new motor - new headaches

Rolls Canardly here;
I have the local CAT Dealer getting a turbo cartridge - shipped as a stock order,
so I don't have shipping/freight added to this continuing nightmare.
I went on another blog with M-2 business class medium duty trucks.
The ones with the CAT engine had 268 problem entries;
the Mercedes engine had less than fifty.
Why does this feel like a Twilight Zone episode??
I am hoping this turbo cartrige is ALL that's wrong.

 

Got the new turbo today.
Cat would not take my core;
turbo with good core was 625.00
My price with no core today 1,043.00.
Put it in and won't go over 45 MPH uphill.
I love it!!
Don't ever say what else; you'll find out what else!

Now I need to take to have someone read what is wrong
either with the computer or one or more of the injectors.
I just want to drive.

 

Rolls canardly here,
real quick like - i got the new injectors and pump in and cured everything!! Forgot to update.
Just $4,800.00 from cat for a grand total of $14,000 and whatever.
Been in the wind since around feb. Without as much as a burp or hiccup.

 

Rolls Canardly here;
Got a little time and thought I would give everyone a thank you again for all the data, help, and encouragment given thru this adventure we call life. I am at around 4500 miles on new motor. One oil change , fuel filter and still going strong. I hear lots of bad remarks on the 3126 Cat motor; most on over 60000 mile or more units; don't know if from lack of maintenance or rode hard and put away wet, but this brand new short block direct from Cat is currently kicking ###. Did have a hiccup around 3000 miles when I loaned truck((I know - NEVER loan truck))to my wife's nephew who is a heavy equipment operator and he totally grenaded the transmission. I assumed((Iknow- NEVER assume))he would be able to drive a 6 speed.
Dead wrong. Barely got it home by holding shifter in 2nd as it skipped in and out of gear. Only 3000 of my hard earned again to get one rebuilt to new specs. for me to install. Took me two days but I used my head and jacked and blocked front wheels and did it myself w/ no help. not as bad as it sounds.
Just a jack-bustin' HEAVY SOB!! Added muffler pipe 90deg. bend new while I was at it. All good now.

Had a real strange experience Sunday. I know this rich guy that has me tow his Ferrari to car shows and drop him like a mile away and he drives in; car has like 2000 miles, brand new. anyway, as we are driving almost 2 hours to Reading Country Club he has this funny look on his face and says to me
" I think we are going to have to go back, I am having a global spacial amnesia attack." I laughed and
said " yeah, right" Thinking he was joking. He was not. He had these 4 times before and loses recent memory recall. I said you are alright, we are safe now and driving to Reading for a car show. Wow!!
Strange. Long story short; we worked thru it on the side of the road and decided to go to the show.
drop him off. I, of course, am dressed like a truck driver. Look down right now; could you get into a country club?? So I went to Walmart to buy a Ferrari red shirt, black pants, shoes, sox, belt. $75.00.
I go back and there are 174 Ferraris all over the lawn of a Castle-looking building and hot chicks galore!
Bought a Ferrari pin(yellow enamel rectangle with prancing horse)for 25.00 and chicks were asking me questions about MY FERRARI?? WOW!! So for $100.00 I outclassed the rich guy!! Gotta love it!!

Happy Motoring,
Rolls Canardly

Rolls down one hill, canardly get up the next.

 

Rolls Canardly here,
That is true, my friend, that is true. Trouble is, they have the truck. I don't see my pickup and a chain pulling it out of their bay. Service places got 'ya stuck,
and they know it. I do all my own work as much as I can, but in this instance I was baffled by the lack of power. I got the story that pump and injectors sat for a year and got rust particles inside? Went thru and wiped everything out? Possible, but I kept thinking it was good when I tore it down? So, out comes the wallet.
I do have a current update to the continuing saga of Rolls Canardly. not a good one either, but, with a good ending. I kept hearing noises in tranny and getting more and more vibrations on the shifter, finally it was not driveable. This is the "2001 ISO Certified as-new Rebuild" replacement transmission. Are you kidding me; a totally remanufactured transmission, rebuilt to ISO specifications, and the cone bearing in the nose goes out? The race was still there, but that was all.
Could it be there was a CHINA bearing in there, instead of Fafnir or SKF or other well-known USA Manufacturer? My guess. Anyway, after a week of haggling
I worked a deal to turn in the 11 month old - "12 month-unlimited miles" warranty #######, box-of-rocks core, for a new rebuild. Then the fun of Friday-Sunday
every waking hour,upside down, by myself, installing new one. Jacked front axle with 20 ton air bottle jack and blocked up with 8X8 cribbing. I have a sheet of 1/4" black nylon thats 4X8 that I slide under truck to lay on. sure its on a concrete floor, but a creeper is too high and this is slippery and you slide in and out like a seal on ice. Still, you know what you want to have or need for a job, but there is 50 things extra you need. up and down, in and out - sounds like a whorehouse. Not that I would know anything about that. back up and running now. So - Got it in - and glad to be done with that!
Next victim, er, I mean customer, will be my front axle king pins and bushings.

 

Rolls Canardly here,
Freightlinerman on my post above asked several questions and I just noticed I neglected to properly address them; sorry, Brother.
I Went to Caterpillar and bought a zero miles shortblock brand new, not a undercut crank reman. 3126 block for $4,500.00 plus.
First surprise was this did not include a head. Had heavy lift Tow-truck tow to Dunmore, Pa. dealership for $300.00.
Trucked all the underhood components with my pickup and their evaluation revealed, right off the bat, that my clutch assembly
was rusty? So?Two ways to go on this, cheap way or the right way, so another $600.00 for new clutch and throwout bearing.
Now when I took this block out of the truck with my skidsteer, I took wire-ties and secured the wiring so when it was towed
it would not drag on the road. Dealer says the "Engine to Computer" harness is missing?
You mean the one I personally put at least four wire-ties on - to tow 30 miles?
Another $400.00. (personally, I would not be surprised if there was none in stock and there was a need for one.)
So going forward, I bought, from Caterpillar, Every required Gasket for a complete rebuild.
Now a call that I need a Head Gasket; mine is rusty. Well did you ever hear od Scotchbrite. (Get rubbin, fella.)
But for the sake of argument I just bought the second one new; another $60.00.
So waited, and waited, then got a call it is ready, went to try it, and it is puking anti-freeze out the block heater hole.
In their defense, To start it, they hooked it up to large battery pack, and somthing made a wizz-bang popping sound on that
side of truck that could have been block heater blowing up; or blowing out of truck?? I looked around on ground and could not find it.
Went to load my pickup on Rollback bed and PTO would not work. Had to leave it and come back after they fixed that.
Anyway, went to take it home and no power, just like before??
Said it needed the pump and injector kit for $4500.00.
Then it worked properly.


Happy Motoring,
Rolls Canardly
"Rolls down one hill, Canardly get up the next."