Perkins 4-154 Rebuild or Repower

[sabray]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Another little note. I have a friend that is a Cummins salesman, and he told me that the small Cummins engines are Japanese engines converted by Cummins. You might be buying a Yanmar,Isuzu,Mitsubishi,etc in disguise. Ask the dealer what the basic block is?___Just a thought.____Grant.

No. A cummins is Cummins. They use blocks that are cast to their spec by companys that specialize in casting. Then Cummins machines the rough casting to their tolerances. Transatlantic diesel is a suppier of marinized 4b3.3 as well as Perkins engines so its worth a call to them to look at the options. They do rebuilds as well.

[gjordan]

I find it odd that a Cummins salesman that sells millions of dollars worth of Cummins every year, was mistaken when he told me that their smallest engines and generator sets were Japanese engines, and that they were trying to get away from the small engines. Maybe now they are all pure Cummins?????____Grant.

[Boracay]

Best to do some homework.

There has been some discussion here on starting seized diesels so a bit of research and some elbow grease may do the trick.

My opinion is that doing a major overhaul on a diesel can be a questionable undertaking. I may cost near as much as a new engine and reliability is never going to be as good.

I put in a John Deere 4045DFM. Nice engine but did need the Walbro FRB 22 lift pump I put in later.

You'll probably have to at least partially dismantle the Perkins to get it out and whatever you go with to get it in. Some homework with tape, pencil and paper is a good idea and making a dummy engine gearbox and engine from scrap may be necessary.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by gjordan
Another little note. I have a friend that is a Cummins salesman, and he told me that the small Cummins engines are Japanese engines converted by Cummins. You might be buying a Yanmar,Isuzu,Mitsubishi,etc in disguise. Ask the dealer what the basic block is?___Just a thought.____Grant.

Originally Posted by gjordan

I find it odd that a Cummins salesman that sells millions of dollars worth of Cummins every year, was mistaken when he told me that their smallest engines and generator sets were Japanese engines, and that they were trying to get away from the small engines. Maybe now they are all pure Cummins?????____Grant.

Really strange
This is from one of their SEC filings. SUPPLY
We have developed and maintain a world class supply base in terms of technology, quality and cost. We source our materials and manufactured components from leading suppliers both domestically and internationally. We have adequate sources of supply of raw materials and components. We machine and assemble some of the components used in our engines and power generation units, including blocks, heads, rods, turbochargers, camshafts, crankshafts, filters, exhaust systems, alternators and fuel systems.

No where Can I find that cummins is relabeling japanese engines. Though the source of the blocks could be a forge in Japan ,china, etc.....

[roverhi]

Putting in a different engine will involve a lot of extra work other than the engine. In a worst case it could necessitate a total rebuild of the engine beds. Shaft length could be an issue, rerouting the fuel and electrical connections, new instrument panel and wiring, etc. Even though a rebuild is expensive, it will probably turn out to be way cheaper than putting in a different engine.

Capt RonB's source looks to be good for the 4-18 or 4-236 but didn't see the 4-154.

Removing the head on your engine will reveal a lot about the condition of the engine. Could just need a valve job, new guides and resurfacing which wouldn't require pulling the engine and shouldn't cost much over a boat unit in machining costs. You could do the work yourself.

If it's just wear issues, new rings may be all that's needed but doubt that you could get off that easily. A rebore of the block, oversize pistons and replacing the bearings is more likely needed. If nothing is broken, worst case the crank would need grinding and oversize bearings. This wold involve pulling the engine. Rebuilding the injectors and injector pump wouldn't be a bad idea. In any case, should be able to get the engine rebuilt and back in the boat for well under $10,000.

[sabray]

I replaced a 154 with cummins 4b3.3 maybe 5 years ago package cost 10,000 with a tranny. Fit on the beds without modification. Yes i replaced some hoses and wiring but i got all new everything. In my mind it was worth acouple extra thousand. Most of that stuff needed upgrade as well.

[tassiedevil]

Hi Rockborn, where did you source your replacement cylinder head?
I live in Tasmania, Australia and have had no luck sourcing a replacement for my 4-154 cracked head.
Does anyone else have a suggestion as to where I could find a replacement head?
Thanks very much if anyone can help.
Regards

[Celestialsailor]

Unlike the Perkins 4-108/ 4-107, parts for the 4-154 are very had to find and usually used. I helped my friend repower a few years ago for his KP-44. He found, on ebay, a Yanmar 4JHTE turbo 75hp. for around $4500. You might want to consider the same thing.

[Cap Erict3]

OEM does Kubota marine conversions and offer a pretty decent price. I was calling around and speculating a replacement of my 4.154. It is a shame that the rebuild kits are so high. A fine engine to my mind.


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[allezaubon]

Originally Posted by rockborn

hi all. it seems ive got a bad head gasket or worse and before i disassemble i would like to weigh the options of a) rebuild the perkins 4154, b) repower with a yanmar, in which i would have to change my transmission and re-pitch my prop ,or c) i am told that if i repower with a cummins , my transmission will mount right up. Any suggestions ? Thanks

Hi Rockborn,

we were in the same dilemma last year and we went the route of refurbishing - we found the following company to be a Godsend for parts and service. Yes the 4154 is over engineered and as such is worth giving anew lease of life.

please find below the contact details - you can find them on the web.


Sheri Moon
Trans Atlantic Diesel, Inc.
www.tad123.com
(T) 804-642-9296
(F) 804-642-0340

Good Luck

Andy

[aboutgone]

Im in the process of rebuilding mine. the best price for an overhaul kit was World wide parts. $ 1945.00 plus shipping included everything but the crank shaft. going to find a machine shop to do the long block and head, the rest of the Assembly i will do myself. I'm figuring about $4500 when done

[jenny2]

Originally Posted by gjordan

Another little note. I have a friend that is a Cummins salesman, and he told me that the small Cummins engines are Japanese engines converted by Cummins. You might be buying a Yanmar,Isuzu,Mitsubishi,etc in disguise. Ask the dealer what the basic block is?___Just a thought.____Grant.

Small Cummins engines also made in Korea by Hyundai

[rockborn]

hi, my mechanic got the rebuilt head from Foley , a caterpillar dealer in Massachusetts

[oldcal46skipper]

I did a 4.154 re-man last year. Long block was $7,000 + shipping. I did not make very much profit as the re-man kit cost me $2,000, + machine shop + other hard to find parts + my labor. I have 2 rebuildable blocks, but will be $8,000 + shipping from 32507.
In my opinion, a re-man Perkins is far superior to a new Yanmar. Most Perkins 4.154's were built in Japan by Mazda for truck and industrial applications. Some parts interchange with the earlier marine engines built in the UK. I only use UK parts.

[wph36]

Originally Posted by Guy

Not really. You need to be able to remove the oil pan to do an ovhl of a seized Perkins. To bad it's not a tractor then you pull up under a tree and go to town on it.

I've removed the head and suspect one of the pistons is stuck ...filled each of the cylinders with oil (and every other product I could find) and all but one of the cylinders eventually drains completely. My thought was to lift the engine off its mounts high enough to allow using a couple 2x 8 planks to support it, and then lay on its side. I could then remove the pan and get at the crank and pull the seized piston. Am I dreaming