problems with my perkins 4108 gearbox, please help

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willorca

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hi all
my names will and im 22 and im new to boating and the like, i have recently bought a 22'' fishing boat (orca) with a perkins 4108, i bought it from breightlingsea and took it down to rice and cole(burnham on crouch) were i took it out the water straight away for a service and a coat of antifowl.

aftr putting it back in the water today and going for a brief test run i got back to my mooring and found that the gearbox had locked itself into forward gear, im assuming this as when i put it in neutral it still wnats to go forward and when i start the boat it surges forward and when i try to put it in reverse it stalls the engine.

its been out the water for about a month, it didnt have this problem before and the engineer didnt touch the gearbox whilst out of the water.

does anybody have any idea of what im faced with, is it a simple problem or an expensive repair or even a replacement.

id be very greatful for any help, thanks in advance
will
 
Depends on gearbox make and type. Perkins probably didn't make the gearbox and it must be mechanical rather than hydraulic so is probably a minor problem as the older mechanical gearboxes were pretty bullet-proof. I'm guessing it's an internal linkage that has come adrift.
 
Control cable slippage is the most likely explanation. Look closely at what happens to the lever on the side of the gearbox as you shift the gear lever (without the engine running). Second most likely is the wrong level (or type) of oil (ATF) in the gearbox. Check the gearbox dipstick. After that its down to worn bushes etc in the gearbox itself. A specialist overhaul of a mechanical gearbox such as a Hurth that is not actually broken will cost around £300. Ask at your local Perkins dealer - I think in Brightlingsea that might be DB Marine.
 
I agree with the other posts but there is actually more of a chance that the cable has broken than anything else. Certainly look at the lever on the side of the gearbox to see if it moves. If it doesn't cable is broken. Replace. If it moves, but still does not come out of gear unbolt the cable and move the lever manually to find forward and reverse. There should be a neutral between them. Put lever on gearbox and actuating lever at helm in neutral and re tighten either with a new cable if busted or the old one if not. Its likely this will solve the problem but if you cant find forward neutral and reverse by moving the gearbox lever manually then the problem is internal to the gearbox.
 
Hi Will
Agree with others probably a cable or linkage problem and should not be to much of a problem to sort out, I do not think it is a gearbox problem.
Just to cheer you up I had twin Perkins 4108 Diesels in my last boat and they never let me down and you can aways get spares at a reasonable price.
 
hi guys thanks so much for your helpful replies, i disconnected the linkage and tried operating the gear box manualy at the box and it appears that its stuck in forward gear, set neutral and it stays in forward, set reverse and it just stops the engine

im going there now and will have another look, does anyone know which gearbox is most commonly mated to the 4108?

cheers
will
 
It can be one of about 4 common variations. You need to look. There will be a plate on it somewhere. If not take a photo and show us.
 
TMP... if that is what your g/box is, are at Weybridge in Surrey.

I have a TMP on my 4107 and have found them helpful when I 'phoned them.

Good luck. Nick
 
My 4108 Gearbox managed to get stuck ahead when docking, all was going well ready for a final thrust in reverse, selected reverse, revved up and smashed into the jetty. Nothing wrong found with the controls and has worked fine since.
I always do a litle check now prior to tricky manouvers!!
 
hi guys, i had a good look today, its a borg warner it has some numbers on too (01-04-065-904).

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had a little play with it to, put it in forward manually from the lever on the box and tried to turn the shaft and it would turn slightly then stop, as it would because its in gear, then tried neutral and reverse and was exactly the same.. had a look at the oil in the box and ilooked like it was a rust color, worrying! one of the boys in the yard topped up the oil the other day too with engine oil but not a significant amount.
could the wrong oil be causing this?
is this a common problem with the borg warner box?
are they easy to fix?
are they easy to get another if i haveto?

thanks again
will
 
have you checked the propellor is not fouled, with rope etc as borg warner box engages gear only when there is oil pressure, ie with the engine running.

with a stopped engine, in gear, fwd or rev or neutral, the shaft should be free,,as the gear selector lever does not have a mechanical link, but is just a fancy tap to direct the oil to the fwd or rev clutches.


We have had borg w boxes since 1970, 7000hrs on first boat 3000+ on second.both twin engines. great boxes, especially when looked after, with regular oil changes

oil colour when fresh, red, goes reddybrown after a while. should not smell burnt or be black or emulsion.

edit, added:-

disconnect shaft.

if symptoms still exist, expensive repair I am afraid. use to be an excellent firm at penton hook.
 
if you are having problems on the east coat pop along to French Marine Motors they will recomend a fix, and the engine oil should be ATF pink in colour
they can also help with the 4108 as they carry stock of parts, I know as something similar happened to me. turned out to be water getting into the box through the cooler and seizing the clutch packs togther in reverse so slightly oppostie... but sounds like the same.....
And no the oil in the box never turned white as you would expect but the internals of the box went very rusty and the cooler need replaceing after a pressure test !!!
 
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