Please please Help Perkins!!

[BruceS]

Broken wire to the electric shutdown unit.
Power keeps it open, turn off power (key) drops it shut.

Mine was between the filter and the high pressure injector pump.
Opposite end of the engine to the water pumps.
Do you get the squeal when you turn on the key?

[Steve 3]

A couple years back I trouble shot one, now I can't remember the model#?
But I do remember that the diaphragm can fail on the mechanical pump, one way to check after cranking for so long is to check the engine oil level, yep that where the diesel goes, straight into the sump.

[Steven UK]

Op says he turned the injectors round and they are working... is it a timing issue?

[Steve 3]

Originally Posted by Ny-vern

Hi guys I'm at the end of my tether and really was hoping to get my engine going but may have to consider getting another. I've asked mechanics and mates but no luck.. If anyone has ideas please share.

Engine: perkins 4.108

The symptom thus far is obvious and repeats, it starts (with a tiny squirt of easy start) and catches and revs like hell (started with full throttle) and dies quite quickly ( in less than a minute ). Im not an expert, but it sounds like a fuel problem as if being starved.


I have bled it more times than i can count,
Filter is new
opened lift pump and see no damage or block
have cracked hp feed to injectors and turned over - clear drips of fuel
have taken injectors out turned them upside down and cranked - good atomisation on two, a bit of a 'thicker' spray on the other two.


about two weeks ago i did have it running for about 2 minutes.

A bit of background : Its a 2009 rebuild. I've lived aboard for the last 3 years 2 of which the boat wasnt mine, in that time the engine was never started and I've heard that the previous owner hadnt started it either. When i began working on it it was quite difficult to turn by hand but I eventually got it and now it turns easily (despite a squeaking sound like rubber squeezing**).
What are you turning by hand? The crank? Diesels engines are high compression they don't turn over by hand or shouldn't. If that were true then you won't have the compression to ignite the diesel.

I cleaned the heat exchanger the fresh water pump and gave the sea water pump a new impeller. I found an old receipt (2014) form a diesel engineer saying that the injectors were serviced and the injector pump as well - that it was clogged with stale fuel.
Lets think of this as a possibility, if they have been left for years with old fuel then it is conceavable those 2 injectors are clogged. How about you mark them #### taking the 2 good ones and switching feeds, see if there is a difference!?
Now if you do this and those injectors are still giving poor results then clean or have them cleaned. If on the other hand the good ones now show poor after switching feeds,,, we can assume the injection pump is clogged.
Likely we can figure a way for you to rinse it out without taking it off.

When bleeding I sheared the screw on the top of the pump on the governor/anti stall device - which i replaced incl. the anti stall device - currently not set (I've been told that this should not affect the running of the engine and that it is set after the idle is set, and that it prevents stall after sudden deceleration).

Another thing I noticed - the stop lever that is on the DPA injector pump when pulled, the one time i tried, did not stop the engine - i have made sure it is all the way to the run position - perhaps its stuck inside ?

** The squeak wasnt there before I accidentally flooded the block with sea water by cranking with the seacock open. I took the exhaust maifold off, the injectors out and turned over plenty of times, then poured about 300ml of oil down each injector hole and turned over many more times. I've had it start since that episode but again the same thing happens.

Thanks for any suggestions, after just being told that my I may need a whole new rig and mast I would love not to add an engine to the list !!

Cheers,
Dusty

Thank you Steven UK for reminding me! Yes it is possible but, that would suggest that it wasn't installed by the mechanic that serviced it or took it off for service?

The puzzle really is what was the OP turning by hand for me anyways?

[Caddy Shack]

I had a similar symptoms. Checked everything multiple times...eventually got lucky and found an air leak. The threads in the primary filter housing for the bleed screw were stripped, so a tiny bit of air was getting in.

[jimbunyard]

My guess would be that after sitting for three or more years, fuel has gummed up the injection pump, or possibly the governor has seized in some manner, or both, with the possibility of reduced compression thrown in for good measure...that the engine has run is a reason for somewhat guarded optimism.

Deepfreeze's pig farmer's idea is a good one, though ether used sparingly and carefully will work; if the engine can be made to run for a while-- +5 minutes or so, it is at least remotely possible that a governor or mildly stuck plunger or two could work itself free.

If the engine runs from a spray bottle of diesel, as others have noted, that lowers the possibilities; start with the easiest first, (some of which have already been done). In order; check control cables, battery charge and connections (engine rotation speed at start is very important), filters, air leaks, bleed the system, run from an alternate fuel source, check the injectors, check or have checked the inj. pump, check governor.

If the inj. pump hasn't been moved or uninstalled, timing or injection angle setting is not likely a cause.

An engine with good compression should be fairly easy to turn over with a reasonably long bar and socket. Air is compressible, and you're only compressing one cylinder at a time.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

Op says he turned the injectors round and they are working... is it a timing issue?

Probably not a timing issue - OP says the engine runs OK for up to 2 minutes.

Best short and long term suggestion mentioned already is to install an electrical fuel pump between tank and lift pump - right at the tank is a good location since then you can pressurize the whole low pressure side at once, and check for leaks. This pump is only needed for bleeding the lines, checking for leaks, etc and is bypassed or removed in normal operation.

Mine is installed in a bypass mode with valves to isolate the pump from the normal flow when pump is turned off. I also included a high pressure cutout sensor right after the pump and set it to cut off the pump when fuel line pressure reaches about 5 PSI (not critical) as the electric pump is operating.

If no leaks anywhere and engine still dies with the electrical fuel pump operating, you may have to remove the injector pump and have it serviced.