Best engines need your opinions

Favorite of all time? Kta cummins. Strongest engine I've ever had the pleasure of running. The 12v92 being a strong runner up. big cam cummins were also very very good. With trucking today tho, pre egr series 60 hands down.

 

I drove over a million miles in pre-egr 12.7 Detroits. Pulled well. Dependable. Good fuel economy.
I have had my Cat C-15 6nz for 12 years. It's been good also and can average 6.5 mpg if driven correctly. And it has been almost trouble free. 1.1 million miles and runs better than new.

 

Just like my uncle's 6nz.
Like most folks say "IT'S BETTER THAN NEW"

 

Hi marmonman, the 1693, cool, wasn't that called the "clatterpillar", because of the noisy valvetrain? I knew a guy with a 450 hp 1693, big stuff in the 80's when everyone else had "shiny 290's". Lot's of power, but not the most dependable, like the 3406.( best motor, IMO) Most of the trucks I drove were BC Cummins. When I bought my own trucks, they had to have BC Cummins, because I was familiar with them. I drove a Freightliner with a 500 Detroit with 830K miles, and was never opened up. Still ran great, lot's of power, still delivered low 7's. The less said about the old Detroit "fuel converter's" (converts diesel fuel into noise) the better.

 

My personal favorite is a Mack E7. Totally. Bulletproof. Also got great fuel mileage.

But this 3406e Cat is a very close second

 

Everybody makes engines that will seemingly endless forever. Wether or not you get one is another matter entirely. But I've heard that the L10 really does run forever.

Every engine has its issues. Pick your favorite color, it's a crapshoot.

 

How is this possible? The Big Cam has the cam in the block and the ISX is an overhead cam design.

 

Hi Freightlinerbob, OMG, don't even get me started on the L-10. (too late) The dairy warehouse I worked for bought 4 new Louisville Fords in the 80's pulling 48 ft wagons and they had the L-10 270 hp motor. I think the 238 Detroit I had previous to those pulled better. While they did get pretty good mileage, many times, I'd have a backhaul of cheese or butter, grossing 80K (or more, shhh) and they were 9 speeds, and many times, I never did get it in the last gear. We laughed at the management that was bamboozled by this salesman that probably never pulled a load in his life, but we figured, hey, if you are going to pay me by the hour to go 50 mph all day, fine with me.

 

[QUOTE="semi" retired;4375776]Hi Freightlinerbob, OMG, don't even get me started on the L-10. (too late) The dairy warehouse I worked for bought 4 new Louisville Fords in the 80's pulling 48 ft wagons and they had the L-10 270 hp motor. I think the 238 Detroit I had previous to those pulled better. While they did get pretty good mileage, many times, I'd have a backhaul of cheese or butter, grossing 80K (or more, shhh) and they were 9 speeds, and many times, I never did get it in the last gear. We laughed at the management that was bamboozled by this salesman that probably never pulled a load in his life, but we figured, hey, if you are going to pay me by the hour to go 50 mph all day, fine with me.[/QUOTE]

How much of that was the engine and how much was the gearing? The strongest engines will fall on their face at the smallest hills if not matched up with the right tranny and rears. Even tire size has an effect.

 

I had a n14 celect plus and had every single common problem with it. Leak leak leak. Injector 3, cam lobe prematurely wearing, leak, leak..... but all that aside I still loved that motor.

My favorite has to be the pre 2003 detroit 60 12.7, I have one in my 03 columbia (2002 engine) with 1.3 million km and never been touched, no warranty claims at all on this thing new and no repairs at all this whole time minus water pump, compressor etc.

Probably the reason Fitzgerald uses them in their gliders.