Is the oil cooler necessary on my Perkins 4108

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pcatterall

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The existing and the ( eventual) replacement engines both have oil coolers. I know of other 4108s without.
Our cruising revs are 1800 and the water temp sticks at around 70 degrees.

I have had no problems with the existing cooler but if its not essential then I would rather opt for simplicity and
'less to go wrong' !
 
pcatterall said:
The existing and the ( eventual) replacement engines both have oil coolers. I know of other 4108s without.
Our cruising revs are 1800 and the water temp sticks at around 70 degrees.

I have had no problems with the existing cooler but if its not essential then I would rather opt for simplicity and
'less to go wrong' !
Click to expand...

Don't know, but I do recall a silly 4108 story in which an oil cooler was fitted because the gearbox was running hot and on investigation it was found that the engine was driving ahead through the astern gear train... This was the Taiwan built company yacht of an airline known for its excellence in engineering... :)
 
pcatterall said:
The existing and the ( eventual) replacement engines both have oil coolers. I know of other 4108s without.
Our cruising revs are 1800 and the water temp sticks at around 70 degrees.

I have had no problems with the existing cooler but if its not essential then I would rather opt for simplicity and
'less to go wrong' !
Click to expand...

Is it an engine oil cooler or a gearbox oil cooler?

I assume an engine oil cooler as you're quoting the engine temperature but, either way, I'd be very surprised that such an engine operating in the UK would ever need an oil cooler and certainly not if the coolant temperature only reaches 70 degrees. However, the only way to be 100% certain would be to monitor the oil temperature and see how hot it gets.

Richard
 
I took the oil coolers off my 2 4108s ,the oil pipelines where not connected when I bought the boat,never had a problem in 18 years.
The coolers were an extension on the header tank, took them off and shortened the through bolt.
 
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When an engine oil cooler failed on my six cylinder Ford the engineer told me to bypass it to get home, plug the oil pipes together, and that many such engines have no cooler. However, I have respect for mermaid engineering and would rather use one than not. They also fit cooler thermostats than on land applications.
 
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All TMP Type 12000 gearboxes have integral provision for Water Cooling.
DO NOT USE COPPER BASED ALLOYS AS CONNECTORS, SO DOING WILL RESULT IN MASSIVE CORROSION OF THE CASES.

The connectors have a 3/4" BSP thread. Do not over-tighten, you will have to replace them in the future, particularly if they are of the Anodic type ( TM 12906). These should be checked every season for corrosion.

You may also use steel / iron connectors. Ensure that the threaded portion of the connector does not protrude through the case into the water cavity, a build up of rust will make them impossible to remove without damaging the threads in the case. Either connector can be used for in / out water flow on all but the offset boxes. On these boxes use the lower connector as the in pipe.

(If wished the cooling can be linked into the indirect Engine cooling system if the engine heat-exchanger is large enough.)

All MK IV Boxes should be cooled.

Lightly loaded MK II boxes may be run without cooling where the Max Revs do not exceed 2000 rpm.

The water cooling chamber should be drained down when laying up for the winter, or anti-freeze introduced into the system.

http://thameswaymarineproducts.co.uk/faqwater.htm
 
I am not sure I understand all the replies but I have a 1977 4.108 and about five years ago while sailing I noticed a water leak in the oil heat exchanger (I mean the sump oil exchanger) and I had to rig a temporary bypass for both the oil and the water. For a short time I sailed with the bypasses but as soon as I reached port, I replaced the exchanger with a Bowman EC80 which is very similar to the original exchanger, maybe slightly smaller. At that time I also read that it is possible, in certain conditions and at a certain rating, to run the engine without the heat exchanger but I had no doubt about restoring it. It was not expensive and the installation was quite simple.

Daniel
 
Interesting does that mean a system pumping the gearbox oil through a water cooled heat exchanger?
Sounds odd to me.
I have somehow got 4 TMPs! One looks to have the incoming raw water connected first then pumped round the system.
I think that my Serck exchanger would be able to cool the gearbox rather than use raw water and I suppose that has to mean less corrosion
potential but with 3 spare boxes why worry.
I note also that the TMP installed on the boat has the engine mounting right at the back of the box prohibiting access to the reduction box drain.
When it was last drained I know not ! nor can I suck it out! If we change the box we will consider having a drain plug fitted under the box.
I will ask TMP if this is ok to do.

Thanks all for the info!
 
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