What do ya'll think about buying a another truck right now?

The ECM calculates engine load 100 percent load doesn’t mean that it should show what it’s rated HP is. Calculated values are not measured values. If the RPM isn’t right as well as other conditions it can’t achieve max HP. When the 1st truck broke 10mph the 2nd mechanic learned what happens when you fall off one working on it while driving down the road. By digging the first mechanics hole. To evaluate the over all condition of an engine you gotta load it naturally. So if one’s dusted, worn out, been hot etc. the weak point will show. However I have seen one have a major issue from something coming apart just a short time after given a clean bill of health. Ive seen guys with papered overhauls have a pitted liner from running ditch water after a slow leak that just needed topped off every couple days went on too far. Ditch water or tap water are the same here. My point no warranty on that 100k warranty over haul. The dyno will predict neither of those. So don’t take what it says to the devil and want a contract. However nothing is a 100 percent and it’s definitely worth doing.

It’s also the greatest diagnostic tool in shop for those intermittent problems, hard to find problems.

By the way dynos calculate power and torque by how fast you can turn the drum with x brake applied so you can only measure in direct gear or it’s thrown off. If the brakes a little off well the numbers be off. It still does its job however it’s loading the engine to evaluate conditions or find its issue.

 

Cummins charged $300 to flash the ecm 10 years ago. They had to use zipper software I think it's called to crack Swifts password. Then they download the info that needed to stay. And flashed it fresh. Took about an hour iirc.

 

We have an old john deere 6030 farm tractor that will almost blow the dust off the shop floor when you pull it in and under load in the field you can see it streaming out of the blowby tube and mushroom on the ground. It’s got about 14000 hrs on the clock pulling the guts out of it on tillage equipment at about twice its rated power. We keep saying we should overhaul it but it never gets done. It uses very little oil despite the blowby… I guess the bottom line is blowby is somewhat irrelevant in my opinion especially on a truck you already own. now if you’re looking to buy maybe it’s a critical part of the decision. I would be more concerned about oil consumption and metals or silicates in the oil sample.

 

When blowby is bad. It dilutes the oil and clogs the oil filter to the point there's no pressure and requires changing every week just to keep oil pressure.

The cat needed one every week. All 6 pistons had broken rings.
Cummins made it 2 weeks but it only had 4 broken rings.

 

Dyno you’re current engine if it’s healthy keep it . Another factor on newer trucks is nanny systems you can’t delete . DD15’s are good engines and outlast dd13’s which many have issues with as they age. My 16 is within .5 mpg of our 23’s .

 

What about a slight upgrade to sub 400k mile truck.

Can pick one of those up for under $35,000.
Seems like a steal to me.
I remember not too long when something like this would be $100,000+ before trucking rates crashed.