Detroit 2-71 diesel

[Ken2]

You want a 30 wt. diesel engine oil with the rating CF-2. That is the right oil for a Detroit two-stroke engine. In the summer, you'd want 40 wt. You also need heat on the engine water jacket in the cold, and maybe a magnetic oil pan heater, also.

Be sure the fuel is fresh winter blend with antigel additive, and also has stabilzer additive to reduce fuel oxidation during long storage.

Weren't those gen-sets widely used in refrigerated rail cars?


Ken

 

[Johnny]

Audity:

Everything Ken2 said is absolutely correct, and these gen-sets were used in refrigerated rail cars.

All of the major brand of oil make the oil you are looking for.

Shell, Chevron, Mobil, Exxon, Citgo, etc. You can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[Steve S]

Killer generator.

 

[Audity]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, but I'll give it a try -

At my home I have a permanent standby generator powered by a 2-71 diesel engine. (25kw w/220v 3-phase! Major overkill, but it was there when we bought the house).

I have the Detroit service manual for the engine, but of course the lubrication section hasn't been updated in years.

I'm about the change the oil, any sugestions on what would be best? I'll use an OE filter. Any help will be appreciated - thanks.

 

[Audity]

Bingo for Ken and Johnny, it's a refurbished reefer car unit. First time I saw it my jaw dropped. It's frame-mounted, with manual start and switchover. It's in the garage against the far wall and makes a heck of a racket in there (hearing protection needed) but the noise outside is surprisingly minimal. Can't hear it in the house.

My main concern for it is that it hasn't been run enough. I use it for a couple of hours every other month or so just to drive out the moisture, etc. I'm sure it would be happier with regular use.

Thanks for the recommendations on the oil and fuel - I'll implement them.

 

[Audity]

Oh, and thanks for the welcome. I've been a lurker for quite a while, this is a great community. I sure do like mechanical stuff...

 

[jkhawaii]

wow a 2-71? never knew they made 2 cly versions. I always thought the two stroker detroits were cool engines

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by jkhawaii:
wow a 2-71? never knew they made 2 cly versions. I always thought the two stroker detroits were cool engines

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I've see 2,3,4 and 6 cylinder 71 Series DDC engines and 6,8,12 and 16-V71 series.

I don't know if there was a 20V, but there could have been because the 6V and 8V in some (all?) DDC series engines can be bolted together in series.

I have also seen 20V-149 and 24V-149 series DDC engines in the DDC factory dyno rooms. They are big. 24 cylinders of 149 cubic inches each. They look just like a scaled up versions of smaller DDC 2-stokes.

 

[tom slick]

when you run it you need to load it. I'd reccomend you actually power your house on it when you are running it and turn everything on in the house.

 

[Chris142]

Ya what they said. You DO NOT want to put a milti-vis oil such as 15w-40 in this engine.

Chevron sells Delo 100 for this engine.

 

[Audity]

Tom, thanks. When I run it, I go around and turn stuff on, just to make it work a little. Even then, it's not breaking a sweat -

 

[JR]

i have a question. how would you go about to get one of these gen sets? i wouldn't need a brand new one. i would like a used one as a project.

 

[JR]

and would anyone know what these gen sets would concume an hour for fuel?

 

[416Rigby]

Try www.affordablepower.com .

 

[Ken2]

Those are neat! Picture an enclosed utility trailer, door openings at both ends for cooling air circulation, fuel tank, heavy duty cable connection to house power...slick rig.

1000 hour oil drain intervals?...must be a huge sump. Local fast ferries with 8V-71 engines are running 150 hour ODI, but they always run full throttle.


Ken

 

[416Rigby]

They have 5 gallon sumps, and big filters. Also, running at only 1200rpm, they are supposed to last 40,000 hours. But, they're still "Detroit Screamers"!

 

[Audity]

I happened to be looking at a Harbor Freight catalog recently and saw what looks like the same unit or similar. It was something like $4k+, and it said quantities limited. If I recall, it said 1,000 lbs, though I would have guessed heavier.

Yup, big oil filter and sump (not sure of exact capacity) and two large fuel filters.

I'd be interested to check the output with a frequency meter to see how close it is to 60 hertz. Computers run fine on its power. It's right at 120v.

Mine uses in the range of 1-1.5 gal/hr, with a light load.

It doesn't have an alternator or generator, but for fixed use that's not a problem, I keep a "Battery Tender" trickle charger on the battery maybe half the time. The starter motor is huge.

Given that it's mounted on a sturdy I-beam frame, it'd be pretty straightforward to set it up with a trailer axle and tongue, and lights, and a frame extension for a battery box and fuel tank. If I were going to the trouble, I'd add voltage and frequency meters too. Someone with welding skills (wish I had them) could do it pretty readily, I think.

 

[Audity]

Just looked at the website Rigby sited - the 271-20R looks just like it, but without the alternator. Same color, even.

 

[wlkjr]

We have a 225KW emergency generator for our central office at work. The routine calls for an hour run every other week with load. The tech who services it uses Delo 30 weight. One office I worked in years ago had two 225KW's side by side and they had to be paralleled. Talk about some major noise. It's much better to run them than to let them sit idle all the time.

 

[Ken2]

quote:

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I'd be interested to check the output with a frequency meter to see how close it is to 60 hertz.

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That will be a function of how well the engine's governor holds the engine right at 1200 rpm under changing load. These were industrial generators powering reefer compressors. Exact frequency was not a concern.


Ken