Perkins 4-108 camshaft removal in boat

[brutb]

I have a CSY 37 with a Perkins 4-108 (approx 80 hrs since overhaul). The camshaft gear decided to leave the end of the cam and now I need to pull the cam, hopefully with the engine in the boat. I have removed the front cover and the BAD gear from the cam. Of course the gear destroyed the cover. Lucky me has a cam, spare cover and all 3 gear sets to replace the bad ones. Unfortunately the cam bolt holes are destroyed. Has anyone remove the cam with out taking the head off? Any help would be appreciated.....

[irwin37]

Rebuilt mine about a year ago, Is it imposable - no, likely not going to happen though.

The Cam does remove from the front , there are bolts under the gear that keep it in place, the problem is that you will need to remover the rocker assembly, pull the valve push rods and lift all of the lifters as high as they will go to clear the cam, next you will need to drop the pan and remove the oil pump as it is geared to the cam, going to need a lot of room to do this as you will be working on the top and bottom of the engine.

You might be able to do it on the boat by pulling the engine from the mounts and working on it in the salon.

John

[brutb]

John, thanks for the quick answer. I forgot that the oil pump is driven off the cam and that it will have to come off...darn. If only the cam drive bolts had not worked loose and stripped the threads I could have just installed the 3 new gears and been home.....

[irwin37]

ps - you will not need to pull the head, just the rockers and push rods, lift the lifters with a piece of wire with hook at the end if you can... don't use a magnet as the lifter will attract and metal particles after that which will destroy the lifter over time.

[irwin37]

Can you re-tap the holes one size larger and have the gear machined.

[gjordan]

It would probably be a good idea to drop the pan anyway, so that you can clean out the metal filings that must have been produced with the loose bolts. Even if you dont drop the pan, I would change the oil about 5 minutes after start up and again at an hour or so. Little bits of metal are tough on bearings. Good Luck with it._____Grant.

[brutb]

Grant,
Thanks for the info and tips on the cam removal. I will have to at least remove the engine to the cockpit(more likely to shore) and do the job right with dropping the pan and cleaning it well. Again thanks for the info.....
Bill
SV OSHBAB