Starting Air Valve

The starting air valve of the marine engine is one of the most important equipment as without it, the engine will not be able to start. The air starting valve in the marine engine is fitted on top of each cylinder head and supplied by air from the main air bottle at a pressure of around 30 bars.

The main engine starting air valve works on the basis of timing, controlled by the air supply from the air distributor of the air starting system of the main engine.

the starting air valve and system of MAN engine is slightly different than that of a wartsila/sulzer engine. The working of starting air valve of both the engine is explained in this video.

Most Common Problems in Air Starting Valve:
Sticking of Valve: This happens when there are carbon and soot deposits on the valve, seat spindle, valve piston etc., making the valve difficult to close fully.

Leakage of the valve: Sticking of the valve may also cause valve leakage as the valve is not closed fully. The best method to find out if the valve is leaking or not is by checking the starting air pipeline temperature, especially during manoeuvring and starting up of the engine.

Valve stuck in open position: When the air starting valve of a unit is stuck in an open position, it is advisable to cut off the unit by lifting the fuel pump roller of that unit, and replacing the air starting valve once the engine stops.


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