Looking for a used/new 4-108 or Other Repower

[westwinds]

You do not know what you have to work with until you get it apart. If you can get a good low hour engine that might be the best way to go, especially if time to splash is important. If you do a rebuild, then you know what you have, that is if it is done by a reputable rebuilder. If you are sure of your source for the low hours engine, I think I would go that way. As for the transmission, I would at least pull the cover off and get a look inside, maybe have a transmission shop look at it.

[Chasing Summer]

wow, two guys already beat me to the post.
1st ... anyone can say "low hours". Watch it run long enough to warm up the engine. They should be able to connect cooling water where it sits.
2nd ... what's wrong with your transmission? You already know it works and pushes your boat. If it's a Borg Warner the discs are not expensive and with the help of a boat owner/mechanic you can easily rebuild it on the boat. You will need a large pair of lock ring pliers. Not snap ring pliers with the little pins.
Good luck ... keep posting updates

[Eddiefuego]

Some good friends...stood on their heads, took pictures and read through some on-board materials. The manual says the tranny should be the Paragon hydraulic transmission model P220. Does this mean anything to anyone? I have some pictures if anyone can I.D. the beast by photo alone.
I will try to get some additional video of the engine running. I'd like to see the smoke coming out of her at start-up and see her cold started...but that may be asking too much. This I.D. plate is on top of the tranny which is too close to the floorboards to see.

[westwinds]

Originally Posted by Eddiefuego

...This I.D. plate is on top of the tranny which is too close to the floorboards to see.

Can you get a mirror in there to read the plate? Automotive shops have little mirrors on an adjustable metal stick that are nice for this.

[Eddiefuego]

I had a little telescoping mirror with me and could NOT see the tag on top. I am the proud owner of a new/old Perkins 4-108 with 400 hrs. Fingers crossed. I still need a transmission. Looks like I'll take the engine out where she sits...then I'll know what transmission I'll need. At that point I'll find the tranny and arrange shipment to Panama City. I'll clean/paint the bilge. When the engine/tranny get there I'll stick her in and align the shaft. Then haul the boat to look at bottom, replace shaft seals/bearings, fix blisters and maybe put in a new transducer.
I'm sure I'm missing about 20 things here. Recommendations? I'd like to make her sea worthy enough to be safe coastal cruising, perhaps enough to bring her back to the U.S. from Bocas. Oh, and yes, there is a new boat yard in Almirante that has been open about 5 months.

[v40163]

Still wondering how the water got in? The most common way water gets into a marine 4.107 or 4.108 is due to seal failure in the raw water pump. Happens WAY too often. It's the weakest point in the engine IMHO.

Ray Russell
Valiant 40 #163
Enshalla

[Chasing Summer]

v40163 ... couldn't agree with you more. Also, I never liked the design of the paddle pump. So what do you do ??? you re-design the seawater system :-)
Since my engine is below the waterline, therefore the pump doesn't need priming, I installed a centrifugal pump where the alternator used to be ... I'm all solar.

[capt-couillon]

Repowered an O/I 41 several years ago with a Perkins-Sabre (Caterpillar)
M-65 that was essentally a drop in job.... Last ditch pricey alternative?

As far as the 4-107 goes, might be rebuildable as long as the internal castings (ie: crank and rods) are in ok shape. Cranks are hard to get if yours does not have enough "meat" left to be ground. I wouldn't spend the cost of a rebuild without grinding the crank and going with oversize bearings on the rods. TAD (Trans-Atlantic-Diesel) bought up most dealers New-Old-Stock when Perkins quit manufacturing castings. Rings, seals, bearings, etc are available all over.

With the number of tuna boats in Panama (Panama City side) I would imagine you might be able to pick up a 4-108 (rebuildable) cheap. Advantages to 4-108 are dry sleeve instead of wet-sleeve (good chance thats where your water in the crankcase came from. If the o-rings on the 4-107 sleeves leak AT-ALL, instant milkshake) parts are more easily available and most of your external parts (starter, transmission, manifolds, etc) from your 4-107 are interchangeable.

As far as the gear goes, the Borg-Warner mentioned above looks like this

If it is more "boxy" than round, probably the Paragon. Velvet Drive is hydraulic gear and uses ATF rather than gear lube. Seperate oil cooler, which means if gear was working well up till now, it will work on the rebuilt block without tearing it down. In my experience while a non-shop rebuild of the B-W is possible, disk clearances and tolerances are critical, so unless required, I would leave it alone (assuming you do in fact have the B-W rather than the Paragon) The 4-107 I pulled from the O-I 41 did in fact have the B-W velvet drive.

Headed back to Bocas myself, but taking the long way around.... Hope you are long gone before I get there. Good luck, and have another Seco con Leche at the Wreck Deck...

[Chasing Summer]

With regards to the picture in the above post. That is a picture of a BW with a reduction. The dome on the aft end is the planetary reduction. A 1:1 drive is short, and does not have the adaptor plate. Whether it's a 1:1 or a reduction drive the main body looks the same.
If you're looking for parts, I have a 4-107 with a recently turned crank. They're turned .10 under. No one has been interested in buying the short block so I guess I'll part it out. It had a cracked head so the guy, a fellow CF cruiser, repowered. I used a lot of the external parts my engine.

[capt-couillon]

I believe the Out Island 41 with the BW Velvet Drive ran a 2-1 reduction gear, hence the photo. More than likely what the OP has as it was a std Morgan package.

[Eddiefuego]

Hi Boys.
I was able to get the new(used) 4-108 installed in Bocas. Pulled the tranny and had some intimate relations with it. It is a 200 series Paragon. It seems to be working well now. My, how these marine engine/tranny systems can get "fun". Bringing this old girl back from her watery grave is not for the weak of heart... Doing it in Panama also brings a set of challenges. However, I do love the people down there and believe it or not...the locals are very ingenious and the expats are very helpful and have developed a pretty sophisticated parts/materials import pathway. AND...not to be minimized....it is much warmer there ...in the winter...than Iowa. It is also cooler in the summer than Iowa. My adventure continues this October.

[Lepke]

I've rebuilt a number of flooded engines and engines from sinkings. Everything inside has some oil on it that doesn't wash off easily. The worst I've found is a little surface rust. Fuel is a closed system so all is usually good. Electric things don't do too well.
I doubt the engine is toast.