Lister A and B types

Hi Andy,

The Lister B has a higher power output than the A. They are both referred to as Lister Juniors.

They are quite similar in appearance, but the Lister B in the hopper cooled version (the most common version) has a noticeably taller hopper. I'm not sure how you can tell at a glance with the tank cooled version. As far as I can make out, there are a lot more Lister A engines about than B engines.

Not sure who does engine plates (that's what you mean isn't it?). Regards, Arthur G

Essentially the rpm and bore and thus piston rod and cylinder but, depending on what ages are compared, also the crank, carb, exhaust, flywheels, hopper, fuel tank and more. For full details I recommend the booklet "Know your Lister A and B types" direct from www.stationaryenginebooks and NOT from one of the non value-added Ebay resellers. hth

-- Roland Craven Nr. Exeter, Devon, UK snipped-for-privacy@petternut.co.uk

Andy, The main difference is the cylinder, the A uses a 4 inch bore, and the B a 4 1/2 inch bore. I,ve found the best way to tell the tank cooled engines appart is the carbs. The A uses a slide, the B a spacer and a butterfly, but bear in mind the carbs can be interchanged between the two models.

HTH, Gary Millward.

But, and hence my generalist reply, the early A was 3 3/4" bore and the early B used the slide carb. Peter Forbes may recall exactly how thick the changebooks for the two models are but I'd guess a few inches :-) Once you get into the AK and BK its even more complicated! The ID plate and its spec number are the only truly reliable guide. Even then bitsas are common. ttfn Roland

Thankyou for your help. This all came about when a newcomer asked me whether his newly acquired engine was an A or B type, I really hadn't a clue!!

Thinking about it, the other quick way to tell, Andy, is to have a look for the casting number on the cylinder casting. All the casting numbers start with either A or B, followed by a number of up to three digits. Castings common to both engines are marked Axxx, whereas castings used specifically for B types are marked Bxxx.

So, on the basis that a B would never have an A cylinder and vice-versa, if the cylinder/hopper casting has a B prefix (like B309), then the engine is a B. If it has an A number then the engine is an A.

BTW, unless my B has the wrong carb, I've got to state that my 1926 Bruston B has a slide. Sorry, Gary. Over such a long production period many variations were built in. This, as well as forgetfulness, is why I didn't mention bore or rpm.

In my experience, they are a lovely engine to work with, apart from the difficulty of replacing the main bearings.

Regards, Arthur G