Amanco Stationary Engine

Having found an old stationary engine in the garden shed of a friend, I have negotiated it's acquisition and hope I can refurbish it over the next few months. The only information I currently have are some photographs taken with my mobile phone. I will do a full survey as soon as I have arranged transport to my garage.

Having posted the pictures on the Internal Fire web site I managed to get the engine identified as a Amanco 3HP.

February 2007

With the help of 2 friends and a trailer the engine was transported home. On inspection and with the help of the web it was confirmed to be a 3hp Amanco Three Mule Team, petrol / kerosene model. In the past the ignition had been converted to a HT magneto and spark plug, instead of the standard igniter. This conversion was not uncommon, as it improved the cold starting and running when using Kerosene. The silencer had also been changed to a non standard version.

As soon as it was off the trailer the spanners were out. First off was the magneto. A friend took it away for refurbishment. A few days later he returned it, producing a healthy spark when turned over by hand. The original serial plate is missing and the end of the crank where the serial number is also stamped was to rusty to see the number. This has made it impossible to date the engine accurately.. Looking at pictures on Keith's Associated engine web site it was manufactured around 1918 - 1920.

Stripped down the rest of the engine leaving the crank and flywheels is situ. I thought the piston was seized, but a sharp tap on the end of the con rod with a block of wood and a sledge hammer did the trick. Only one broken stud in the head which was good for a engine nearly 90 years old.

Set to work cleaning and checking all the parts. I found soaking in paraffin, and then scrubbing with a paint brush was the best way to clean off the grease and grime. For the brass parts I soaked some paper kitchen towel in vinegar and wrapped it around the brass parts. By the morning most of the green coating was gone, and all it needed was a light polish. The inlet and exhaust valves were in good condition so just a light lapping in to ensure a good seal. The broken stud in the head was drilled out and a replacement made and installed. One of the piston rings was seized, but a soaking in paraffin and a slight tap soon freed that.

The governor springs were rusted away, and I also needed some gaskets for the rebuild. These I managed to purchase from Hit N Miss at a reasonable cost.

Had to wait for a nice dry day outside to clean the engine block and trolley. Everything was soaked with paraffin for an hour then brushed with a good coat of Gunk. After half an hour it was pressure washed revealing red paint. This was not visible before cleaning. To stop rust, the whole engine was wiped over with an oily rag.

With all the parts cleaned and oiled it was time for reassembly. After installing the piston there seemed a bit of play in the big bnd. One shim was taken out which removed all of the slack. The head was the next part to be fitted. A quick crank over to check compression. Loads of compression. Unless the inlet valve was lifted there was no way you could get it to crank over until you got up speed..

The mixer was then fitted, followed by the fuel tank. When I came to install the valve cam I was unsure if it was in the correct position. I had marked it's position on removal, but was not sure if it had always been correct. I knew I had it right on closer inspection. With the piston at BDC two "pips" could be seen on the cam gear which aligned with one "pip" on the crank gear.

Next to be fitted was the cam follower and the governors, which was quite straight forward. Last to go on was the magneto which needed to be timed. As the HT magneto is a non standard item, I had no idea of the timing setting required. I took a guess at 10 degrees before TDC.

The spark plug had seen better days, so I started looking for a new one. The one fitted was a Wipac PT70 which I couldn't find the equivalent for. This being a taped seat plug. From advice on the forum it was suggested I use a Champion D23, but this had a sealing washer and not a tapered seat. But on closer inspection the engine plug seat was made for a washer seating and not tapered like the plug. Managed to get the plug from The Green Spark Plug Company off the shelf.

Filled the petrol tank to check the fuel flow to the mixer. Fuel came out of the bottom of the mixer when the priming valve was opened, or when the petrol needle valve was opened. Apart from one leak in the fuel pipe all was ok. Went to do the same on the paraffin side of the tank, only to find some fuel already in the tank. There was a leak between the two tank halves which needed repairing. This was solved by using a product called POR15 Petrol Tank Sealer. This is a product is like Radweld, but for petrol tanks and has proved successful. This can be obtained from Frosts. in the UK. Refitted the tank and it's leak free.

Having to wait for a fine day in May was frustrating. My single garage is to small to run an engine, and I would probably end up with carbon monoxide poisoning if it started. Eventually with a fine day forecast a friend came over to help start the engine. After quite a bit of cranking it fired for the first time. After a few false starts and minor tuning we had it running for a few minutes. Then it just died. Lots more cranking but nothing. Then we checked the petrol tank and found it empty. Very thirsty engine when run on petrol. After refueling we were away again. After a few minute and a hot engine we decided to try switching to paraffin. With a lot more smoke we eventually had it running for about half an hour just on paraffin. It runs quite, well but we need to do some minor tuning to the governor and throttle linkage.

After the first run I gave the engine a good check over. The only part needing attention was one of the main bearings which had a slight amount of slack. The removal of one shim was enough to fix the problem.

Having read on the web that by using a bright light it's sometimes possible to reveal the serial number on the end of a rusty crank shaft. Equipped with a bright light, and a magnifying glass I had a good look. Then I noticed a feint number 7. With a sharp scriber I removed the rust from the groove of the number 7. I could then see parts of other numbers, and with patience and the scriber I have discovered the serial number of 507720. This dates the engine as 1920.