Diesel Mechanic Everett/Seattle Area

[Bobcat]

Leketoy has a Perkins 4.236 engine with about 4000 hours. It doesn't always fire off as easily as it should. A marine engineer friend said "it needs some love" probably valve adjusting. He was planning to do the work with my assistance, but his wife is about to give birth and his time will be limited.

Any recommendations for someone who can come to the boat and look over the engine?

Thanks.

[Canoeyawl]

4000 hours is enough to have reduced the compression a bit.
I will suggest that the timing be carefully checked, and then adjusted to suit the fuel that you are using.

Advancing the timing a bit will usually correct a hard starting issue by raising the mean effective pressure (MEP) if there are no other issues. The valve adjustment is probably not it, but that would be the first thing to verify, and the condition of the injectors the second thing.
If I remember correctly that engine has a precombustion chamber and I have seen those cracked or ruined by starting fluid. (One of my employees destroyed a 236 Perkins with ether. But it was nothing that new pistons and liners, rod bearings and a cylinder head wouldn't fix).