1693 caterpillar

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Caterpillar Cowboy, Mar 5, 2011.

  1. Caterpillar Cowboy

    Caterpillar Cowboy Heavy Load Member

    837
    607
    Nov 11, 2010
    Wyoming
    0
    Looking at putting together an old school truck, probably a W900A, Older Butterfly Hood KW, or 359 or Butterfly Hood Pete. It seems to me like a 1693 CAT is a real good old school powerhouse. About the most emissions concerned place I could ever invision this truck going is to NW Washington. Truck would be used for pulling a belly dump, side dump, or bathtub dump, and maybe (hopefully) down the road pulling a lowboy. Paired with a modern 18 RR, or a 5x4 or 6x4. I don't need to have 800 horsepower going to the ground, right around 450-500 is fine for me considering I'll have all those gears and probably 4.10's in her axles. All that background being said what are some things, ins and outs of the 1693 I should know about?
     
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2011
    NightWind Thanks this.
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. black_dog106

    black_dog106 Road Train Member

    1,786
    1,664
    Mar 29, 2009
    MA
    0
    Had alittle experience with 1693's. It is a great motor.
    The only drawback is no engine brake. And with fuel prices getting stupid, mileage could be another concern?
     
  4. Caterpillar Cowboy

    Caterpillar Cowboy Heavy Load Member

    837
    607
    Nov 11, 2010
    Wyoming
    0
    Were there no kits even available in the aftermarket (Jacobs) for an engine brake?
     
  5. Nevs

    Nevs Light Load Member

    295
    107
    Dec 25, 2010
    flyover country (Iowa)
    0
    Cat Brakesaver only as I recall. I don't remember a Jake being offered.
     
  6. Joew900

    Joew900 Light Load Member

    54
    17
    Nov 23, 2009
    0
    If I remember right the 1693 was Cat's foot in the door to the truck market. The 1693 and 3408 were bulldozer engines. No engine brakes of any kind for these engines.
     
  7. blackw900

    blackw900 The Grandfather of Flatbed

    5,817
    7,675
    Jul 12, 2009
    A.W.O.L
    0
    I had a 1693T/A in my 1975 W900A...It was a solid motor but was a piece of junk compared to what we have access to now.

    The drawbacks were:

    It's a very heavy engine

    No Jake brake was ever made for them

    VERY expensive to work on and parts are very hard to find

    Really poor fuel mileage by todays standards (3 to 4 MPG at best)


    There are far better choices for a power plant than a 1693 available for an "old school" truck project...If it were me I'd build a nice older truck and power it with an N14 or some other more modern, efficient, powerful engine.
    At least if you do that it'll be reletively practical to work with. The only way I'd do a 1693 these days is for a show truck that doesn't ever haul freight.
     
  8. blackpipes

    blackpipes Light Load Member

    61
    18
    May 4, 2010
    king ferry,ny
    0
    1693 is overhead cam thats y no jake brake. i would maybe go with a 400 or 425 cat. they way cheaper to work on plus they have a jake and will make better power for less fuel. nothin sounds cooler than a 1693 idling, cooler or scarier. sound like parts are loose rollin around inside, but unfortunately just not real practical in this day and age.
     
  9. Caterpillar Cowboy

    Caterpillar Cowboy Heavy Load Member

    837
    607
    Nov 11, 2010
    Wyoming
    0
    Better off to go with a earlier 3406 it is sounding like.
     
  10. Backyard

    Backyard Bobtail Member

    4
    7
    Mar 6, 2011
    Cookeville, Tennessee
    0
    8) Certainly back in the '70's the 1693TA, rated 425hp was the man, usually coupled to a RTO-12513 overdrive transmission.

    Today, any engine that would average 3.8mpg would certainly suck.

    The 3406 engine took over rather quickly. The sound everyone loves is a Caterpillar engine with pre-combustion chamber heads...sounds like a bike chain wrapped around the crank...that is actually a fuel knock.

    The pre-combustion chamber was dropped during the 3400 Series production, but some of those still retained the fuel ping like the 1693.

    My opine is that the 1693 was removed from production because it was practically indestructible...we had a pan that would load & unload with no oil pressure...it had thrown a rod clean through the front corner of the block. The operator said it was not producing as much power as before.

    So the 1693 went into History with the US-American Cummins KTA Series...

    Back then, the Caterpillar Brakesaver was offered as an option, however these items are no longer supported, as with all Cat truck engines. You can get any part that Cat has ever made, but your talking a King's ransom...
     
  11. Caterpillar Cowboy

    Caterpillar Cowboy Heavy Load Member

    837
    607
    Nov 11, 2010
    Wyoming
    0
    Found a 1693 with a broken crank for around 700 bucks, How tough will it be to find a crank, I am guessing I couldn't just pull one out of a 3406, that would be too easy!
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.