perkins 4.108

[Falcoron]

As a newbie to boating I have an ocean 30 running a perkins 4.108

Couple of things I wanted to know,
1, if I have a single starter battery is this a 12v type? and what should the rating be on it ( no markings on this one and its not holding a charge so changing for a new one) What size should I get?

2, There is a steel header tank on the engine does this need to have water in all the time and what level do I fill it to? The cap for this is also loose, what type or temp rating do I get for this?

3, I take it this is cooled by the engine pumping water from the lake and out the exhaust, how much water should be pumping and how do you check if its working correctly?

I ran her for half an hour yesterday at tick over only and didn't see any water being pumped out the
exhaust. What and where do I check if all ok?

sorry is any of these are silly questions, but only easy when you know.
cheers

 

[Ferris]

1. The battery should be a 12v battery, on a boat like yours (ex-hire Shannon cruiser iirc) they are usually a van / truck sealed battery. I don't think you need to go to the expense of a marine grade battery but I am open to correction.

2. we had a 4108 lowline in a similar ex-hire boat. the lowline engine ran a header tank that ran along the side of the rocker cover. Yes this is to be full but there is a overfill / breather hose that will drain off excess. If you are having to put a lot of water (~250 - 500ml) in regularly than this is not good. As for the cap, just get a new one, it won't be expensive. See link for parts: http://www.edina.ie/page/39/Contact-Us.aspx

3. You should be pumping water, if not stop the engine. In saying that it can take a few revs to 'spit' cooling water out the exhaust, but you should be pumping raw water. If not you have an issue. Check the raw water strainer for a blockage, it should be in a brass column raising from a seacock in the engine comp. Otherwise there is an impeller that pumps raw water, this needs replacing every 2yrs. Is there a temp. gauge, is it working?

 

[Tranona]

any battery recommended for a 2 litre diesel engine vehicle. Constraint is usually what fits the space and location of terminals. Capacity will typically be 70-80 AH.

You need to look at the raw water pumping system as once the engine is running there should be raw water coming out of the exhaust. Is the seacock open? Is the filter blocked? Is the impeller in good condition? The header tank is for the fresh water cooling circuit and should have coolant in it. Raw water is pumped through the heat exchanger to cool the freshwater and then injected into the exhaust. The engine is cooled by fresh water in a closed circuit.

 

[TQA]

If you have a 'wet' exhaust made of rubber tube and glass fiber silencers/water traps and you ran your engine for 30 minutes with no water passing through the system then you may well have damaged your exhaust system.

You need to remove the hose and first silencer component and visually inspect the interior of both.

Did you check to see if the seacock supplying the raw water pump was open? It is common to close it on leaving the boat.

 

[Firefly625]

If you have a 'wet' exhaust made of rubber tube and glass fiber silencers/water traps and you ran your engine for 30 minutes with no water passing through the system then you may well have damaged your exhaust system.

You need to remove the hose and first silencer component and visually inspect the interior of both.

Did you check to see if the seacock supplying the raw water pump was open? It is common to close it on leaving the boat.

wise words, plus your impeller will now most likely require changing if run dry for 30 mins..

 

[Falcoron]

If you have a 'wet' exhaust made of rubber tube and glass fiber silencers/water traps and you ran your engine for 30 minutes with no water passing through the system then you may well have damaged your exhaust system.

You need to remove the hose and first silencer component and visually inspect the interior of both.

Did you check to see if the seacock supplying the raw water pump was open? It is common to close it on leaving the boat.

Thanks for the reply,
as stated i'm very new to boating and know nothing. Not sure what exhaust I have but will get a look at weekend, as for the seacock I don't know what or where that is and was not told about closing or opening that. could you tell me what it looks like and where I might locate it?

 

[Tranona]

Thanks for the reply,
as stated i'm very new to boating and know nothing. Not sure what exhaust I have but will get a look at weekend, as for the seacock I don't know what or where that is and was not told about closing or opening that. could you tell me what it looks like and where I might locate it?

Seems like you really need to get some instruction on what boating is about. Everybody has to start somewhere, but your level of ignorance is likely to result in expensive mistakes for you before you even get to enjoy your boat! Knowing how your engine works is fundamental to safe boating. Get somebody who knows what to d to talk you through the basics while you are on the boat. Nothing is difficult but you need to know what is critical.

