Engine

The 1978 Cal 39 originally came with a Perkins 4-108 Diesel engine. And guess what:  She’s still running strong!

She’s a 4-stroke, 50 hp beast sitting under the companionway stairs. The companionway stairs unlatch and pull back allowing plenty of room to crawl all over the engine. You can also access the rear of the engine by crawling in from the cockpit’s port lazarette.

Cooling is accomplished by running engine oil and fresh water coolant through the engine. Heat transfers to the coolant which runs through a raw-water heat exchanger. The raw water is pumped from the sea, through the heat exchanger and out through the exhaust.

Fuel is pumped from a 50 gallon tank under the port settee through a primary Racor fuel filter, then through the engine’s fuel filter, into the mechanical lift pump, to the fuel injection pump, to the fuel injectors and into the cylinders.

Starting is accomplished with a push-button which engages the starter solenoid. The solenoid connects a relay providing power from a dedicated engine battery. The engine is stopped with a push-button which engages a stop solenoid. When activated, this solenoid stops fuel from entering the engine, starving the cylinders. If the remote stop button fails for whatever reason, the fuel stop can be pulled manually at the engine.

All the engine information and procedures are available from the original engine manual online. I’ve attached the pdf file under Engine -> Perkins Manual.

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