Laverda 3cl starting issue

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"wouldn't be removing and then earthing the plugs if I had a suspected hydraulic fuel lock in a cylinder. Hitting the starter could cause a spray of fuel from the plug hole, sending fuel droplets and vapour all over the place. You don't want a spark from an earthed plug anywhere near that volatile mixture.
A safer procedure would be to disable the ignition system before cranking the engine. Un-plug the ignition module or disconnect the 12V supply to the coils."

I wanted badly to post that, but I didnt want to offend my friend Rob, and didnt work out a way to say it, dangerous yes, but what he was intending was advice to protect your ignition system from serious damage while being enabled without grouded plugs. I have in my workshop an aluminium bar with three 18mm holes tapped in it and a 6mm hole, I bolt it onto the motor and screw in the plugs, when needing to diagnose, saves all that worry of holding the plugs and have I got it properly earthed or not?

If you are cranking a suspected flooded motor with the plugs out, disconect the ignition at its power source, ie pull the fuse

CLEM
 
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Thanks Clem - safety should always be the number 1 priority. I hadn't reckoned on folks being daft enough to leave plugs hanging over the plug hole. My 3 ft long HT leads keep me out of a lot of trouble 😈
 
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Rob said:
Thanks Clem - safety should always be the number 1 priority. I hadn't reckoned on folks being daft enough to leave plugs hanging over the plug hole. My 3 ft long HT leads keep me out of a lot of trouble 😈
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I remember an article in Bike magazine.
The journo was looking for a spark on his round case 750 SS Ducati. Spark on the head and kick.
No more 750SS.

Paul
 
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CLEMTOG said:
I wanted badly to post that, but I didnt want to offend my friend Rob ...
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How could Rob take offence from an honest technical opinion? I was simply highlighting a safety issue with his suggestion.

I've posted some dumb stuff here and been shot down for it, quite rightly. That's how it should be. Technical discussion should be polite and unprejudiced. There's no place for personal sensibilities, bullying or emotional handbag fights.

CLEMTOG said:
If you are cranking a suspected flooded motor with the plugs out, disconect the ignition at its power source, ie pull the fuse
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Hi Clem. I'm pretty sure that pulling the fuse from a Laverda (triple) to kill the ignition will also disable the starting system, so any engine cranking would have to be done by shorting across the starter relay or using a jumper lead between battery and starter motor - another source of sparks. Please don't take offence. ;)
 
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I am not taking offence Cam, (was trying to portect Rob which was successfull) and I am leaving the gate behind as well, my triple may not have exactly stock wiring as I installed a blade type fuse holder years ago, and a land Rover (proper) starter relay, but it works for me, take out second fuse from left and ignition is dead, but starter still cranks, not sure here but some (stock) triples might only have two fuses, mine had four as stock and now has six. CDI versus BTZ?
CLEM
 
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Dellortoman said:
Yes. Known variously as the donkey engine or pony motor.
.
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Sometimes called a pup motor as well.

I have seen 2 stroke versions on old road graders and 4 stroke versions on an old cable shovel. It had a 2 cylinder flat-head boxer motor (one cylinder pointing up, one down). The top cylinder was prone to get crap from rodents nesting and the bottom cylinder was prone to filling up with water. Easy to clean up as all you needed to do was pop the heads off ..... squirt oil in there and Bob's yer dad's bruvver! The two stroke version was loud as heck and worked on spinning up an inertia starter. Must have been some kind of air compressor as you pulled a lever down that diverted the air to the starter and then hit another lever to give it a go at starting. At 40 below the 2 stroke started easily ...... but at least 20 tries were needed to get the diesel main motor going. Then the coolant lines were connected to a diverter to preheat a few other bulldozers and such so they could be started with a more conventional electric start. Took about 6 hours the first day to get all the equipment going but they stayed running for the next three weeks until the job was done.

Jim
 
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I know there was a motorcycle engine that was used as an APU in a WW2 bomber, but can’t recall which one it was. American bombers used two-stroke singles and the B-29 used a twin.
 
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When I was a lad and operating earthmoving gear I operated a few machines that had that starting system . Known by us as pilot motors. Operated a Cat 660 scraper that was pilot start, used to blow the most amazing smoke rings from the main motor on cold mornings when it started😂😂
Tom
 
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Spitfire engines had a hand turned magneto in addition to the two normal running magneto's this produced what was called a "shower of sparks" and is why you very often see and here Sptfire engines popping and banging on first cold start as the sparks are delivered randomely by the pilot hand cranking, not sure what they did on multi engined Merlins as in the Lancasters, maybe the same, i dont know, but for sure John Dodds Merlin car had three 58DCOE Webbers and for cold start all you did was pump the gas a few times and squirt in some raw fuel.
The 48 cylinder Kawasaki bike that was buillt by crank man Chris Applebee was actually a 49 as it also had a donkey engine to start the thing, this was a 50cc scooter engine with electric start.

The Triumph all alloy 500 twin was used as a generator engine in Bombers, and for the dambusters run a 650 Triumph was used to create back spin on the bomb before release.
CLEM
 
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The one that always amazed me was the Me-262 which had a two stroke in the nose of each engine for starting. If you look closely at them you can see what looks like a big washer on end. That was where you pulled to start the little engine. This meant in practice that aircraft using this engine could operate from remote dispersed runways without much in the way of ground support equipment. There are films of Arado reconnaissance aircraft operating in the snow on forested country roads in the winter of 44/45.
To operate military aircraft now, you need dozens of pieces of GSE and it all has to be compatible. Lots of it is universal, but much is aircraft specific.
 
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