow. After an engine has been standing unused for a long time there’s a possibility that the injector pump plungers will be sticky in the bushings and you should be prepared for an overspeed. After 13 years you might find that the residual magnetism has faded and it fails to make power, don’t be surprised, its not uncommon and you’ll need to “flash” the field according to the manufacturers instructions. Don’t be tempted to megger the windings, your genset is young enough to have an electronic governor and AVR , a hit from a megger tester will harm them both.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Follow the time honored rules, check the oil and coolant levels, roll it through 2 or more full revolutions manually. Loosen the injector lines preferably at the injector pump and spin er over until you get oil pressure and fuel at the loose connections...... this usually requires pushing the shutdown circuit override button or device. When you eventually have fuel from all the injector pipe unions, operate the stop lever and again crank the engine..... there should be no fuel now. Alternately, if you can’t get to the stop lever or it has a fuel line solenoid, remove the air cleaner and prepare to block the air flow. After an engine has been standing unused for a long time there’s a possibility that the injector pump plungers will be sticky in the bushings and you should be prepared for an overspeed. After 13 years you might find that the residual magnetism has faded and it fails to make power, don’t be surprised, its not uncommon and you’ll need to “flash” the field according to the manufacturers instructions. Don’t be tempted to megger the windings, your genset is young enough to have an electronic governor and AVR , a hit from a megger tester will harm them both.

This is a great run-down.
On gas engines, we would add some lightweight engine oil through the spark plugs and let sit for a couple of days before turning by hand.

Is removing glow plugs or injectors and adding some oil to the cylinders recommended for a marine diesel, Pete?

[Shrew]

Originally Posted by Iron E

This is a great run-down.
On gas engines, we would add some lightweight engine oil through the spark plugs and let sit for a couple of days before turning by hand.

Is removing glow plugs or injectors and adding some oil to the cylinders recommended for a marine diesel, Pete?

+2. I've used Marvel Mystery Oil.

[skipperpete]

IronE, you’re spot on with a bit of upper cylinder lubrication, it really helps that dry cylinder wall and piston get through the initial start up. I’m not a big fan of removing glow plugs for any reason other than to replace them, the pain and expense of breaking off the top of a seized glowplug to do a compression test is something I’d prefer to avoid. Dead cranking while misting oil or WD40 into the intake is just as good. If I was the guy doing the startup, I’d seriously consider using a lube system priming tank to avoid cranking on dry bearings, its usual on larger engines after rebuilds and well worth it on a genset….. there’s no idle, its straight up to 1500 or 3000 rpm. The biggest plus for the OP’s genset is that it probably doesnt have a wet exhaust so , destructive valve and upper cylinder corrosion is unlikely.

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

IronE, you’re spot on with a bit of upper cylinder lubrication, it really helps that dry cylinder wall and piston get through the initial start up. I’m not a big fan of removing glow plugs for any reason other than to replace them, the pain and expense of breaking off the top of a seized glowplug to do a compression test is something I’d prefer to avoid. Dead cranking while misting oil or WD40 into the intake is just as good. If I was the guy doing the startup, I’d seriously consider using a lube system priming tank to avoid cranking on dry bearings, its usual on larger engines after rebuilds and well worth it on a genset….. there’s no idle, its straight up to 1500 or 3000 rpm. The biggest plus for the OP’s genset is that it probably doesnt have a wet exhaust so , destructive valve and upper cylinder corrosion is unlikely.

I wasn't aware of the glow plug issue, but I'll absolutely store that information in the knowledge base for the future.
Again, thanks Pete.

[NSboatman]

Fantastic info gents - thank you. Skipperpete - should I be suspicious of any hoses or seals? I guess that will show itself pretty quickly after startup- lol!