Whic engine has the best life span

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by TURKER, Aug 31, 2009.

  1. TURKER

    TURKER Medium Load Member

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    Aug 11, 2009
    Raleigh NC
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    Hey yall
    Iam having hard time to decide which engine to get .It will help me to decide what truck to get.I dont want to buy EPA engine(NEW EGR ) That lives me to choose up to 2003 year,but what is it? Which one will last longer W/O overhauling. Cat ? Det ? Cumm.? Please give me Your 2 cents.Thank you
     
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  3. Big Duker

    Big Duker "Don Cheto"

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    Depends on what you are going to be hauling. I like Detroits a lot. 12.7 is a good little bullet proof motor. Can go up to about 500 hp easily. Older Cats are good as well. I think they use more oil, but that seems to be the case w/all Cat motors. Don't have any experience with them but the guy we lease with always had Cummins N14 I think and swears by them. Most if you get a good one will give you good service if you do your maintenence. Seems like all the newer motors have issues of one kind or another.
     
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  4. 112racing

    112racing Road Train Member

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    your gonna get a million answers on this but it's pretty much a crap shoot i know of cat's detroit's and cummins that have gone over a million miles without ever being touched and also ones of all those brands that have had to be rebuilt with anywhere from 200,000 - 500,000 miles on them i will say to stay away from the smaller displacement engines 11 liter detroits, m11 cummins and the c-12 / 13 cats as they have to work harder to do the same job and generally don't have as long a service life

    a good maintenance program is essential but failures can happen to anything mechanical no matter how well they are taken care of due to a part defect or a hung over assembler

    if your looking to get a newer truck consider a new glider kit which gives you a new truck with a reman pre emmission engine and will be $30,000 less
     
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  5. MedicineMan

    MedicineMan Road Train Member

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    Woodville, TX
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    the one that's had it's oil changed

    plain and simple
     
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  6. Heavyd

    Heavyd Road Train Member

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    Same here!
     
  7. TURKER

    TURKER Medium Load Member

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    Aug 11, 2009
    Raleigh NC
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    Hey
    My budget about $ 20000 and I see hundreds truck available for that range,I want to buy 2000_2003 year and they have mileges 600G to 1.300.000 I just cant figure out that giving the care and maintenance was done on them.What engine will last till next re do? I know it is hard question to answer but collectivly and your help I should figure it out . Thanks
     
  8. 112racing

    112racing Road Train Member

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    theres alot of trucks in that price range 99-2002 that have inframes already done which is what i'd be looking for espesially if you don't have an extra $20,000 for a rebuild

    always try to find an oop truck or from a small company and not a mega-fleet one that's had 50 drivers on it usually you will be able to get the truck maintenance history

    take your time and look around there are alot of nice ones out there in that price range

    look in the truck paper on line

    alot of company's want newer trucks but theres alot of reliable older trucks. most of these big company's want you to have a newer truck so you have a high debt and will have to take whatever crap loads they throw out there my truck has 800,000 on it and i'd take it anywhere and i have alot of friends same as me and we have no payments and we don't have to run 200,000 miles a year to make a living
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2009
  9. bullhaulerswife

    bullhaulerswife Forum Leader/Admin Staff Member Administrator

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    I was going to suggest the same thing. We had an in-frame done at around 760,000. We bought the truck with 680,000 on it. Since the inframe, we have had NO issues with the motor, except bad injectors, which were under warranty.

    Hubby is at 920,000 on the truck now, had the oil analyzed the other day, and its perfect. Our motor guy said we can go 20,000 on an oil change now. I doubt that hubby will, because he really likes that the motor takes no oil, and never misses a beat.

    Had we known how the truck was maintained before we bought it, we probably would have passed and found another truck.

    Do your homework on the truck. Ask for maintenance records, if you can. Most O/O's will maintain good records. So look for O/O trade ins. :yes2557:
     
  10. stepnfetchit

    stepnfetchit Medium Load Member

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    Monett MO
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    I am gonna catch all kinds of flak over what I am about to say but I checked with several dealers when I bought my last truck. Cummins and Detroit are not easily rebuilt after the first major rebuild. You can rebuild a Cat as many times as necessary. Friend of mine has a 89 Frtlnr with a Cat. That motor has over 2 million miles and I know for a fact it has been rebuilt twice. He put 800,000 on the original, rebuilt it, put 900,000 on it and rebuilt it again just a year or so before he passed away. Dealers told me you can rebuild a Cat as often as needed, BUT you can't do a Cummins or Detroit that way. Don't really know why other than that was one reason I bought a Cat in my last truck. Had a 96 Pete, 3406 E, 550 HP, 15 speed,3:55 rears. Motor was rebuilt at 1,020,00. Truck has 1,317,000 on it and still only uses about a half gallon of oil every 10,000 miles. I see the truck about every day though I no longer own it, but local company bought it so I see the truck and driver often. For me Cat was the way to go.
     
  11. Big Duker

    Big Duker "Don Cheto"

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    Weatherford, TX
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    No flak for speaking your mind. Your opinion is just as good as everyone else's. I have a friend who was/is mechanic for 30 yrs. Drives now and wouldn't even think of anything but a pre-emission CAT 550. About the same as yours. KW 800 rebuilt at 700k now with about 1.1 mil and about same oil usage. He does specialized heavy haul and has few problems. Best thing is he has shop and know how to do his own repairs. Dirty SOB. lol
     
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