Pullin with the dreaded PACCAR Mx13

I was idling mine last Saturday and Sunday night...it was cold on Sunday AM in North Dakota. Saw temps on the dash as low a -8F for pockets heading west along 94. But was more typically in a range between -5 and +5. The ECM was doing some different stuff I'd never seen it do before, but I'd never had it in temps that low before either. Somewhere in the low single digits it will boost limit the turbo to 20 psi, and MPG was noticeably awful...like 6 and the wind was dead calm so that had nothing to do with it. Then something strange happened about 50-60 miles into the drive...it started boosting all the way up to 40 psi which I'd never seen before and the instant MPG lie-o-meter suddenly started looking fantastic . (normal conditions it runs between 30-35 if you hammer it down) I'm guessing on the turbo there is some sort of exhaust flapper valve the ECM can control based on ambient conditions and how it wants the engine to run, but it was really singing to me for a few minutes there...I could really hear it zinging away under there.

It's also gave me a notification ding during the middle of the night both nights saying it wanted a 10 minute parked Regen before driving, which was something I'd never seen before. It must be a time based thing where if you let it idle too many hours straight it automatically triggers that. I had it cranked up to 1050 which was the smoothest RPM and it would get hot enough periodically to cycle the fan on which I thought was surprising for it being 0 degrees out and the HVAC blower going for cab heat.

 

Likely none of the components behind the engine are *rated* for 1850 on a 1650 engine, hence the warranty voiding stuff. Does that mean any of those components will grenade if you hot rodded the motor 200 ft/lbs? Probably not. Most likely to tell on you would be the clutch. That would be a interesting experiment to see if a 1650 rated clutch would start to slip while giving it the beans in 10th or 12th gear pulling a slight incline with an 1850 engine. There's a possibility the clutch would have to be upgraded to make it work right. Those components will have some degree of overengineering built into them for reliability and safety margin. Plenty of guys hot rod their old pre-emission motor trucks to well beyond the design limits of everything behind the engine and it comes down to watching temperatures closely when giving it hell on a hill.

 

Part of the fun and challenge to me is *not* allowing a truck to be run into the ground, which requires a more or less constant effort to stay on top of any leaks or wore out parts or broke stuff that needs fixed. If you don't the truck turns into a basket case that has a million little things wrong with it. There's a fine line I suppose, between keeping it mechanically and cosmetically sound and wasting money on chrome and hot rodding stuff, which can get expensive and doesn't make it earn any more money. That sentiment I agree with. You have to know when to say no to yourself and differentiate between needs and wants.

 

So where would you find straight “D” grade fuel then? The link said it was 48 cetane vs the more typical 40. Kwik Trip advertises 2-5 extra cetane points with their premium so that’s a good question whether it’s an “XD” blend or just X with additive like Cenex. I’ve never seen that differentiated at the pump level like with Y grade. Is D grade more typically just used as a blending ingredient or have you actually seen pumps that sell it straight?

 

Opening a new IRP account with the state is a pain in the butt (as you’ve discovered). That’s why most decent carriers have a plate program. But are you sure about the title? The title is usually a two way deal between you and your state’s motor vehicle department, or between you and the DMV via the lender, who usually sends you paperwork shorty after the deal closes to go get a new title made in your name. I’ve never heard of needing the company’s help to title the truck. They need to have a copy of the title or title app to get you leased on (to prove you own the truck), but IDK why they would have anything to do with the actual processing of the title paperwork. You also need the title or title app to open an IRP account, but you don’t typically have to get your own plate unless you plan to start your own authority or just like a lot of extra paperwork. That’s part of the selling point of leasing onto a carrier vs running your own numbers. They worry about a lot of the compliance and regulation stuff so you don’t have to. You *can* run your own plate at many places, but the benefits of doing so are a little questionable given the hassle.

 

I am not sure as I am lazy right now and did not read all the threads on this post. But ive read and watched some Paccar tech talk, that Paccar engine are designed to be ran untill near 850k miles or while fuel economy starts dropping. Than engine is simply replaced by factory reman for cost savings. And if you do research Paccar engines are not new, they are a DAF engine that has been used in Europa for many years, but programed for North american emissions.