Customer Reviews:
 Adequate specific reference. March 20, 2005
Max H. (Boston, MA USA)
34 out of 34 found this review helpful
Summary: It seems to be an adequate specific reference for the engines it covers. It is not, however, a complete service manual, and it has mistakes and omissions. It is not the first book you should use if you are technically savvy but just learning about diesels.
My perspective: I have been working on two-stroke and four-stroke motors for years, but I have never worked on a diesel before. I bought the book to fix a Lombardini one-cyclinder engine (a model specifically covered by this book) that wouldn't start.
Example of an omission: I concluded that at least one problem was that the injector pump was not moving any fuel. In the section on the pump, it tells you how to remove the pump, but doesn't mention something I later learned about, an important warning: you have to be careful not to let the tappet spacer fall into the oil sump. (I later acquired a piece of a Lombardini manual, they expressed this warning in a simple, clear sentence.)
Example of "incompleteness" as a manual: It was time to explore the guts of the injector pump; a part that was obviously supposed to move wouldn't move. There is an exploded view of the pump in the book, but the section goes on: "It is recommended that injection pump be tested and serviced only by a shop qualified in diesel injection repair." It turns out this paragraph is all over the book. It turns out that most manuals recommend, or even warn, against opening up injector pumps. Fine. But I want a book that warns appropriately, then lets me go on learning; ruining my motor (after I've been warned) is my problem. Pumps and injectors are critical components and liable to trouble; a complete service manual would include at least disassembly, cleaning and inspection, and reassembly.
Example of an error: The exploded view of the injector pump, though apparently supplied by Lombardini ("Illustrations Courtesy Lombardini U.S.A., Inc." is at the bottom of each page in the section) is wrong, insofar as you can't put the parts together in the order shown. (In the subsequently acquired piece of a Lombardini manual it shows a different and more sensible order.)
The book has been helpful, but it's not complete. I'm glad I wasn't depending on this book to get me out of trouble... I'd be in deeper. It has been, however, useful as I work on my engine and learn about diesels.
For the generally experienced mechanic who is learning about diesels, I recommend as a companion "Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Repair" by Nigel Calder. It's the voice of experience and a good self-teaching guide.
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