[SEL] O.T. Test now question about touch paper

[Bob W7AVK]

James - A writeup stolen off the net.

To start the Marshall a smouldering piece of special paper, containing 
saltpeter, is inserted into the cylinder head by means of the special 
screw in holder located in the cylinder head. The engine is then swung 
over by means of a starting handle placed in the starting dog on the 
flywheel. This is aided by the decompression valve, which decompresses 
the engine for anything up to 6 revolutions (generally 3 revolutions is 
sufficient - a spiral groove at the back of the flywheel is used to 
determine the number of revolutions you turn it through before it comes 
up to full compression) in order to allow the flywheel to gain speed, 
and therefore inertia, in order to turn the engine over compression, and 
get the engine to fire.

A cartridge starting system is also fitted to the tractor. A shot-gun 
type cartridge is loaded into a breech on the engine's intake system. 
The smouldering paper is placed in the cylinder head, and the cartridge 
is fired by tapping the protrusion pin with a hammer. This puts a charge 
into the bore, sending the piston flying through its stroke, bursting 
into life. This method, however, deposits carbon which often causes 
jamming of the decompression valve if cartridges are regularly used. It 
also puts significantly more strain on the moving parts of the engine.


Regards,

Bob R
Moses Lake, WA, USA



Kangas, James G. wrote:
> How is the paper used to start a Field Marshall engine? I'm not familiar at all with that engine. I have read about some Diesel engines that had a port into which was stuffed an oily rag that was then lit to help warm up the cylinder.
>     Jim K.
>
>   
>