What is this transmission??

[shipleft]

Yes, it does look like a Paragon.What engine is it hooked up to? If you go online and google paragon marine transmissions you can get all sorts of info and repair shops. There are lots of businesses out there still fixing them. Old Wizened Steve.

[skipmac]

Found a Paragon on eBay that, except for the nice new blue paint job, looks identical to your photo.

Paragon Transmission P44 R Reconditioned Chris Craft | eBay

[Eddiefuego]

Skipmac,

I saw this unit. It looks remarkably like mine. I'll be back at the transmission tomorrow to look closer, especially at the name plate location. But I can't believe I missed it.
I'm a little (lot) shocked at the price of the unit. It is in Michigan. I can only imagine it would cost a small fortune to get it to Panama.
I have not experience with how well these units can be rebuilt either. I was in hope of not being in this situation...but here I am.
I have a Perkins 4-108 or Westerbeke 40...I'm guessing the latter...but I understand the two to be the same. To that issue I am now also concerned that the mounting brackets may be different. From the looks of the rubber mounting bushings...those need replaced also. Is this a common (available) item? Thanks again for the direction...into these foreign waters. Ed

[skipmac]

Westerbeke did frequently make a Perkins knockoff or use the same block as Perkins. I have a Westerbeke W58 that is the same as a Perkins 4.154 series 200, both based on the same Japanese block (Mitsubishi?).

Don't know if the W40 is a 4.108 but someone here might.

Motor mounts. Common and easy to find through most marine engine parts sources. You do need to get mounts with proper load bearing rating, same size bolts, etc.

Don't know about the Paragon but lots of plates are bradded on and fall off easily. Could be gone on yours.

[shipleft]

Both the Paragon and the Borg-Warner Velvet-Drive use plain metal discs as frictions for the forward clutch. The Velvet-Drive uses them for it's reverse clutch also. The Paragon uses a "band" that functions as a clutch for the reverse operation. It is a metal band (self-adjusting) and does not use a friction material. Clutch parts for either transmission are readily available and are not overly expensive, a complete shop re-build usually runs around $1000-1200 Canadian dollars labour plus parts. Westerbeke specializes in "marine-izing" other companies engines and has done thousands of Perkins 4-99, 4-107 and 4-108 engines, adding on various different makes of transmissions over the years. They still sell those same models today, because they are extremely reliable, long-lasting power plants. They generally only run them at 2500 to 3000 rpm max., to make them last, but the Perkins engines were designed to be run up to over 4000rpm and produce as much as 40+ hp. They are "industrial" engines, built to run 10,000 hrs in some applications like generators. Pretty good track record!

[Eddiefuego]

I believe what I have is a Paragon...likely a series 200. The unit is out of the boat and ready to be sent for ...at least new bearings. The oil in the unit looked clean and the transmission seemed to shift correctly. My first inclination is to just put it back in as is, but since it was underwater for about a month and since I have the engine out now as well, I may as well spend some extra boat dollars and try to make sure the unit is solid. I may need to ship it to Panama City Panama to be worked on OR I may need to ship it on up to the US for rebuilding. If you know of any reliable folks in Panama City....I'm all ears. Thank you. Oh yes, the I.D. tag on the top of the unit is gone...so I'm still just guessing on the tranny model.

[Eddiefuego]

OK...I'm on a new path. Let me know if I'm clear out to lunch.
I think I'll put the old tranny back in...as is.
Talking to the P.O., it gave him no problems. It was underwater for a month but had NO water in the oil. The seals seem good. The shaft rotates and it changes direction when you shift to R. It is a long way to get it worked on and the quality of the work could be sketchy. The cost of getting new seals bought and installed is Ok...but hard logistically. Hauling the boat again and removing everything is costly but not compared to a rebuilt unit. Holy cats! Say goodbye to boat dollars.
So, take a risk on another haul and then a rebuild vs sticking the thing back together and running it as is. ??? It is in Panama on the hard...no...not Florida.

[Eddiefuego]

Update on the Paragon Transmission. Since it was in good working order when it was last used, I put it back in the boat with the new(er) Perkins. The transmission works fine in forward gear but is NOT moving into Reverse. We've drained the tranny fluid out and have refilled with diesel fuel...one week ago....tried it again ...day 5 and not luck. Any thoughts?...other than I should have rebuilt prior to splashing...yady yady. I've got some really capable wrenches working with me on the boat...so very lucky there. Ideas?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Eddiefuego

Update on the Paragon Transmission. Since it was in good working order when it was last used, I put it back in the boat with the new(er) Perkins. The transmission works fine in forward gear but is NOT moving into Reverse. We've drained the tranny fluid out and have refilled with diesel fuel...one week ago....tried it again ...day 5 and not luck. Any thoughts?...other than I should have rebuilt prior to splashing...yady yady. I've got some really capable wrenches working with me on the boat...so very lucky there. Ideas?

This is probably a dumb question and certainly you already thought of this, but since you didn't mention it I have to ask.

You did check the shift lever on the transmission? Is the lever moving freely and all the way fore and aft? Did you try shifting by hand?

[skipharper]

Eddie,
Reverse gear is via the planetary clutch in a Paragon. It requires the clutch by hydraulic pressure to capture the planetary assembly those creating the revers rotation for the output shaft. So, loss of or restricted oil pressure, planetary clutch loose or worn, low oil. Sounds like it needs a tear down and inspection for repair. Sorry!

If your up for it this link has a manual for the most common Paragon Transmission models. Hope this helps...

http://pearsonvanguard.homestead.com...ice_manual.pdf

Skip

[Eddiefuego]

It turned out that once the tranny pressure was up and the unit had been soaked in diesel for a week...to no avail...disassembled again...we cleaned the internal parts up good and reassembled. Assembly required a new spring clip which broke during assembly...turns out this is a common problem. We learned a trick (turn it up on end) to get the clip in and the unit went back together. It is working fine presently. Now...on to the next issues. THank you much.