new to me

[jmayton]

New to my Northern 37 ketch. It has a perkins 4.108 and an oil leak aft on the stb side and forward under a divice that is round on the stb side. There is a missing nut on the side of the engine near the aft leak and the round divice has wires coming out of it so I suspect it is a sensor of some kind. My two questions are: 1. is a perkins metric? and 2, how do I remove that sensor without breaking anything and what suggestions about sealing that leak?

Survey and sea trial did not indicate any engine problems, however on the 844 NM trip up from Florida to North Carolina over the New Years holiday, I was putting about a quart of oil in each day. The exhust was clear, however there was some oil in the bilge. I needed new glasses at the time and was not able to see the oil leaks. New glasses helped. I'm not any kind of mechanic, but I'm willing to follow directions. I'm thinking I can figure out the size nut to put on the empty stud/bolt by putting various wrenches on the existing nuts until I find one that fits, but I'm worried that sometimes metric wrenches fit regular nuts when they are not metric.

[Lake Superior Sailor]

Have you looked in your bilge for the missing parts, I find this saves me a lot of trips!..Dale

[TQA]

Perkins is not going to be metric. May not even be A/F but BSF and even BSP on pipe fittings.

If it is leaking that much it should be easy to find the source.

N.B. a well known spot for leaks on a 4 108 is the rear crankshaft oil seal.

[jmayton]

Originally Posted by Lake Superior Sailor

Have you looked in your bilge for the missing parts, I find this saves me a lot of trips!..Dale

Not yet. I'm not as flexible as I once was and getting my 68 year old body to fit into the passageway next to the engine space is tricky at least. Getting into the engine space is near impossible. I'll try feeling around if I can reach under the engine next time at down to the boat. which is most every Friday.

I'm not a very big man, just 6 foot and 185 lbs, but the Northern is a bit cramped even for me. To get to the aft cabin I have to bend in half as I pass the engine space and regularly bang my head. I have to kneel or sit in the passage way to do anything in the engine room which limits me to mostly one handed efforts. On the port side I have to climb down into the lazzeret which is very cramped. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying it is tuff for my old body to move in these spots.

I still need to find what type and size these nuts are. Anyone have the correct information?

[sea_hunter]

Originally Posted by jmayton

New to my Northern 37 ketch. It has a perkins 4.108 and an oil leak aft on the stb side and forward under a divice that is round on the stb side. There is a missing nut on the side of the engine near the aft leak and the round divice has wires coming out of it so I suspect it is a sensor of some kind. My two questions are: 1. is a perkins metric? and 2, how do I remove that sensor without breaking anything and what suggestions about sealing that leak?

Yes they're metric. It's the oil sender "a divice that is round on the stb side", but if it's not leaking, leave it alone. Wipe it off with paper towel and start the engine. If its leaking you can tighten it up turning clockwise, but not too much.
You'll need this:
http://www.endeavourowners.com/dscsn...p%20Manual.pdf
and this:
http://www.endeavourowners.com/dscsn...rts%20Book.pdf
and this:
http://www.endeavourowners.com/dscsn...8%20Manual.pdf

Keep in mind Perkins engines leak oil constantly; they should have come with a diaper. The rear seal is common and hard to determine unless you know where to look. Front seal is also a common source, more problematic, but easier to fix than the rear. Good Luck.

[WanderingStar]

And finding nuts in the bilge can be easier with a telescoping magnet. Buy one at the hardware store.
My 4-107 used about a quart a day while coming up the icw also. But that was 8-10 hours of use daily. Now she uses about a quart per summer.

[jmayton]

Finding out the nuts are "unified series and American Pipe Series" sure helps. Now when I go to the "Fastener Shop" I can sound like I know what the heck I'm talking about. Thankes Sea Hunter.

By the way, WanderingStar, I have a telescoping magnet which I'll take down to the boat next Friday and see if I can fish about under the engine. If that comes up empty I think I'll take a sister nut off, go to the hardware store in New Bern and see if I can score there. Then I'll clean the engine up and then see what I can do to stop the leak. Do I need a locking nut or a washer for the nut? It seems odd that a nut would just wander off without a good reason. How about torque? Any ideas about that?

[Rick486]

Originally Posted by jmayton

New to my Northern 37 ketch. It has a perkins 4.108 and an oil leak aft on the stb side and forward under a divice that is round on the stb side. There is a missing nut on the side of the engine near the aft leak and the round divice has wires coming out of it so I suspect it is a sensor of some kind. My two questions are: 1. is a perkins metric? and 2, how do I remove that sensor without breaking anything and what suggestions about sealing that leak?

Survey and sea trial did not indicate any engine problems, however on the 844 NM trip up from Florida to North Carolina over the New Years holiday, I was putting about a quart of oil in each day. The exhust was clear, however there was some oil in the bilge. I needed new glasses at the time and was not able to see the oil leaks. New glasses helped. I'm not any kind of mechanic, but I'm willing to follow directions. I'm thinking I can figure out the size nut to put on the empty stud/bolt by putting various wrenches on the existing nuts until I find one that fits, but I'm worried that sometimes metric wrenches fit regular nuts when they are not metric.

I had a 4-108 in my previous boat and I once lost all the oil into the bilge through a defective oil pressure sending unit. This took place on a long day under power. The low oil pressure alarm sounded just as we picked up a mooring for the night. If you have oil leaking anywhere on the sending unit my advice would be to replace it immediately. It's not expensive. Remember the oil behind the pressure sender is at 40 psi.

[jmayton]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll see if I can tighten it first and if that is not the fix then I'll get a new unit.

[sea_hunter]

Originally Posted by WanderingStar

And finding nuts in the bilge can be easier with a telescoping magnet. Buy one at the hardware store.
My 4-107 used about a quart a day while coming up the icw also. But that was 8-10 hours of use daily. Now she uses about a quart per summer.

Yikes, finding your nuts in the bilge? When did you find them missing?