How many miles before you ran into problems?

Oscar the KW · Mar 11, 2016

gunner76 said: ↑

my parts man sells both Baldwin and Cat filters and he said that up until a few years ago Baldwin made the filters for Cat. I've been using Baldwin filters for quite a few years now and haven't had any problems.
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I always ran Cat filters on my Cat's, to me my engine just liked them better, but maybe that was just in my head.

Baldwin might very well be who makes the Cat filters, to Cat's specifications I'm sure, which might be different than Baldwin's.

Ozdriver · Mar 11, 2016

Tank33 said: ↑

Personally, I would not ever consider a Volvo engine. They simply do not know how to make a reliable, powerful product. There engines are problematic, very expensive to fix, and almost always, only a Volvo dealer will touch them, OR have parts in stock, no one else.

Detroit has really been hit and miss since 2004. I would steer away from Detroits as well, they simply do not have the big displacement to give you the torque and power of a 15 liter engine, unless you spend a huge amount of money modifying it. They have been known for large amounts of trouble with the turbocharger and fuel mileage. The fuel mileage problem has been fixed with software updates to the ECM most of the time, but some of them are just horrible for good.

Cummins has a lot of problems with EGR valves and soot levels from 2004 all the way to 2007. They really take some getting used to when driving an ISX. When shifting, as soon as you let off the pedal, the RPM's drop like a ton of bricks. You have to make your shift quickly or else it will have already fallen to low and you'll miss the gear. They also have quite a noisy valve train setup, and gear system in the front. This makes for a engine with the chattering kind of noise that can be heard in most cabs. However, it is still a good engine if you do a few things to them, IF you can find the right one, that runs the right way. Find a good, low mileage ISX (300,000 to 400,000) unplug the EGR valve for good, change oil and filters, including fuel filters, ONCE A MONTH, REGARDLESS OF MILEAGE, and it just might last you a long time. Also, replace the trucks mufflers with open low resistance design, they get rid of lot's soot and let the engine really breathe. You will notice one hell of a difference with these.

Caterpillar is STILL the best when it comes right down to it. Because of there twin turbo design, the EGR presence is much, much less. A cummins and Cat torn down side by side with say 600,000 miles, the Cat will be pretty clean inside. The Cummins will be full of black dirty soot and dirt from eating it's own waste for years. Think of it this way, how healthy would you feel if half of your diet was your excrement? That's exactly how a Cummins ISX runs, it eats it's waste.

Caterpillar has a nice full skirt piston design, Cummins does not. Caterpillar uses normal turbochargers, Cummins is variable geometry. One Cummins turbo is the same or more cost wise, then 2 Caterpillars. I have had people try to argue that the twin turbo setup is why they went with a Cummins. As I said, it costs less to replace those 2, then 1 Cummins turbo, so that argument is meaningless. There are very few issues with the turbos on these engines to begin with. Caterpillar engines love high pressure, if you have an ACCERT, changing your fuel filter once a month will do great things for the longevity of the engine, and your fuel mileage. I noticed a much happier engine on mine. Use genuine Caterpillar filters, NOT WHATEVER IS CHEAPEST. Filters are NOT MADE EQUAL! Not to mention, if you ever need warranty, there is no fight when you have used the engine manufacturers own filters. Try and claim warranty when you went with "whatever they had"

There is no excuse for not being able to find them. I purchased my filters in bulk and kept them in the truck with me at all times. I bought boxes of 12, oil and fuel filters, and kept them with me all the time. I did my own oil changes mostly, but you can still give the filters to the service guy and they can use yours, cuts down on the bill too. Buying filters yourself, in bulk is cheaper, it was for me anyways.

I owned a ACCERT Cat engine, and I have driven so many different trucks in the last 5 years it would make ones head spin. The only time I made money, and was not stuck waiting for repairs, was when I had a kitty cat underneath my right foot. I have always been biased to Caterpillar and for good reason. Look at there history, Caterpillar has pretty much, built this world, literally. No one knows how to make a engine so tough it can pull the world and spit one out.

Just go to some of the steel mills. The last one I was at had a huge front end loader, working in conditions of probably 75 degrees celcius or more, 24/7, it had 15,000 hours on it, and had never missed a beat. It had a C18 in it if I remember correctly. The conditions it was in were absolutely jaw dropping, something no machine should be able to survive. Every machine from the loaders down to the forklifts were Caterpillar.

Caterpillar has breakdowns too, just like anything mechanical. However, there components and grade of there metals is top notch. The ACCERT engines are a 1,000,000 mile design, with a block designed for many rebuilds. The most I have ever seen was a 2004 Kenworth that was ran double team right from delivery to being sold last year. It had 2,100,000 KM on it, or about 1,300,000 miles. The only thing ever done to that engine was a head gasket, one turbocharger, the thermostats, and the air compressor was rebuilt.

When I sold my truck last year, it had 1,300,000 KM on it, and was running like a top. I still keep in touch with the guy who bought it, it currently has 1,500,000 KM on it, and still uses no oil, and get's the fuel mileage bonus every single month, even in the winter time.

One last thing, I would not buy any used truck with more then 550,000 miles on it. Figure out the numbers, but you don't want to have to rebuild the engine before the truck is paid for. A truck with 600,000 miles on it will likely need a rebuild in another 200,000 to 300,000 miles, if your lucky. If your running hard you will put on 150,000 miles a year. So if you buy a truck like that for $65,000, or say 3 years, when you need to do a $25,000 rebuild, you will still owe on that same truck for another year and a half, PLUS the payment for the rebuild if you don't have the cash saved.

Take your time, find the right deal, at the right price. Mileage is everything. Useable life vs how long you will be owing on it.
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I agree with you about CAT engines, though the pre-ACERT C15 was better imo. My 3408 has done way over 5 million kms since it was built in 1980 and never been out of the truck, it's had 3 in-frames with new liner kits and heads. Still going strong and pulling big weights. Clean oil and coolant are the key, plus careful startup / shut down procedure.

greasehorn · Feb 28, 2020

So how many miles y’all getting very curious have isx’s with 400,000-650,00mi on em wondering when I’m gonna have to freshen em up? And how do I know when to do overhead sets on em? Got em all used around 400-475k and don’t know last time overheads we’re done? What else can I do to enhance the longevity of the isx? Thanks

Brettj3876 · Feb 29, 2020

Delete/didn't see date before i posted

x1Heavy · Feb 29, 2020

CAT is a national treasure. We have one running a older CAT coming and going from the Coop in town. Sometimes I just sit out at the post office and wait for that sound.

Ive been lucky with the older Detriots. Thats the key word luck. I never had a emissions truck so I don't know how bad they are with that crap made after 2004. I still think it's crap no matter what engine you put on.

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