BMC 1.5, 1.8, 2.25
Ok so if you have a BMC engine in your boat, its almost certainly going to have either a 1500 BMC, 1800 BMC or 2.25.
The BMC, 1500 has the injector pump where the distributor would normally be.
The BMC1800 has it alongside the block, and both have the normal 'Mini' style rocker cover.
The BMC 2.25 is the same as a series 1 or 2 land rover engine.
All need heat (Glow plud) to start, 30 seconds minimum and 20 seconds post heat, yes, that means keep the heaters going once the engine is running for 20 seconds to stop unburned diesel washing the oil off the bores.
Starter motors on these engines are weak, and bleeding the diesel through is tricky and a bit of a pain, these two factors combined are an issue.
Watch out for overheating, I have seen many BMC's allowed to overheat then allowed to cooldown then started up again until it overheats. This is a recipe for disaster, this puts incredible torque on the crank shaft causing them to twist. I was called out to a cruiser on the River Thames with a engine that didn't run smoothly and had a strange clunking noise as it turned over. After asking the owner some pertinent questions it appeared that it regularly overheated, On opening it up I found the crankshaft had snapped near the centre main bearing. So beware, an ignored cooling problem if not dealt with can get very expensive.
If the head gasket goes on a BMC symptoms are water in oil or oil in water or loss of coolant among others, but don't be put off replacing it yourself you cant really screw it up.
Timing is straight forward to deal with, and you only need a handful of tools. its not easy, but your not likely to make matters worse, any half decent mechanic will pick up where you gave up without too much trouble.
The 1500 BMC has an element filter, consider getting a spin on filter housing to make life easier, the Perkins 4108 unit works well with some washers or a spacer adding as they are half an inch too long.
The BMC, 1500 has the injector pump where the distributor would normally be.
The BMC1800 has it alongside the block, and both have the normal 'Mini' style rocker cover.
The BMC 2.25 is the same as a series 1 or 2 land rover engine.
All need heat (Glow plud) to start, 30 seconds minimum and 20 seconds post heat, yes, that means keep the heaters going once the engine is running for 20 seconds to stop unburned diesel washing the oil off the bores.
Starter motors on these engines are weak, and bleeding the diesel through is tricky and a bit of a pain, these two factors combined are an issue.
Watch out for overheating, I have seen many BMC's allowed to overheat then allowed to cooldown then started up again until it overheats. This is a recipe for disaster, this puts incredible torque on the crank shaft causing them to twist. I was called out to a cruiser on the River Thames with a engine that didn't run smoothly and had a strange clunking noise as it turned over. After asking the owner some pertinent questions it appeared that it regularly overheated, On opening it up I found the crankshaft had snapped near the centre main bearing. So beware, an ignored cooling problem if not dealt with can get very expensive.
If the head gasket goes on a BMC symptoms are water in oil or oil in water or loss of coolant among others, but don't be put off replacing it yourself you cant really screw it up.
Timing is straight forward to deal with, and you only need a handful of tools. its not easy, but your not likely to make matters worse, any half decent mechanic will pick up where you gave up without too much trouble.
The 1500 BMC has an element filter, consider getting a spin on filter housing to make life easier, the Perkins 4108 unit works well with some washers or a spacer adding as they are half an inch too long.
One question I get asked a lot is " How do you time the fuel pump if you don't have the alignment tool" fortunately the BMC engine is a basic and simple engine to work on.
The first thing to do is make sure the camshaft and crank shaft gears are in correct position, by using the alignment pips drilled into each gear.
Once in alignment fit the timing chain along with the timing chain tensioner, and the first part of static timing is done
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The next part of the static timing process, is to set up the injector pump.
Make sure the master part of the spline (the largest segment) is in the 5 O'clock position with the number one piston at 22 degrees TDC on the compression stroke. After static timing, you will need to bleed the fuel system, from the lift pump to the filter, filter to the injection pump and finally the injection pump to the injectors. There is no quick way to do this, it is slow aand laborious, and iv'e been called out on many occasions when someone has run out of fuel tried to bleed the system quickly and belives the engine has a fault because he can't get the engine to run. Just take your time, and get the air out. |
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