New Way Stationary Engines

Aim - To serve and support the New Way Stationary Engine restoration community.
There was a New Way Stationary Motor inclined to Hit and Miss. It was designed that way but intermittently it would missfire and this in the confines of the beekeepers shed fired my imagination, grabbing my senses. I just loved the sound of the New Way 3.5Hp working - likely fuelled by a too rich mixture.
With each missfire came the tell tale puff of blue smoke and via the old sawbench, the beekeeping manufacturing business was underway, alive and well. Alf was in his element. Romance, nah, hard work but Hoots the New Way went a long way in firing the imagination of times past running in the present. The present, after all, that's where life is, it's not in the past, but romancing the past, that's the present if you're living it.
The priveledge of life. Present and past is now!!! - alive.

Ye Olde Sawbench & New Way Motor kept company by Howard Rotary Hoes

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

LIFTING THE VEIL - AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

 PHILOSOPHY - THE COMPANY

The New Way Motor Company, it is apparent from the outset, was very much about quality and it certainly pushed the boundaries of machine technology of the time. Certainly a philosophy evident in the field of AIR COOLING as associated with combustion. 

FOUNDATION - ENGINEERING BRILLIANCE

The company via the brilliance of it's engineers, the prime example being Charles Way. Charles, had the intellect of a lateral thinker and developed solutions that were introduced, worked and stood the test of time.

MANTRA - GOES AND GOES RIGHT 

The new way Motor company sought excellence in its techniques in production seeking to excel in so many aspects of production that then went on to provide economies in the fields of service. 

In service this included:

  • Light weight
  • Impervious to heat and cold - Air cooled
      • No freezing of water to destroy the engine
  • Better fuel economy
  • Simplicity of operation
  • Fast Maintenance
  • Less wear and tear
      • As a general rule all engines were enclosed with internal lubrication to eliminate the effects of dust entering lubrication oil. 
  • Utilising up to the minute advances in technology
      • Buzz coil to Magneto
      • Hit Miss to Throttle Governing
OPERATION - EXCELLENCE
From the outset the New Way Motor Company introduced engines where it's cylinders and head were an integral single unit. The problems associated with head gaskets were eliminated.

The engine carried oil in it's enclosed sump which was designed to splash feed the bearings etc in the crankcase. At the same time by pressure created in the crankcase through combustion, oil was fed via ball valve and oil line to lubricate the shroud enclosed fan that kept the engine at operating temperature.

Upper cylinder lubrication was achieved using a drip feed oiler set for a defined drip rate. The oiler was designed to prevent dust entry and by the use of a ball in it's lower chamber prevent it's mis-operation through combustion back pressure. 

BELLY UP - MAINTENANCE
Despite all efforts to enable reliability, with continued or extended use the  gremlin wear makes it's appearance especially on a vintage engine. On early engines New Way did not have any filter or other means of trapping the dust in the air intake of their engines. It a dusty farm environment that could be catastrophic. Maintenance needs /needed to be to the fore. 

It is time to look at options for (WEAR) maintenance of the vintage New Way.

LIFTING THE VEIL - AVOIDING THE PITFALLS

Low Compression or seized (stuck)
  1. Remove Piston and / or Rings replacement
    1. Never allow the piston to go into the cylinder past it's normal travel point.
      1. Rings will expand and be trapped on the top of cylinder lip
      2. Preventing piston removal from cylinder 
Main Bearings worn with oil spewing out the side of the engine.
 
Two Maintenance Issues and Options:-
  1. Oily mess everywhere at base of engine etc
    1. Remove some packing if fitted so as to eliminate bearing slop if possible else
    2. Fit lightly loaded spring foot valve at a suitable point on the crankcase above oil level
      1. Acts as a negative pressure valve opening when piston moves away from TDC
        1. Limits crankcase pressure and oil spewing from crank bearings
    3. Pour new bearings
  2. Loss of oil pressure to feed oil to the fan and or excessive oil dripping from the fan shaft.
    1. Leave the oil line in place for authenticity etc
    2. Remove plug at junction of oil line and fan shaft
      1. Fit a small grease cup in lieu of the plug
      2. Screw the grease cup cap in to force grease into the fan shaft which will lubricate and also stop oil coming up the line if there was excessive oil issues.
      3. During operation, regularly turn the greaser to lube the fan shaft.
BRASS GOVERNOR SLEEVE badly worn at mating point with fingers of the HOOK UP LEVER (Early engine)
The brass governor sleeve is subject to constant wear if not properly lubricated as it is one point on the engine that is not enclosed at all and is therefore exposed to dust. The sleeve's actuation against the two fingers of the hook up lever to hold the exhaust valve open presents a significant pressure point for the brass governor sleeve. The brass sleeve will wear through if lubrication at this point is not kept clean especially in a dusty environment.

Maintenance options include:-
  1. Use a suitable proprietary metal like filler (eg xx Weld) suitable to the task to fill the wear points on the sleeve.
    1. Ensure the Brass Sleeve is thoroughly cleaned so as to provide excellent adhesion 
    2. Shape and pare down to correct thickness to enable the fingers to operate simultaneously.
      1. Generally the only significant wear will be where the fingers actuate the rest should be able to be adjusted by governor controls or repositioning of the flywheel.
  2. Fit a recast brass governor sleeve if available.
    1. Requires the governor side flywheel to be removed
  3. Fit a 2 piece interlocked Brass Governor Sleeve if available
    1. Worn sleeve can be removed and replaced with the interlocked sleeve without removing the flywheel. 
  4. Future operation
    1. Ensure the sleeve brassware is well lubricated with clean lubricant.
    2. Ensure the flywheel governor screws are adjusted as necessary to compensate for changes.
Practices to Enhance Service Life,
Your Operational New Way Engine
George


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