Oil for Perkins 4108

auditdata

auditdata

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I have read the workshop manual and it lists lots of oils but they are all to a US spec MIL-L-2104-C or MIL-L-46152 with minimum viscosity of index of 80.
I have no idea what any of this means. What do I get from Halfords!!!
 
Last edited:
auditdata said:
I have read the workshop manual and it lists lots of oils but they are all to a US spec MIL-L-2104-C or MIL-L-46152 with minimum viscosity of index of 80.
I have no idea what any of this means. What do I get from Halfords!!!
Click to expand...

For what its worth I just use good quality multigrade minieral oil. Is yours direct or heat exchanger cooled? mine is direct which means the engine runs a lot cooler than is ideal. Perhaps a certain grade of oil would be better for this but frankly, most oils will 'sludge' at these cooler temperatures. The bottom line is its the frequency with which you change it thats most important. I go for a mid season change. Not sure about yours butmine has a sump pump mounted remotely and a spin on filter so it really is a quick an easy job.

of course being a 4108 the oil leaks out so fast its always being topped up with fresh stuff!! I put nappies under mine now to keep the bilges a bit cleaner. It is the smoothest and most reliable engine I ever had though.
 
contessaman said:
For what its worth I just use good quality multigrade minieral oil. Is yours direct or heat exchanger cooled? mine is direct which means the engine runs a lot cooler than is ideal. Perhaps a certain grade of oil would be better for this but frankly, most oils will 'sludge' at these cooler temperatures. The bottom line is its the frequency with which you change it thats most important. I go for a mid season change. Not sure about yours butmine has a sump pump mounted remotely and a spin on filter so it really is a quick an easy job.

of course being a 4108 the oil leaks out so fast its always being topped up with fresh stuff!! I put nappies under mine now to keep the bilges a bit cleaner. It is the smoothest and most reliable engine I ever had though.
Click to expand...

i cured the 4108 leaking oil in my boat ;)
hauled it out & sold it :D
 
sailorman said:
Kubota base & i re-engined over 10 yrs ago, i had to increase the pitch of the MaxProp to get just below 3000 rpm from the setting of the Perkie.
now coming up to 1000 hrs with no probs or oil leaks :D
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sounds good. my 4108 is original fit (1979) with 3400 hours on it. Still going strong but I guess it wont go on forever so always keen to know what others have replaced with. Its hard to know if that hourage (is that a word) is high. Its all subjective and depends on servicing etc.

as for changing it, its a BIG engine. think I would have to take the thing apart inside the boat if I ever wanted to stand a chance of getting it out of the companionway. Still, for now it starts on the button and runs nicely so there it shall remain until it becomes a liability or I win the lottery!

anything with a kubota base must be good, parts must surely be avalable worldwide at modest cost. sounds like a good choice. I prefer the blue clour scheme to the beta anyway...
 
contessaman said:
sounds good. my 4108 is original fit (1979) with 3400 hours on it. Still going strong but I guess it wont go on forever so always keen to know what others have replaced with. Its hard to know if that hourage (is that a word) is high. Its all subjective and depends on servicing etc.

as for changing it, its a BIG engine. think I would have to take the thing apart inside the boat if I ever wanted to stand a chance of getting it out of the companionway. Still, for now it starts on the button and runs nicely so there it shall remain until it becomes a liability or I win the lottery!

anything with a kubota base must be good, parts must surely be avalable worldwide at modest cost. sounds like a good choice. I prefer the blue clour scheme to the beta anyway...
Click to expand...

I have just replaced my Perkins with the Nanni 43HD it's 43 hp I should be starting it tomorrow if all goes to plan
 
contessaman said:
sounds good. my 4108 is original fit (1979) with 3400 hours on it. Still going strong but I guess it wont go on forever so always keen to know what others have replaced with. Its hard to know if that hourage (is that a word) is high. Its all subjective and depends on servicing etc.

as for changing it, its a BIG engine. think I would have to take the thing apart inside the boat if I ever wanted to stand a chance of getting it out of the companionway. Still, for now it starts on the button and runs nicely so there it shall remain until it becomes a liability or I win the lottery!

anything with a kubota base must be good, parts must surely be avalable worldwide at modest cost. sounds like a good choice. I prefer the blue clour scheme to the beta anyway...
Click to expand...


we have good access to the engine, but, had to remove the TMP box,alternator ,manifolds.
the Nanni went straight in c/w the gearbox :cool:.
the Perkie had done 2200 hrs & was smoking badly not able to see across the marina :o
 
Perkins 4108 oil pressure

My 4108 shows good oil pressure on the gauge but the warning light keeps coming on and the buzzer sounding when idling and somes time stays on when I start - until I give it burst of revs. Any ideas why and what I should do?
 
This is the typical symptom of a worn engine. At low revs much of the oil is leaking through increased clearances in the pump itself, bearings, maybe the pressure relief valve. When revs increase the leakage can be overcome and pressure doesn't look too bad.

In the past I have found that when there was a marked difference, e.g. a few psi at tickover and 50 plus psi when running, the cause was the pump, worn teeth and side faces. If the engine is not particularly noisy, due to bearing knock, it could be worth looking at the pump, assuming it is not a major exercise to get it out.

The standard answer is that the pressure switch is faulty _ try a replacement first.
 
Oystercatcher said:
My 4108 shows good oil pressure on the gauge but the warning light keeps coming on and the buzzer sounding when idling and somes time stays on when I start - until I give it burst of revs. Any ideas why and what I should do?
Click to expand...

Oil takes time to flow evenly through the filter, so on start-up the pressure is uneven through the engine. The gauge pickup on a Perkins is close to the pump, and you should be getting a HIGH reading in the first few minutes as oil backs up. The buzzer should go off after at most 20 secs. Apparent pressure irregularities might, as Vyv_Cox suggests be a gauge fault, but I think that is unlikely. Check the engine tickover is correct, below 750 rpm the oil will be reluctant to pressure properly. A new oil filter might help matters, but as Vyv suggests, failing that it could be a worn oil pump.

If you can raise the engine about 25cm off its mounts, the sump can be detached giving access to the pump. Otherwise its a really major operation to sort.

Incidentally the original recommended oil is 30 sae monograde. Using a 15-40 multigrade will tend to encourage minor oil leaks to which a Perkins 4108 is notoriously prone.
 
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