Perkins 4108 (M or not)

Dougal

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Is it reasonably safe to assume, that as my very old and reliable 4108 has an insulated earth return on the starter, that is an original 'marine engine', and not some van conversion? Although it is (until I can afford otherwise), raw water cooled.
 
My Evasion 32 had the same thing on the 4108 and it was the original engine as engine number was on the documentation i was given when I bought her. Mine also was raw water cooled. I would therefore conclude it is safe to assume you have a genuine OE marinised unit.
 
I have a 4108 M Lowline with insulated earth return on the starter, actually all earths in the boat go to the battery and not to the hull. 37 years old with papers to prove it and only 1400 hrs on it.
 
Is it reasonably safe to assume, that as my very old and reliable 4108 has an insulated earth return on the starter, that is an original 'marine engine', and not some van conversion? Although it is (until I can afford otherwise), raw water cooled.

Mine, dating fro the late '70s, was insulated return. If you check the battery negative terminal on the starter, you will see its on an insulated stud, like the positive.
Also, the temperature sender has 2 wires as has the thermostart.

However, I seem to remember that the workshop and engine manuals show engines with indirect cooling - mine had separate water cooled manifold, heat exchanger and oil cooler.
 
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My Evasion 32 had the same thing on the 4108 and it was the original engine as engine number was on the documentation i was given when I bought her. Mine also was raw water cooled. I would therefore conclude it is safe to assume you have a genuine OE marinised unit.

Hi Pete
Have we spoken before? Would be very interested to hear your experiences of the E32. We're out in France, returning to UK early Oct. Any chance of a chat sometime then?
 
I'm not sure why it actually matters. Many marine engines are marinised versions of vehicle engines so if yours has not been marinised - no heat exhangers or water cooled manifold, then it's arguably not a true marine engine - just because it has insulated return electrics doesn't clinch it.
Raw water cooled versions may have been produced for fresh water use - eg canals, but I'm dubious that Perkins would recommend direct sea water cooling.
 
I agree, I have seen many a site but not that one.
All motors here in holland were built in england, without M they were used in tractors and Gensets, With M they were marinised with heat exchanges and oil coolers.
 
The original Workshop that came with my engine has a whole section on Direct and indirect cooling, so they were made like that
 
You are either just not old enough to remember them or too old to remember them.


Not that many engines were fresh water cooled in the 50+60s it was quite an additional cost at that time and few had any use for the hot water

Perkins built engines to many specs and variations
 
You are either just not old enough to remember them or too old to remember them.
Not that many engines were fresh water cooled in the 50+60s it was quite an additional cost at that time and few had any use for the hot water
Perkins built engines to many specs and variations

My memory and experience goes back to the '70s and the old mans numerous boats - a couple of air cooled Listers - noisy noisy beasts and the others were indirect cooled BMC /Thorneycroft 1.8 & 2,2, Ford 4D, possibly a Perkins or two and a Kelvin - not sure if this was indirect cooled.
The most ridiculous was a 4cyl Gardner bus engine (4lx?) with an alloy sump which corroded away due to his old wooden coble having plenty of leaking rotten planks. I have no idea what bhp it was but it was way too big for the boat. It was probably direct cooled so the sump would only have been the tip of the corrosion iceberg.
My earliest recollection is of a petrol/paraffin engine with a magneto. You started it on petrol and switched to parafinn when it had warmed up. The magneto was always causing problems. That was around the time those new fangled small marine diesels started to be commonplace.
 
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My memory and experience goes back to the '70s and the old mans numerous boats - a couple of air cooled Listers - noisy noisy beasts and the others were indirect cooled BMC /Thorneycroft 1.8 & 2,2, Ford 4D, possibly a Perkins or two and a Kelvin - not sure if this was indirect cooled.
The most ridiculous was a 4cyl Gardner bus engine (4lx?) with an alloy sump which corroded away due to his old wooden coble having plenty of leaking rotten planks. I have no idea what bhp it was but it was way too big for the boat. It was probably direct cooled so the sump would only have been the tip of the corrosion iceberg.
My earliest recollection is of a petrol/paraffin engine with a magneto. You started it on petrol and switched to parafinn when it had warmed up. The magneto was always causing problems. That was around the time those new fangled small marine diesels started to be commonplace.

Hey, everything you've posted is so familiar to me I could have written it myself. However for me back to the late 50s and 60s. Some of my earliest recollections are of Kelvin petrol/paraffin engines and Lister air cooled diesels. Also remember Gardner diesels as they always sounded like the local buses. Thanks for the memories.
 
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