I'm looking into a used truck with a C-12 Cat. Anyone have any experience with these engines either good or bad? 2002 model with 430hp? Thanks in advance.

i have a buddy who runs one in his 03 kw....likes it, good power ect

has had the water pump go out, melted a whole in his wastegate and replaced mains and rod bearings, just had a tune up and now the darn thing is quiter than my pickup

gets good mileage....6.5 to 7.4 depending on load and terrin

o its a falt top

drove a 200 pete with one. for what it is its a good little motor if you dont want to haul any big loads. after about 300,000 it developed alot of blowby.

One issue that I have been frequently told about the C-12 is to make sure that the head bolt torque is checked annually and the heads get retorqued. Have the overhead run once a year, and ensure that the mech torques the head bolts, and the engine will last as long as any other engine on the road. Neglect that, and it will lose a head gasket and display all the ills associated with that.

I have never run one myself, so I can't swear to this 100% from personal experience. But, I have been told this by savvy owners, and talked to well regarded mechs who have confirmed this. So, were I to buy one, I would take that step, which is no real biggie since you should have the overhead set annually anyhow.

As for the engine itself, it's main advantage is it's lighter weight. Hp and torque ratings are available high enough to pull anything 80k anywhere you would want to go with it.

It is high on my list of engine choices when I buy, since I am in a weight sensitive area. I'm not a huge Cat fan, and probably never will be. But if a truck came along with that engine under the hood, I would have no qualms about buying one.

Thanks fellas. I've never been a Cat fan myself. Always had good luck with Detroit and really like the newer Cummins ISX.

This vintage C-12 is a solid motor with a good turbo match and generally a very responsive engine. The B-50 life of this engine with proper maintenance if I recall was 1,000,000 miles which is the same as the C-15 which is 800 lbs heavier.
You might want to have an authorized Cat dealer in your area look up the service history for you if it's not available now.Just give them the engine serial number. Any service updates that may have been issued should also show.
Cat also has a used truck extended service plan called Advantage which covers engines with less than 800,000 miles.visit [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link. for info.

By the way, not the comment about blowby, and the comment about head bolt torque. See a potential connection there?