I recently replaced the
fuel pump and the
injector pump on a friends older
Perkins 4-108. He experienced a traumatic
diesel runaway as he was entering a large marina solo. Fortunately he was able to put the
boat into a tight circle and go below to remove the
companionway steps and cabinetry to snuff out the
engine with a throw pillow before any
collision occurred.
The first thing I did was to check the
oil level, and it was filled to the top of the dipstick. So, I replaced the primary
fuel diaphragm lift pump. When we started the
engine, it ran OK for about 10 minutes and then blew a
head gasket; emitting loud
compression noises and smoke into the
cabin. I immediately snuffed out the engine again, no runaway yet, and checked the
oil level. It was way over the full mark again. Obviously so full that the cylinders ingested the non-compressible fuel/oil mix. So...I pulled the
head, after much difficulty with the head bolt/studs corroded into the head, and ordered a rebuilt
fuel injector pump from North Atlantic
Diesel. The head and injectors were sent out to a shop for
service and were installed with new gaskets and the rebuilt injector
pump.
After reinstalling the serviced and rebuilt
parts the engine started right up after bleeding the injectors and ran fine.
The problem is that it smokes quite a bit. My question is, could the high
rpm runaway conditions have glazed the cylinders, causing this problem? And if so does anyone have any ideas to fix the problem, other than a complete teardown
rebuild. The engine has very little time on it, slip time only, as there have been other issues with the
boat. So, it has had no hard hours put on it at maximum load.
thanks in advance,
Bill in JB