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Perkins 4 Cylinder diesel model no 4107 or 4108..

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DavidA:
I have two of these engines (in various states of disrepair) and can agree with the starting problems. There is a way around this.  They are (were) used in refrigeration units for trucks.  These units used a different cylinder head,  one with the normal glow plug set up.
Way back in history there was an article in Practical Mechanics magazine that outlined an American car that got 100 mpg from one of these engines. It wasn't quite stock as it had a turbo fitted and I believe the camshaft was from a speed boat version. I.e.  optomised to run at a constant speed and be on the best part of the power curve all the time.

I contacted Perkins about this engine and they said it was better not to fit the glow-plug head for a road use vehicle but to get the original Ki-gas system working properly. They also said that fitting a turbo would reduce engine life.

The beauty of this engine is that it is quite low,  even though it is a long stroke engine. Hence it is good for fitting in a car.

Another popular Perkins engine was the 3.144. Three cylinder two litre. Another barsteward to start on a cold morning,  but really economical once it was running.

Dave.

P.s.  Do Not use easystart.  They become addicted to the stuff and eventually won't start without it.

Manxmodder:
David,
Your dead right about not using easy start on a regular basis,I've seen a few indirect injection cylinder heads where the Ricardo comet type pre chamber inserts were severely damaged with pieces broken out as a result of using ether based easy start to much and to frequently.
Far better,as you say to fit a pre combustive type heater in the intake manifold such as the Ki-Gas unit....OZ.

John Hill:
There is a possible way of getting around the starting problem by converting to 24V start.  Now before anyone says the starter motor will burn out immediately, which it might, I must point out that a motor grinding away on a failing 12V battery is going to get much hotter than the same motor spinning over for a 3 second start.

DavidA:
 Temporarily connecting another 12 Volt battery in series was a favorite way of getting the 4.108 engines in our little Bristol bulldozers to start. they never had a started burn out. But it wasn't really such a good thing to do. These machines had dynamos fitted to recharge the battery, not alternators as they would these days. I suspect that the necessary disconnection of the battery with the engine running would damage the diodes in the alternator.  Dynamos were much tougher.

The problem with the aerostart is that it can crack the top piston rings as well as the pre-combustion chambers.

Did you buy it ?

Dave.

awemawson:
A "Thermostart" in the inlet manifold is relatively easy to fit - works a dream on my Ford 4000 tractor. Comprises a diesel valve that is normal closed connected to a small tank fitted in line with the return diesel line to the main tank. Round this valve inside the inlet manifold is a coil of nichrome wire. When you press the button, the nichrome starts to glow, warms the valve which allows a small quantity of diesel through, which busts into flames and warms the air in the inlet manifold.

http://www.parts4engines.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=557

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