Are the later Paccar engines better than the earlier ones?

Discussion in 'Kenworth Forum' started by Thetrashnoob, Mar 8, 2021.

  1. Thetrashnoob

    Thetrashnoob Light Load Member

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    I found a 2016 t880 dump truck. It has a 485 Paccar and a 8ll. 290k Miles. I know the early ones had tons of issues. What about the 16s?
     
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  3. PoleCrusher

    PoleCrusher Road Train Member

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    The 2nd generation Paccars dont have the issues the 1st generation did.

    My 2016 has 555k mi with no engine problems. All it takes it diligent maintenance and running the proper fluids. I'll tell you one to make certain of, use DELO 10w30 synthetic blend oil. Anything heavier and you'll have issues down the line.

    BTW, I've had mine since it was brand new, so I do know it's entire history.
     
  4. Thetrashnoob

    Thetrashnoob Light Load Member

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    Where I don’t know the history of it, it’s a little concerning. I’d prefer a pre def dpf truck but I’m not finding much out there that’s not junk or have 6-800k miles on it.
     
  5. PoleCrusher

    PoleCrusher Road Train Member

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    Yeah it's hard to find a pre-emissions truck that's ready to go to work.

    One issue with Paccar engines, you'll want to have a good dealer available, close enough to where you operate that it's not too much trouble. I'm fortunate in that regard, as my local KW shop has always done good for me.

    You can have a rigdig report run. And if it’s not at a Paccar dealer, see if you can take it to one to get checked out. Any KW or Pete dealer can do an ECM dump, plus get any records from Paccar engineering to look for previous problems.

    Also look at the hours on the engine. They don't do well with excessive idling. Soot builds up in the oil and causes problems with the o-rings. That can be mitigated with more frequent oil changes though. If you can put it on a dyno, it will give you a good indication on how well it was maintained as well.
     
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  6. Thetrashnoob

    Thetrashnoob Light Load Member

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    I’m not exactly sure how the Emissions trucks work, but I just hear all the horror stories. I do know idling is bad for the dpf. Only downside is dump trucks idle, a lot. So even with a low mile (under 200k) truck it probably has a lot of idle hours on it. The one thing I do know is the people I’ve talked to, everyone recommends a pre emissions to avoid the problems and downtime. So going with an emissions truck is certainly a difficult decision to make.
    Closest kenworth dealers are about hour away. There is a Pete store 12 min away but I believe it’s part only. But they should be able to help with parts?
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2021
  7. MoonerC

    MoonerC Bobtail Member

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    I drive a 2016 T680 everyday hauling Frac Sand, it has 662k miles on it. We have never had any issues with the Engine, I mean none, other than a couple of minor sensors. We idle a lot also. The key is to set the idle up to about 1000rpm when you’re going to be idling more than 5 mins or so. This helps keep the DPF filter from getting clogged up. I was very critical of this Engine/Truck combo when we got it. It has made a believer out of me. I just bought another one.
     
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  8. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    Seems like so much luck of the draw with these.

    One person says they're good/reliable, next guy talking about the $5K worth of software he bought plus yearly subscription to keep it running.

    But I am absolutely convinced that how you drive and care for your equipment is about 75% of it.
     
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  9. OldeSkool

    OldeSkool Road Train Member

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    I’m with you there. Some guys immediately notice problems and worry themselves sick until they get it fixed, the next guy drives with all sorts of weird noises, shakes, and vibrations but “it’s been doing that forever” so apparently that makes it nothing to worry about.
     
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  10. Dave_in_AZ

    Dave_in_AZ Road Train Member

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    Wrench called those driver specific problems.

    Wrench takes it for a drive, looks it over, then says there's nothing wrong with it.
     
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  11. Arctic_fox

    Arctic_fox Experienced mx13 execrator

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    As someone who literally just bought a 17 pete 579 with a MX in it id say go read this. Understanding Your EGR and DPF as a Truck Owner Friend who has an MX pulls and cleans his sensors every 50k miles because it only takes 3 hours start to finish. He and his wife have had exactly 3 emissions problems on their 16 KW in 1.2 million miles. And all three were from something breaking from wear and tear. 1 was the def injector going bad, 1 was the can getting filled with soot and breaking when they tried to remove and clean it and one was oddly enough a rusted tank strap shifting and pinching the def line off and causing a pump to go bad from working too hard.

    But i haven't driven enough to have credible first hand experince with the 2nd gen engines.
     
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