 

[Spi D]

I have a feeling that you might benefit from a couple of handbooks.
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Bowman_PE580_Manifold_Heat_Exchanger_ASAP_201236.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/4_108M_Parts_Manual.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins Marine Engine Handbook.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins-4.107_4.108_4.99-WorkshopManual.pdf

The latter, pg. 23, state that the starter max draw is 900A so a starting battery with this rating in Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) would be my suggestion for a battery.

If used for starting only a dedicated starting battery will be fine - if sharing with consuming devices a dual purpose battery would suit. And of course with a decent intelligent charger. And battery separator if more than one bank.

 

[Falcoron]

I have a feeling that you might benefit from a couple of handbooks.
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Bowman_PE580_Manifold_Heat_Exchanger_ASAP_201236.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/4_108M_Parts_Manual.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins Marine Engine Handbook.pdf
http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins-4.107_4.108_4.99-WorkshopManual.pdf

The latter, pg. 23, state that the starter max draw is 900A so a starting battery with this rating in Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) would be my suggestion for a battery.

If used for starting only a dedicated starting battery will be fine - if sharing with consuming devices a dual purpose battery would suit. And of course with a decent intelligent charger. And battery separator if more than one bank.

Thanks a million, very helpful. I have a supplier that can get me sorted. Thanks for the downloads too some reading required tonight.

 

[Falcoron]

Seems like you really need to get some instruction on what boating is about. Everybody has to start somewhere, but your level of ignorance is likely to result in expensive mistakes for you before you even get to enjoy your boat! Knowing how your engine works is fundamental to safe boating. Get somebody who knows what to d to talk you through the basics while you are on the boat. Nothing is difficult but you need to know what is critical.

Thanks, just feel like i have been spanked by the head master!
I have been enjoying the experience and the boat has been running faultlessly so far, i check oil/ water levels every time i use her and all has been good bar a loose header cap that spilled over a drop of hot water, we stopped at once and let her cool for an hour while we had a cuppa, topped up with a small drop to the header and went on a 3 day cruise with no issues at all. That was 3 weeks ago and we havent been out since as we are tidying her up.
I started her on Sat to warm up, and to charge the batteries a bit and noticed there was little water coming from exhaust so turned her off, i will get her checked over by someone who knows what is what and wont start again until i have the all clear or repaired if something is amiss. She had a full marine service in June before i bought her with receipt. Thanks for the spanking, well deserved!

 

[RobWales]

Be quick, just noticed in the for sale section....

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?462854-Perkins-4-108-workshop-manual

 

[Ferris]

I started her on Sat to warm up, and to charge the batteries a bit and noticed there was little water coming from exhaust so turned her off,

Just to say, very little water will come from the exhaust when the engine is idling. You need to give it some revs (out of gear) to push some raw water out of the exhaust.

Also, just on the header tank cap, they're awkward to put on. You have to place the cap correctly between the tabs on the filler neck, press down hard and turn 90deg. Make sure not to drop it like I did once = unpleasant trip to the bilge.

Don't worry about being inexperienced, you will learn quick enough. The navigation is very safe and easy to use if you're sensible. If you take your time and ask people when you're not sure about something, you'll be fine. The IWAI events / rallies are good fun.

 

[Falcoron]

Just to say, very little water will come from the exhaust when the engine is idling. You need to give it some revs (out of gear) to push some raw water out of the exhaust.

Also, just on the header tank cap, they're awkward to put on. You have to place the cap correctly between the tabs on the filler neck, press down hard and turn 90deg. Make sure not to drop it like I did once = unpleasant trip to the bilge.

Don't worry about being inexperienced, you will learn quick enough. The navigation is very safe and easy to use if you're sensible. If you take your time and ask people when you're not sure about something, you'll be fine. The IWAI events / rallies are good fun.

Thanks Ferris,
Yeah i know i dont know a lot but i know how to check an engine before starting and do it every time, the header tank cap is done there is no resistance when fitting so not sealing the way it should, new one on the way.
Thanks for your kind words, help and link, i have asked if i can take the manual.
Cheers
Ron Ferris

 

[Spi D]

Also for download here:

http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins-4.107_4.108_4.99-WorkshopManual.pdf

 

[Falcoron]

Also for download here:

http://spidybot.com/perkins/Perkins-4.107_4.108_4.99-WorkshopManual.pdf

Thanks got the down load earlier but also nice to have a hard copy for the boat ��