Yanmar SVE8 hand cranks which way?

[David Michaels]

In my continuing education in diesels I've run into a bit of a conundrum; when I attach the hand crank and depress the compression relief lever on my SVE-8, I can crank the engine clockwise or anti-clockwise. I figure one direction is a Good Thing for the batteries/alternator/transmission the other is a Bad Thing.So, when facing the motor with the crank attached, do I spin it clockwise or anti-clockwise? And what is the trick in getting the handle off once it starts up? Am I liable to wake up on the cabin sole with a broken arm and/or a lump on my head from the handle spinning off and giving me a good shot?I know it's a simple question, but I'd hate to find out the hard way.Davids/v kupono

 

[Jim Maroldo]

Hand-cranking a diesel

David, those engines with hand cranks that I've seen ( boats, old cars, lawn mowers, etc) have a special cam-type nut on the crankshaft that allows you to turn the engine over in the desired direction, but spins the crank handle off as soon as the engine begins to turn faster than the handle. If your engine doesn't have this, or some OTHER kind of one-way device, I don't think I'd be playing around with it! It's a safe bet that SOMEBODY WILL GET HURT! Even if you do have the correct setup, you could get hurt if the engine kicks back on you while your cranking (think about it for a minute!). Otherwise, to answer your question on direction of rotation, just have someone hit the starter while you watch the crankshaft turn. That oughta tell you for sure! ENJOY1Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett

 

[Marcus]

Hey David....

I have an SB8 which has the hand crank. I've tried to crank by hand but have never succeded. I've seen other posts on the subject and tend to agree with the conclusions. we just can't get it spinning fast enough to get it to fire off. Although it is a good idea it apparently is very impractical. BTW...was listening for you on the radio last weekend. If you called, sorry I missed you.

 

[Howard]

Not that hard to start the Yanmar 8 by hand

I've often started my Yanmar 8 by hand. (My kids are always leavin the lights on).The trick is to press the compression release and build up some speed with 2 or 3 turns and then pop closed the release on when you are pulling up on the crank. It won't work if the engine is not in good tune or if there is air in the fuel lines. It helps to have a second person works the compression release, but I have often doen it alone. When cranking by hand I can get maybe 3 or 4 good cranks in before I'm too tired. I agree that there is a slip cam on the yanmar crank handle. I would not try to start the engine without a slip cam unless you enjoy plaster and pain that comes along with a broken arm. My grandfather told me the story of cranking his Mercer with no slip cam. He had a scar and crooked arm from that one. I guess I learned the lesson from him.

 

[David Michaels]

Hey Marcus...

... I think Howard is right. Jim Miller demo'ed hand cranking the motor for me, he got 6 - 8 good spins on it, and dropped the compression relief lever on the upstroke. The motor fired right up. I just don't remember what way he was cranking. What direction are you cranking, Howard?Somehow the instruments got left on after our last sail (still workin' on that new list) and they must be wired directly to the batteries as the main switch was off. Jim's advice to watch it spin is a good one but in this case I can't unless I drag the charger down to the boat (which I have to do anyway, but I really wanted to crank it up and go sailing).The kids and grandkids were in over the long week-end. Our daughter is still tentative about letting the 3 year old go out with us - won't even consider the 4 month old... so even though we were out at the club Saturday morning(great wind, yeah?) we didn't sail. I went aboard to hail you and do a few other "put-away" chores, which is how I found out about the batteries. We'll get together one of these days. It's a small lake <g>.Jim and Howard - thanks for the advice, I will look more closely at the crank. It seemed like it was single slotted, but maybe I didn't look closely enough (I was in a hurry and a bit ticked at leaving the switch on). I'm not looking for any broken limbs. I found out I could move the crankshaft either direction by releasing the comp. lever and moving the belt both ways. If I don't get a firm answer on the spin direction by Thursday, I'll call Yanmar. And I won't be cranking unless I'm sure it's safe.Davids/v kupono