Starting a Petter PH1 single cylinder Diesel engine

[Baldbloke]

Try to avoid the easy start - they develop a habit for it.
 
I have an earlier version (1956 Benford) with a Petter AVA1 engine in. The procedure on mine is very basic - decompression lever up, swing it up to speed, drop the lever, away it goes.
 
Is yours very similar in principle?
 
When you swing it over, are you getting even white vapour and a smell of diesel out? If not, I suspect you have not got enough fuel coming through. If it was running, did it run out of fuel? It takes an enormous amount of cranking to pull enough through again. It could be blocked somewhere in the line?
 
I've got the manual for it and will have a look - I do vaguely recall a procedure for starting which involves a throttle setting but mine has never needed it (to be fair, the accelerator on mine hasn't worked for years so you just stick your hand in the relevant part of the engine and pull the rod out - Health & Safety....!)

Alec

Chap said it never needed easy start so I’m loathe to begin using it.
Seem to remember the guy using the decompression lever to shut it down once it was on my trailer. I see that’s not the preferred way either.

Believe I’m not getting adequate fuel as there’s not any smoke let alone an offer of a fire up, although as soon as the lever is dropped the compressions are immediately slowing my efforts. Think I may have to put it on a strap and start towing it for a bump start[emoji849]

Kriss found a link with the manual so that’s a good start for me[emoji1303]

[Will C]

5 hours ago, topchippyles said:

Give it a squirt of easy start but not to much 

That stuff is the work of the devil. Evil horrible stuff that should only be used in someone else’s engine 🤮

[topchippyles]

3 minutes ago, Will C said:

That stuff is the work of the devil. Evil horrible stuff that should only be used in someone else’s engine 🤮

Only way i could start an old daf lorry i had a few years back. Just a little squirt in the exhaust and away she would go but i am with you on small plant as most likely that dumper is a single cylinder 

[difflock]

In the exhaust?

[Baldbloke]

Only way i could start an old daf lorry i had a few years back. Just a little squirt in the exhaust and away she would go but i am with you on small plant as most likely that dumper is a single cylinder 

That’s a novel way of using it[emoji848]
You’re right though about it being a single cylinder[emoji1303]

[topchippyles]

5 minutes ago, difflock said:

In the exhaust?

Air intake pipe dumb me 🤣

[topchippyles]

1 minute ago, Baldbloke said:

That’s a novel way of using it
You’re right though about it being a single cylinder

The ausa dumper i had was a single cylinder to and a bar steward to start. 

[Baldbloke]

Do you mind if I ask what it cost you?

Probably far too much but I’m really needing one for moving 100 + tons of gravel in restricted space and taking topsoil away prior to hardcore going in for a roadway. I’ll need it for weeks so a hire didn’t appeal. It’s an ideal size for getting around the side of the house and a good match for my little digger. But it was £800 for something I’m struggling to start🥱

It’ll be being bump started and left running all day at the rate this is going🤣

[Baldbloke]

Does that block with just the bolt stuck out of it not lift up ? i have a saw with that set up on it and the block flips up and is a cold start, push the trottle forward and lift it up...

Yes it does. However, after studying the manual Khriss discovered, it looks like the plate it bears on is missing. I did wonder about the reason of that weird loose pivoting section on the bar that goes through the pump. I’ll either have to remake/replace the missing part or Jerry rig something.

[Paddy1000111]

Can you ask the guy you bought it off? If he was able to start it and stop it with no issues and no easy start I'm sure that he can tell you how he did that?