Oil for 3 cylinder Perkins 3HD46 / 3.152 / "D3"

[sociable_hermit]

Greetings.

 

In addition to NB Amanda we now have a second boat, which is fitted with some form of 3 cylinder Perkins lump.

 

Perkins seem to have had a bewildering range of engines over the years and a fiendishly complicated way of numbering each of them differently and in different places. It was described in the advert as a D3, but comes with a 3HD46 handbook. I'm also aware that "D3" and "3HD46" are possibly different names or variants of the 3.152.

 

Anyway, having spent all morning upside down in the engine bay I can confirm that the info plate isn't affixed to the left side of the engine, though on the plus side the oil filter is. The right side of the block has been thoroughly boxed in (in a "one layer overlaps the next layer" manner) and even if there is a number there I won't be able to see it without getting creative with the jigsaw.

 

So, I'm guessing. The 3HD46 manual specifies API CC/SE, MIL-L-46152, CCMC D1 or plain old SAE 15W40. However the manual also shows a horizontally mounted oil filter whereas mine is definitely horizontal - possibly an after-market improvement to an older version of this engine?

 

My favourite oil suppliers are Millers. However their closest suitable 'marine' oil is 10W40 which they proudly state to be suitable for engines needing 15W40 since it'll be thinner and so flow more easily. Now s'cuse me for being cynical but doesn't that also mean it'll find its way through every little nook and cranny that it shouldn't? My gut instinct with an engine of this age is to head for the thicker oils, rather than thinner. With this in mind I've been contemplating their classic car SAE 40 as an alternative, especially as it comes in smaller bottles than 5L.

 

I'm really a bit confused about the complexity of these engines as they don't seem particularly modern but nor are they a classic like a Gardner or a National. I guess they have more in common with 70s and 80s products from Lister Petter or BMC. So, am I right to be aiming for "classic" oils, or would I be better off with a modern multigrade with lots of additives?

 

The engine is very chunky (I think it might be somewhere around the 50hp mark) so it isn't highly stressed and shouldn't ever run particularly hot. Glazed bores are the biggest issue, that and the general age of the thing.

 

What say the experts?

[gazza]

15/40 API cf will be fine. We have 3.152 gen sets at work that have huge hours on bog standard mineral oil.

[Geoff Taylor]

Hi, 15W40 oil is ideal for your engine,apart from industrial/marine use the 3.152 Perkins was used by Massey Ferguson in their 35X and 135 tractors,serviced regular they will last almost forever!. They are usually quite an oil tight unit, most leaks appear from the rear crank seals. If my memory serves me right the horsepower ranges from 35 to 40. Due to its many uses you will find that differences on oil filter positions/oil filler points etc will vary. Spares are no problem. Hope this helps.

[Titan]

The same engine as in our boat which sank, spent 2 weeks in the severn filling up with silt and s"""t then a further 14 months sat full of water, once we actually got to the engine to work on it took just 3hours of tinkering, and runs like clockwork. Im very impreessed by it. its noisey, but dependable.

[sociable_hermit]

Thanks - some good responses there.

 

I'm pleased these are dependable units as searching the web revealed some horror stories about other Perkins models.

 

By the sounds of things I should be looking for a fairly basic 15W40 rather than something loaded with additives.

 

Alternatively if I decide to stick with Millers (who don't appear to do a low-tech 15W40) I'm contemplating a 50/50 split between their 10W40 "marine" oil and their SAE40 product for classic cars, which is a bit thicker and comes in smaller bottles. Is that good sense or a foolish move?

[alan_fincher]

I'd stick with the multigrade, and not worry too much about whether it is a 10W/40 or a 15W/40.

Morris do the excellent Golden Film 10W/40, or course, but you usually need to buy it somewhere other than direct from Morris, as it tends to be cheaper. (Cost is of particular interest to me, because our Lister consumes about 13 litres of the ruddy stuff at every oil change, so is a bit "wallet challenging".....)

[Chris-B]

Api CC 10w / 40 is what I used in Baldock's D152

if you are coming to Crick we will have a very special oil offer !!!

watch this space

[ditchcrawler]

Api CC 10w / 40 is what I used in Baldock's D152

if you are coming to Crick we will have a very special oil offer !!!

watch this space

If its the same sort of offer when I bought mine at a National they will even lend you a sackbarrow to take it to the boat with.

[Geoff Taylor]

Hi, My personal favourite as previously suggested was that 15W40 was fine for the 152, back in the days of when these engines first arrived on the scene in tractors the recommended lubes were Agricastrol,Mobil universal and other makers equivalents all of which were straight grades of approx 30 with added detergents and also used in the transmissions and hydraulics of many tractors,hence the "universal tag". I was working for an International tractor dealership which also repaired Masseys,Fordsons,David Brown etc and at the time IH used Mobil oils,as time progressed we were ordered to use "Delvac 1320" instead of universal in all non turbo diesels.

When the turbo diesels came along,the multigrade "series 3 heavy duty turbo" was developed and the most popular universal oil became 15W40 as the climate in the UK favoured this grade. Going with 10W40 would be fine but dont mix the grades as it totally defeats the object of having a specific grade of lube.