Perkins 4.108 - Rebuild or ???

[Tillikum]

Thanks for that AlaskanViking; very interesting info.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by btompkins

Thanks, everyone for all the help here! This forum is awesome.

I've got the head off and here's what the cylinders look like. To me this looks more like carbon buildup, does it make sense to completely rebuild here, or is there an option of just cleaning up and re-sealing and focus on the accessories, atomizers, etc.

Thanks again for all the help here. Still concerned a bit about the unknowns this being a generator engine. Going to look into the valve springs and injection pump questions.

How much cylinder ridge can you feel? (The step at the cylinder top) I forget the early details in this thread, but it's not unusual for a Gen engine to get long hours like 20k hours. The good news is they run consistent rpm and get warmed up well. The bad news is it's a lot of time.

I've heard do not resurface the head on that engine.

It's possible to clean up an engine with little wear and give it a try. The problem is that it's a lot of work going just that far and re assembly, then more work putting it in the boat, then and only then will you know.

In the old days on cars they might be just "overhauled" rather than "rebuilt". That usually meant a valve job, rings and just honing of the cylinders to remove the glaze. Further work some crank/rod bearings, or maybe not. But by that time it's pretty much going for a rebuild. These were often quite successful but the old cars didn't have long engine life like the newer ones due to old style oil gumming up the engines..

It's interesting how expensive it is to get a longblock rebuilt on a diesel. In gas boat V8's , a rebuilt exchange GM 305 or 350 can be had for $1600 last I checked. I guess it's due to the number of engines out there.