Hi all,
Our ‘84 Beneteau First 38 is on the hard. Another part of this year’s winter work is the Perkins 4-108 engine (only 2200 hours) which runs great but is oozing oil everywhere. It starts within a couple of seconds after engaging the starter motor and been very reliable. We only use the engine maybe 50 hours a year.
So far we have done the following:
- winterized sea water system with -100F antifreeze at haulout (just to be cautious as we did not have a firm date to pull the engine)
- confirmed that antifreeze in closed fresh water system was still good
- uncoupled shaft from HURTH gearbox, it was amazingly easy to remove all the bolts on the coupler after soaking with PB Blaster and then using a battery powered impact wrench to remove the bolts
- removed stuffing box type shaft seal
- removed shaft from boat with prop still attached; very little “wobble” was noted in the cutlass bearing, however we may go ahead and replace the cutlass bearing since the shaft is out
- removed alternator
This weekend we will:
- disconnect sea water inlet hoses
- disconnect engine exhaust gas/cooling water hoses and VETUS waterlock type muffler
- disconnect diesel fuel supply line tubing from 2nd filter that is attached to the side of the engine
- disconnect wiring harness
- use a wet/dry vac to “suck out” the -100F antifreeze from the sea water system
- unbolt the engine mounts
- remove the cockpit sole
- lift the engine out with a forklift and put the engine on a pallet
Once in the workshop we want to do the following:
- remove BOWMAN heat exchanger and clean – perhaps send out to a radiator shop for caustic cleaning
- remove cylinder head cover on top of engine – check condition and replace gasket
- remove timing case on front of engine – check condition and replace gasket
- remove crankcase oil sump on bottom of engine – check condition, replace internal filter, & replace gasket
- remove HURTH gearbox – check condition & replace
- remove flywheel bell housing - check condition and replace gasket; possibly replace coupler internal between flywheel and engine drive shaft
- replace infamous Perkins 4.108 rear main seal – hopefully with something better than the original design
- replace all hoses
Being a frugal German engineer (who thinks he can fix anything) I would prefer to do all of the above myself. But, I must be getting wiser as I get older, and will probably be sending the engine out to a diesel repair shop. I am Chicago but have found the following two shops that are a couple hours drive from Chicago. Anyone used them in the past? Also, did I miss anything? My philosophy is that I only want to pull the engine once and better to do everything now.
Polk Diesel Madison
5900 Haase Road
DeForest, WI 53532
www.polkdiesel.com
Precision Automotive Diesel
5330 American Road
Rockford, IL 61109
www.precisionautomotivediesel.com
Our ‘84 Beneteau First 38 is on the hard. Another part of this year’s winter work is the Perkins 4-108 engine (only 2200 hours) which runs great but is oozing oil everywhere. It starts within a couple of seconds after engaging the starter motor and been very reliable. We only use the engine maybe 50 hours a year.
So far we have done the following:
- winterized sea water system with -100F antifreeze at haulout (just to be cautious as we did not have a firm date to pull the engine)
- confirmed that antifreeze in closed fresh water system was still good
- uncoupled shaft from HURTH gearbox, it was amazingly easy to remove all the bolts on the coupler after soaking with PB Blaster and then using a battery powered impact wrench to remove the bolts
- removed stuffing box type shaft seal
- removed shaft from boat with prop still attached; very little “wobble” was noted in the cutlass bearing, however we may go ahead and replace the cutlass bearing since the shaft is out
- removed alternator
This weekend we will:
- disconnect sea water inlet hoses
- disconnect engine exhaust gas/cooling water hoses and VETUS waterlock type muffler
- disconnect diesel fuel supply line tubing from 2nd filter that is attached to the side of the engine
- disconnect wiring harness
- use a wet/dry vac to “suck out” the -100F antifreeze from the sea water system
- unbolt the engine mounts
- remove the cockpit sole
- lift the engine out with a forklift and put the engine on a pallet
Once in the workshop we want to do the following:
- remove BOWMAN heat exchanger and clean – perhaps send out to a radiator shop for caustic cleaning
- remove cylinder head cover on top of engine – check condition and replace gasket
- remove timing case on front of engine – check condition and replace gasket
- remove crankcase oil sump on bottom of engine – check condition, replace internal filter, & replace gasket
- remove HURTH gearbox – check condition & replace
- remove flywheel bell housing - check condition and replace gasket; possibly replace coupler internal between flywheel and engine drive shaft
- replace infamous Perkins 4.108 rear main seal – hopefully with something better than the original design
- replace all hoses
Being a frugal German engineer (who thinks he can fix anything) I would prefer to do all of the above myself. But, I must be getting wiser as I get older, and will probably be sending the engine out to a diesel repair shop. I am Chicago but have found the following two shops that are a couple hours drive from Chicago. Anyone used them in the past? Also, did I miss anything? My philosophy is that I only want to pull the engine once and better to do everything now.
Polk Diesel Madison
5900 Haase Road
DeForest, WI 53532
www.polkdiesel.com
Precision Automotive Diesel
5330 American Road
Rockford, IL 61109
www.precisionautomotivediesel.com
