Wilesco D3 review

Wandering-Willie · Wilesco D3 review

Hi guys
Im considering buying a Wilesco D3 in a few months, but im wondering if anyone else on here has one and give me a mini-review?
Cheers
Allen

Bugsy

Our member Klaus Lutz has advised me not to buy one on account of poor manufacturing quality.
Here is a link to the English page referring to the D3 on his site.
http://www.klaus-dampfkeller.de/pageID_7613902.html
Phil

davidcurtis021

i am sure this was discussed over a beer in wuppertal and the consensus was dont bother. as i remember i'm sure phil(bugsy) was going to buy one and either klauss or joe who had had three of them none of which worked advised him against.
Pm phil he is bound to remember who it was.

Ross

Klaus told me they were no good

Still he saved me money!

jakesm

my opinion is in a word-cute!!

its messy, stinky & mine goes like the clappers (oh yes thats why we do this!

)

manufacturing quality is abysmal, the hub-cap that sits on the end of the crank can shift enough to cause the piston to jam!

Wandering-Willie

Well, i wouldnt expect it to run for along time due to the size of the cylinder in comparison to the boiler!!!

Compound

If you want something small get a D6 or even a Mamod Minor!

jakesm

check out mitch has a nice mm2 in the sale section!!

now there is an engine that Really runs......

Ross

johnreid

You dont really save money when you buy something just because it doesnt cost much, there again it is your decision to make, Who knows you might love it and think we were all pessimists.

jakesm

50GBP for something old and interesting versus 57,76euro for the new one!

Wandering-Willie

Well, I love how it looks, and hay, it doesnt have to be a runner, could just be a mantle piece (a bludy expensive 1!!!), and also a bit of a project.
May have to have a serious think about this one, it really looks the part, and, I dont really run my engines very often. What should I do???

Bugsy

I must admit it does look nice!

robertosala

Glad to have read this.

I was eager to buy one because they are so charming and look nice.

I'll stay away from them.

Thanks for posting.

Rob

metalhead100

Shoot ......

I want one now just so i can fix it and make it run !

HAhahha

I love a challenge........

Jim

27ace27

I still want one! I will not conform!

xlchainsaw

i dont know???? some people expect precision clockwork models for a "toy" price these people should be thinking up market!!! and not toy steam. the wilesco sure looks nice.

i would say that the "non" runners of this model is due to it being "shipped" around and the engine frame is misaligned and the new owner doesnt know enough about "toy" steam to realign things. mind you due to the flimsy material used the model wont take too much realigning till it breaks.

scorpion2nz

Ok I have one (well sort off)
it is sitting in the wardrobe (I think) was brought for me by my other half as she liked the look of it I think I will be allowed it on 11th of November if I behave

so I shall have to fire it and see what the fuss is about

metalhead100

hmmmm someone had better behave.......

Jim

Steamfan

I have one and it's run fine from the first firing. Didn't have to touch anything. Yes, I was surprised.

Ah Clem

I have one and have run it many times (there is a video of it on this forum somewhere).

It runs great! The little plastic cap on the stack is useless and the site glasses are kind of hard to see into, but the machine itself runs really well.

Bugsy

I bid on one last night on Ebay Germany but it got away from me at €45.50. It was brand new.
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.d...3904&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

steamgranny

I also have one, purchased new. Agree it's not quality engineering but I like the little upright boiler & it may get a complete makeover one of these days....
It runs fine, although stubbornly refuses at the sight of thick steam oil & must use the thinner Wilesco stuff. It was only my second machine, at a time when I thought that would be 'it'!

made-in-england

dont bother!

I have had one for about a year now and have run it all but 3 times. Lovely kwirky things but terrible practically!

Will

johnreid

Get one, send it to Metalhead and then write a review once he returns it

I agree if the workmanship was better it would be a fun machine,

Les

To be honest I do not like the look of it at all.

metalhead100

I'm up for that challenge......

"If it ain't broke...I can fix it"

In other words....If all the parts are there....I can smooth it out.

Jim

Ah Clem

Found it!

Great running little engine!

Bugsy

Nothing wrong with the way that one ran Ah Clem!

I would like to get one, they fill a niche!
Phil

Les

That one runs well.

L.North

I bought one. Was not impressed. I removed the boiler and I'm looking for a small upright engine to use them on a 15" boat. I will get about 5-6 mins run time. But that's ok since it is for my small wading pool.

dampfmaschinenjoe 1967

I own one and it runs well out of the box , B U T for a little money more you can get a really well engineered and much more sophisticated D 6 and these engines are the best value for your money I can think of in the lowcost region of steam engineering.

cheers Joe

scorpion2nz

well i was a good boy and I got my D3 today (birthday pressie from other half)
it did run straight out of the box eventually I have a video but it is going to take over 4 hours

to upload to You Tube and it is now 9.00pm so will have to do it tomorrow night as soon as i get in from work

jakesm

the things we do for fun!

happy birthday!

jakesm

so metalhead-what do we do to make it go better?

scorpion2nz

Well I finally got video uploaded had to do it in 2 parts

In general not that great
It looks the part but let down by construction
the burner holder scrapes on the base when trying to insert.
the piston feels like it is scrapping when it is being turned over
and i also think the boiler is to small for the piston/cylinder as it appears to run out of steam pressure very quickly but this maybe because it also leaks very badly between the cylinder and the pivot block

jakesm

yupp, that is about right!

again

i ask-

metalhead how do we make this thing go better?!

