sansouci

No its via a prm 260 box, never had any problems with power although we do collect rubbish in shallow areas. Initially we had a 22 inch with a smaller pitch but it didn't have much of a grip and didn't load the engine, this prop suits us well

I have a 3vsh and have reused the head gaskets after annealing and then using soft soap to squeeze it down. It worked well for me. The tick over on mine is about 200 rpm and it maxes out at about 800 normal canal speed, it will go up to 1500 it says in the manual but that's scary.....I am just to start restoring a 2vsh with electric start as a spare for mine. My prop is a 22x22 it's a hefty lump

Hi Casper, my Ruston has a belt driven jabasco type pump and we have had minor problems. I also have considered an electric pump in tandem for river work as the old engine heats up fairly quickly when she is working. However, I am a little dubious about the running temperature and the flow rate and also the running hours which will likely be 10 hours at a time, if I install a typical 12 volts water circulating pump like on the diesel central heating. I would be interested if you find one that fits the bill and is relatively cheap. Stuart Turner do a 12 volt brass pump which may be OK and sometimes you see one on Ebay at reasonable money. As for saving power I really don't see the issue, the belt on mine is slack and doesn't slip so I presume little power is taken to turn it.

It is not that bad really to take apart and reassemble. You need a good vice to grip the motor as the casing is a tight push fit. There is enough space to slip the brushes back in when the end cap goes on. I suggest you don't try skimming the armature, I did and there was no copper left even after a minuscule skim, built on the cheap these days I suspect. All mine wanted was a really good clean internally and the springs loosening in the brush boxes.

That is just the job. A nice clear picture The Ruston is now chugging along nicely with a good positive starter. Many thanks to all. Thank you for the kind offer, it was really the wiring that was my direct concern. I have some mechanical items spare from an old motor but it is in lots of pieces hence the issue. If you do find the information I am sure it would be really useful to many of us with the axial type starters. thanks again

That's sound advice. The straps can easily fall loose thank you I did see on eBay some similar starters for Gardeners at nearly £200 each but that's out of my league. I am sure the old one will work for a few more years yet thanks

Thank you for the name, I prefer to do it myself where ever possible. regards I have plenty of time, and would be most grateful if you can recall the circuit. In particular there are 2 loops between the 4 brushes which will fall away upon dis-assembly no doubt, so I need the diagram just to be sure. I make a sketch when dismantling but it's always good to have a plan B Thank you regards

Hi there, I need to rebuild my Ruston starter motor due to it's extreme old age and poverty. It is of the axial type, a CAV model BS5 12 volt. I have the exploded parts diagram but I could do with a wiring diagram as the internal connections are quite complex. Any one in the forum have a wiring diagram they could share with me please? This starter initially throws the gear on the armature shaft into mesh with the flywheel ring and then starts to put the power on to turn the engine. It also has an internal clutch to minimise meshing damage on over run if the engine kicks back. thanks

I have had a very similiar problem which I managed to sort at no money. The air fan in my unit was not operating. It was open circuit after testing, Now this unit was just an armature spinning in a perminent magnet. I discovered the brushes were worn to just not make contact with the commutator. After cleaning it has worked just fine now for over a year. Good luck, I know they can be troublesome, regards

Looks a good simple solution to a usually difficult problem on how to start these old engines.Compared with the Rustons engineering the framework looks a little thin but if it does the job...Have you solved how to fit the alternator(s) and water pump? I have fitted 2 of these engines to our NB's and the one thing that wears out fails and lets us down is modern engineering. The engines goes on and on but we still get the usual problems of alternators failing for what ever reason and water pumps leaking. It has taken time to sink in but it is true that ' Keep it simple make it strong and it usually lasts...'. especially with boating. best of luck

soft soap it is then, thanks guys I might be blowing bubbles from now on instead of smoke rings....

You might also like to try catering parts (uk) Ltd. they have a web site and deliver next day I bought an LPG thermostat last week. You just need the part number and manufacture of the original

Can I ask what the vintage guys out there find best to coat plain copper gaskets with when refitting a cylinder head on a vintage diesel engine? The manual suggests I use soft soap, I have heard of greese as an alternative. Any other ideas? Thanks

I am running a 22x18 with 70% blade area which Crother tell me is equivalent to a 26 x 18. The Ruston 3VSH will do canal speed at about 600-700 rpm. The max rpm will be 1500 but I wouldn't be likely to do that unless an emergency occurred. The existing prop will allow easy maneuvering at tick over around locks at about 250 rpm. The gear box gives a 2:1 reduction so we are talking between 125 and 350 rpm on the output shaft.