Considering repowering your Perkins 4.108 with something more modern? Maybe even a Yanmar or a Volvo? Most people like their 4.108 for its quiet running, and rugged construction, but there are a couple of nagging issues with the 4.108 that make a new, more modern engine an attractive option worth considering. An attractive option, that is until you hear the cost for the engine plus the cost of changing the motor mounts, re-routing the exhaust and the overall labor charge to install the engine.
So, many years back we came up with a special version of the Perkins 4108 engine, called Not Your Father’s 4108 that incorporated a package of significant upgrades designed to propel the 4108 into the 21st century. These upgrades included a serpentine belt system, a more powerful alternator, and our proprietary rear seal to stop the chronic leaks, and a spin-on secondary fuel filter. Today, as parts availability for this engine is becoming limited and our long revered rebuilder has retired we are no longer offering the Not Your Father’s 4.108. Despite that we are committed to supporting the 4108 owners who have supported us for so many decades. We continue to provide Perkins parts but for the older engines like the 4.108 it is best to give our team a call directly or send us a message at info@foleyengines.com and let us know what you need. We continue to maintain a large inventory of parts and even engine cores and hard to find take-off parts to help you keep your engine and/or boat sailing on for years to come.
The Not Your Father’s 4108 included the following innovative features to help bring it up to present-day standards:
1) Full serpentine belt system with Rockwell-hardened pulleys.
2) Spin on fuel filter to replace the hard-to-bleed, cartridge-style secondary fuel filter
3) A 105 amp alternator to replace the weak 37 amp alternator
4) Our special improved rear crankshaft seal to cure the chronic rear seal leaking problems
While the Not Your Father’s 4.108 program is retiring, we still maintain our library of tech tips sharing what we have learned over decades of working with the 4.108. Here are just a few:
Tech Tip #16: The Evolution of the Perkins 4.107 & 4.108
Tech Tip #70: Perkins/Westerbeke Elbows and Flanges (Part 2)
Tech Tip #100: Solving the Perkins 4108 Diesel Rear Seal Leak Problem
Tech Tip #112: Spin-on Fuel Filters for Perkins Diesels
Tech Tip #173: How to Remove a Perkins 4.108 Injection Pump in Two Easy Steps
Tech Tip #195: How to Identify Perkins 4.107 and 4.108 Lift Pumps