Burnmafingers

Man, the engine in that video is terrible

I would find it hard to get any pleasure from that. a shame as it looks quite cute.

Wandering-Willie

theyve put a too larger cylinder on it, thats the obvious falt!!!

Keith S

Well, everything needs to be run in. Granted it seems to represent pretty minimal effort on the part of the manufacturer, but realistically, even these little oscillators must need a good few runs before they reach their potential. Look at the troubles people have with the mamod locomotives. If the fuel load is only one esbit tablet, it's going to run out pretty quickly, and after all the trouble it took to get it running, I think it might have been fair to put a fresh tablet in there to represent its potential a little better. It has obvious faults, but I'm going to reserve judgement until he has it run in a little and then hopefully posts a video then.

hansdampf

buy one and don't drive it one Esbit but one gas or meths it's a good runner, like mine. Allow her to get run in and you won't be disappointed...

scorpion2nz

Whether i run it again or not is the big question the point of the video was not to run it in but rather show it straight out of the box with it's obvious faults run as per instructions and the water was warm from the jug .

Wandering-Willie

the big question on everyones lips (well, maybe just mine), how do the gauges work on this, they are wierd compared to anything ive seen before,
cheers
allen

SlideValve

"it also leaks very badly between the cylinder and the pivot block"

You might need to increase the spring tension to make a bigger seal, and if you can't increase the tension in the spring, you might need to take the spring off and put a longer one on, or stretch the original one to get a better seal. I've also notice the bearings look very bad, and don't a very good job. The cylinder looks like the size of a d6 cylinder, and the boiler looks the same size or maybe a tad bit bigger than a d6 boiler, just looks like poor build quality to me

steamgranny

Yes, that parallels my first ever steam up of D3 !

And had to tinker a lot with the compression spring before finding correct tension plus the towel to soak up mess!

Get (or make) one of these special D3 meths burners, although it will fry the logo!

http://dampfbrenner.de/html/praxisbeispiele.html

It’s still just as noisy but has run in a lot better since & much to my surprise managed to power my sawmill accessory!

As previously mentioned, I do eventually intend to improve on the engine part of this machine or use boiler for something completely different…
You simply peer into the 2 round water level gauges. Top one = max water level. Bottom one = time to take burner out if water down to that level!

Hardly defending this very second-rate piece of machinery but it can be made to work....sort of!

gd9704

SlideValve

I can't believe Wilesco would let that pass the factory. The Wilesco d6 is far superior to the d3. You can get a vintage d6 on eBay that is in great condition, and collectible for the price of a new d3, i just don't get it

johnreid

Like many hobbies, someone buys the "Starter" and gets discouraged. It doesnt help the hobby, but there again there is a brand new engine that doesnt cost as much,

scorpion2nz

maybe Crabfu should get one I am sure ho would tip the boiler on it side and he would have to eyes for his creations .

In general it is a bit like the chesty blond at the pub on a saturday night after a few drinks
she looks fine and worth a round or 2 in bed but in the light of day not 1 you would give the front door keys to for a long term relationship

27ace27

H2o vapour

Hi Guys

My Comment for what it's worth,

I have an unsteamed D21, which I to like the look of, also like the look of the D3. Like the comments regarding the D3, The D21 is very 'cheap'!!

If you want a small quality engine, look at the MF Twin, yes it's alot more, but boy is it worth it !!

I get so much form the engine, it's the quality, that is why the D21 is going to stay un - steamed and hopefully I will get some money back on it to put towards a M101.

My thoughts only

H2o

Ah Clem

"i also think the boiler is to small for the piston/cylinder as it appears to run out of steam pressure very quickly but this maybe because it also leaks very badly between the cylinder and the pivot block"

I usually put two Esbit pellets in the burner tray (one laying flat, the other on edge on top of it). This makes getting the burner in a bit more difficult.

I have not had the issue with it running out of steam. I do run heavier oil (steam oil). Before a run, I put the end of the oil bottle up against the exhaust port and, with the safety valve removed, turn the engine backwards to suck the oil in (as with a Jensen).

3-in-1 is kind of light for this sort of thing (IMHO-for whatever that is worth).

KMV

Hello,
the D3 pleases me optically well, I thinks, the selling price is also correct.
Bye
Andreas