dmr

The JP2 produces a lot less torque than the 3LW but then again has a lower maximum speed, so its not straightforward to make a direct comparison between the two. Less torque = smaller prop. Less speed = bigger prop. ............Dave

Its a big and complicated subject, with the long life (OAT) red antifreezes (also purple, yellow and green) having a range of chemistries. Have a look on the www if you are technical and brave. There are reports of some reds hurting seals, and also reports of red and blue reacting to form a very bad sludge, though this is probably now all history. I suggest aim for a low silicates version and fully flush out the old blue just to be safe. The John Deere "Coolguard" is probably the best as Deere did a lot of antifreeze research, but its not so easy to get. Does your engine manufacturer recommend an antifreeze? 10 years is probably a bit optimistic. The Halfords stuff is probably a safe bet though its only a re branded Comma. I would probably not use the Ford or as this might be blended specifically for Ford and Ford do some unusual things sometimes. ............Dave

The gentlemen who look after the car will start it once each month or so and drive it round their car park. Left some nice music on a memory stick in the radio for them. First time we left the car I got a little solar panel charger but the battery still went flat and alternator rusted solid, and brake discs were quite rusted. Driving the car from time to time is a much better option. ............Dave

Where is this sign? We did Preston Brook to Manchester Castlefield yesterday, and then out through Leigh today, I did not notice the sign, though was not looking out for it. Also as far as I am aware nobody took our number unless it was very discretely done. Got flagged down by a Bridgewater workboat but they only wanted us to transport a laptop computer from one side of the canal to the other. ..............Dave

I assume you are proposing 4mm brass bolts into thread inserts into the steel cabin sides? 4mm brass bolts just wont be strong enough to compress whatever sealant you use, even m6 brass is a bit marginal. Can you drill and tap the cabin sides to take m6 directly? I have tried butyl tape for sealing portholes but was not impressed, the stuff you mention looks better, and certainly better than silicone, but I reckon that making neoprene gaskets is the best approach. ..............Dave

Stone is good everywhere, have heard of very occasional and very low level trouble below Star lock as local lads do meet in the sport centre grounds in the evening, but its nothing worse than sitting on the front deck. Stoke feels a bit rough but have moored above the top lock (Etruria) a few times with no trouble, though might just encounter a motor bike on the towpath. Dodging a motor bike, and lots of cyclists, is a small price to pay for a mooring within easy walking distance of the Holy Inadequate. The roofing builders merchant off the towpath sells very cheap gas. ................Dave

I thought you spent a lot of time in the Hungerford area, that don't sound like genteel Hungerford to me, have you moved down to Bristol???? .............Dave

I can confirm first hand that the council tip at Middlewich, with its own convenient mooring bollards, still allows boaters to walk in and dispose of engine oil, the staff even say "thank you" as you leave! Have just spent a week in Middlewich and found the town and people very boater friendly. ............Dave

Thanks, that makes sense, owner has recently changed the alternator pulley, I think it was a 13mm pulley (or otherwise wrong) and the belt was bottoming out, the belt looks like a wedge, has very little depth, so maybe this was fitted to try to cure this problem, suspect it could now maybe take a notched V belt, hard to tell, very little access to the engine pulley. As someone used to a clean engine in a clean engine room I find old cruiser stern engine spaces very dark and dirty . Will have another look this evening. ............Dave

Here at Middlewich and trying to help a fellow trader (and full time off grid CCer) with charging problems, I don't have much hands on experience with BMCs so a bit of help from an expert (Tony?) would be good. Its a 1.5l engine with a 70 amp alternator. The owner needs to run a fridge and freezer so its all very marginal. Alternator has a 10mm belt. We have got the alignment okish but still not quite perfect. At any more than about 35 to 40amps the belt is very gently smoking. Is 40amps the practical limit for a 10mm belt? Does anybody do a kit of pulleys for a reasonable price to go up to 13mm? Is it viable to install a second alternator? Is there a ready made kit of alternator and pulleys/brackets to do this, again not too expensive? Or is two alternators just too much for an old 1.5l BMC? There is noticeable play in the waterpump, is this normal, slightly concerning or very bad? Otherwise engine sounds rather nice and electrical installation looks reasonable. We have already decided that some solar would really help, though more engine charging would be good for the winter. Currently three cheapo leisures batteries and minimal instrumentation. Money is tight and access limited so I think staying with cheapo maintenance free batteries is the best option. Will check charging voltage later, still in bulk mode right now. ...........Dave

There are a couple of spots on the K&A where local boaters have tidied up a bit of otherwise unused land behind the trees, planted a few flowers and installed a few logs to sit on. They sometimes have little parties and drink a bit of beer together etc etc. Its pretty discrete so unless you were looking out for this, or happened upon a party, you would likely not notice it. Not really a big deal. Elsewhere on the system a few boaters on long term towpath moorings have made a little garden or installed a storage cupboard. I expect its against the rules but again is no big deal. Some of the little gardens are rather nice. At Kintbury on the K&A local volunteers have made quite a pleasing garden with raised beds and leave out a watercan so that passers-by can water it. I suspect CaRT helped to fund it. In quite a few places there are now small tent villages in the woods just beside the towpath, a sign of the times. There's even a little one on the Woverhampton 21. ................Dave

I am not a prop or Gardner expert, but offer the following observations. With 24 inch clearance the prop diameter should not really be any bigger than 21 inch. Having more pitch than diameter is not the done thing, but I have no real experience of what the disadvantages are. We have a Beta JD3 with a 21 by 20 prop and that is just about spot on. The 3LW produces quite a lot more torque than the JD3, and works over a roughly similar speed range, though different Gardner specs show quite different maximum speeds. I reckon 21 by 20 would be about right but you will likely not get to use the full power of your 3LW unless its a higher revving version. You could investigate 4 blades and/or compensated options to give you a "bigger" prop for the 21inch diameter but you will need to think carefully about boat speed at minimum revs, any more than 21 by 20 and you might need to go for a tickover quite a bit less than 400rpm which some people would not recommend. ............Dave

Tried butyl rubber tape on the little portholes in the pidgun boxes. It worked but was not very neat and difficult to take the portholes out later. More recently have made gaskets out of neoprene sheet for both the pidgun boxes and cabin portholes. This is much better. Had to do the bolts up quite tight to compress the neoprene enough to seal. Not viable with m6 brass bolts so did it with steel studding and nuts, then replaced with the brass bolts one at a time. ..............Dave

Going back to an older fully mechanical pump is the way to do it. As I said, I don't have the comprehensive hands-on experience of this engine, but you will need to check that the old and new pumps do interchange, you might just need different injectors, and in the worse case the drive gear/pump mounting might not be compatible. There are always a few folk who like to rid engines of electronics so a good search of various Ford forums might just be usefull. ..............Dave

Are you 100% sure the pumpout was done correctly and that you did not somehow fill the tank with water whilst trying to flush it through? .............Dave