Perkins P4

[mersey]

Perkins P4, does not start, white smoke coming out of exhaust.

Taken out injector pipes just before they go into the injectors and clean bubble free diesel comes out. Also they appear to fire in order.

Turns over freely and fast.

Has a CAV BPE4A injection pump, top left is fuel in, does anyone know what the line on the top right is for? I'm guesing air.

It goes of to the other side of the engine to just above a flap, which I take to be the air inlet manifold. This flap is opened and closed by a lever to the throttle cable.

Attached to the right of the CAV is what I guess is the governor? It has a lever attached to the stop cable.

There looks to have been some oil, coming up from a vent pipe just below the engine oil filler, into the air filter and then onto the air intake manifold. I'm currently trying to start it without the air filter on.

Not familar with this vintage of engine so any help appericated.

Thanks!

 

[Mudisox]

?Glo plugs working OK?

 

[mersey]

No sign of any glow plugs.

 

[TQA]

The P4 often had a CAV Thermostart fitted to the inlet manifold. It looks a bit like a big spark plug. It will have a fuel supply and an electrical connection.

In cold weather they need this to start. It vaporises some fuel then when you crank the airflow causes the vaporised fuel to contact the heating element and burn. The flame gets drawn into the the cylinders and it bangs and clatters into life.

 

[DownWest]

My 4108 had the Thermostart. Turn the engine a few times to pressurise the fuel system. Let the element heat up ( on the switch), turn some more & bingo. Might be that it is burned out. As a test, you could use Easy-start (just the once) to see if it will start, thereby eliminating other possible causes.
A
Any history? Spinning fast might indicate lack of compression. White smoke sounds like atomised fuel.

 

[duncanmack]

Perkins P4, does not start, white smoke coming out of exhaust.

Taken out injector pipes just before they go into the injectors and clean bubble free diesel comes out. Also they appear to fire in order.

Turns over freely and fast.

Sounds like a lack of compression - has it been lying un-run for a while? If so then try using a blowlamp near the air intake to ger war/hot air into it while turning it over.

Has a CAV BPE4A injection pump, top left is fuel in, does anyone know what the line on the top right is for? I'm guesing air.

It goes of to the other side of the engine to just above a flap, which I take to be the air inlet manifold. This flap is opened and closed by a lever to the throttle cable.

The pump rack is closed by a diaphragm, controlled by the partial vacuum in the inlet manifold. The pipe you describe is a vacuum control pipe. Don't disconnect it and try and run the engine! You will get instant full throttle, and no way of slowing it down.

Attached to the right of the CAV is what I guess is the governor? It has a lever attached to the stop cable.

If you run the engine with the vacuum control pipe off then the odds are that the stop lever will fall off and you will have issues about stopping the engine. I have the T-shirt, the control pipe fractured but fortunately the engine was in a truck on the (clear-ish) motorway and it ended with only a change of underwear required

There looks to have been some oil, coming up from a vent pipe just below the engine oil filler, into the air filter and then onto the air intake manifold. I'm currently trying to start it without the air filter on.

It's a breather pipe, don't worry about it unless oil is coming out it.

Not familar with this vintage of engine so any help appericated.

Thanks!

Wonderful engine. Wonderful memories

 

[mersey]

Wonderful engine. Wonderful memories

Thanks for all the replies so far, very helpful!

It started first time, with Easystart being sprayed in while cranking.

Found the glowplug going in up under the air inlet manifold, but no wires are connected, tried to remove it, but it doesn't want to turn.

There is some kind of bolt which I believe originally had a nut on the end of it, going into the manifold on the side in line with where the glowplug goes up, I'm guessing I need to remove this first to get the glowplug out? Problem is the nut has broken off (not my doing, but it is what it is), so may need to remove manifold and drill it out?

Or should the glowplug come out without removing anything else first? If so will WD40 it.

Has anyone got a workshop manual I can get a copy of?

Thanks!