lostviking wrote:Is there a kind of "haynes manual" for those kind of engines?
Not that I'm aware of.* However most engines will have had a service and parts manual available as well as an operators manual.* We have both the parts and Ford service manual for the FL120 on our boat.
One thing to be aware of, however.* A diesel engine is not like a car engine of the same vintage.* A 1950s-1960s automotive gas engine is a very simple piece of equipment with a carburetor and sloppy tolerances (relatively speaking).* Any shade-tree mechanic can work on them successfully.
But a diesel like the FL120 is a somewhat different animal.* Water pumps, the belt, setting valve clearances, oil and coolant changes, and things like that are well within the ability of a mildly experienced auto guy.
But--- and this is just my advice, some may not agree--- don't even think about messing wit the injection pump or the injectors.* The in-line injection pump on the FL120 is amazingly complex piece of equipment with very precise settings and even more precise tolerances.* And unless you know what you are doing, it's the sort of thing that your screwing with it can result in "I adjusted that but now
that doesn't work right."* It is a very "inter-related" device and everything has to be set exactly right in order for it all to work properly.
So in my opinon, unless one actually happens to be a qualified diesel mechanic, the injection pump and injectors should be left to the shop to deal with if they develop a problem.
Fortunately, if the engine is operated the way it was intended to be operated when they designed and built it, the injection pump is a very reliable unit outside of the plunger/bore wear I mentioned earlier which is just something that happens with this kind of pump.*
This was
not the case when the engine was used for its original purpose which was to power heavy duty (by late '50s standards), over-the-road trucks.* The constantly changing rpm, the constantly varying load on the engine, and the higher rpm that was often needed to climb hills and maintain highway speeds were simply too much for the design, and failures were frequent according to the people I've talked to who had experience with this engine in the UK "back in the day."* The injection pump in particular was an Achilles' heel in this kind of service.* So in this regard, the engine was considered a failure and Ford quickly stopped using it as a truck engine.
But in the lower power, constant load, constant and conservative rpm range typical of industrial and agricultural engines, the Ford Dorset did just great.
-- Edited by Marin on Wednesday 29th of February 2012 01:09:43 PM