Advice Please On 2004 Kenworth C-15

Talk with mr Haney about tuning options. It is well worth the money in mpg's, performance and heat issues are much better. Good friend of mine with a mbn gained over 1mpg,dropped temp's and now the truck runs like it is supposed to. Detroit is good choice for mpg but not power. As far as the celect plus, I spent waaaay to much money on the one and only one that I owned. I do better mpg's with cat than cummins, but that may be driving style and application

 

Why is it that if there is an issue with a Detroit product it could be any number of other things causing it, but if the motor is a CAT you have aready made up your mind what the issue is? Advice from this point of view is a waste of time typing it.

 

If you can't tell, I'm being totally neutral on the issue. I said a pre-2002 Cat C15 set at 430 HP with a 10 speed, 3.73's COMPARED to a Detroit Series 60 with 515 HP, 10 speed and 3.73's were close. The Series 60 was a 2006.

I then said, a 430 CAT felt just as strong as that 515 HP Detroit, was there something wrong with that Detroit? Maybe, maybe not. You can throw in a 430 horse N14 Cummins and the Series 60 and C15 would pull away from it. The M11 is an even bigger turd. Let's not forget, the Series 60 had a 10 speed, his C15 had a 13 speed. Maybe his advice is not good, how can you compare a 10 speed to a 13 speed in power? That's like comparing a 9 to a 13 speed, if you had two truck side by side one with a 9 and one with a 13, the 9 speed shifts into 8th, which I assume would be 8 high and let says your 13 speed shifts into 8 low. One will be lugging and the other will probably be pulling away. A 10 speed is GREAT for flat ground, not for climbing mountains unless you have the power turned up really high or a light load on the back. Even if as he stated, the 10 and 15(or 13?) speed were geared close on paper, in the real world small things make the biggest difference.

The Cat C12 even at 430 HP has goobs of power. The point I was making, I can get in one C12 that hauls ###, and get in another that drags ###. The same goes for the Series 60, if its set at 470 HP and its a turd in the mountains its possible something was wrong with it. My experience, the Series 60 is a strong runner.

I used to drive motor coaches, the fleet was mixed with CAT C13's set to 330 HP with 12 speed auto shifts with some set at 430 HP for different runs, the rest was Series 60 12.7's supposedly set at 370 HP with a 6 speed Allison automatic. It's all slip seat, every so often you get in one and there is something wrong. For example, one Series 60/B500 combo couldn't get out of its own way, it wouldn't boost over 7 PSI. I know there are some that were some how set to a higher HP, at least 450-470 the way some of these ran. The same goes with low gear torque limiting, where in the automatic 1st gear limits the amount of torque to prevent rapid tire wear and stress on the drive line. I got in one that had it disabled, how did I know? I stepped on the throttle from a dead stop, INSTANTLY the turbo was spooled, black smoke pouring from a stop it was off like a bat outta hell. Although it took off fast and at various speeds there was NO hesitation when stepping on the throttle, it was only set a 370 HP, but the torque it was putting out made it move.

Just have old or dirty injectors may not throw a code but will hamper the power. Even a fuel restriction could cause issues. I can get in a truck and from taking of, I can know right of the bat, "This fuel filter is clogged." Sure enough, pop the hood the fuel filter is full(Davco 382).

I love Detroit, but you're not being rational at all. You said, Quote: "Advice from this point of view is a waste of time typing it." If you have a problem engage me with questions, I'm trying to answer them for you, I just don't think you're seeing my perspective. I don't know if you're saying my advice isn't worth anything, or you typing advice isn't worth anything.

He had a 1993 Detroit Series 60, some people have a bad experience. He said that was his ONLY Series 60 he drove before going to a CAT and he's never looked back. Well, if he drove other Series 60 he might say, "####, mine doesn't have the power that this one has." It's unusual for people to say Detroit don't have power because they have excellent power, when they're running correctly. CAT and Cummin's have their problems too. I even said in there that one company had Cat C12's, they were governed at 1,600 or 1,700 RPM and had the HP turned way down. If you look on the block it would say 430 HP, but it was altered in a quest to save fuel and limited to 62 MPH. It takes all the fun out of driving the truck and if I had to drive that I'd be a CAT hater if I didn't know any better.

Again, there are so many variables and so many factors I was simply pointing out the possibility that there was something wrong. Try and be more neutral. I could easily say you're both giving bad advice, that may or not be true. But all of this was left of the argument. I think anyone reading this can decide for them selves. I think maybe some people get intimidated by the complexity of my posts. There are people that you will talk in life or online that will say, "OH, Peterbilt pulls better than Freightliner." That is absurd, its not the truck, its the engine, transmission and rear end that determines the power and pull the truck has. Thanks.

 

My 430hp S-60 was a beast. I had a Garrett ball-berring turbo on it, a tune and that was it. I was running gravel out the local yard and we would run them up I-94 into Gary mills and I would walk the dog all day long on the CAT and N14's, but I also had 4.11's and a 10spd. The other guys were running 3.55's and 3.73's. I would burn them at the lights, but after 65mph I was done and they would fly by me LOL

 

Axle ratios are important, but it is very rare to see someone with 4.11's, what RPM's were you turning at 65-70? I do know in my old 95 Cadillac Fleetwood with a Chevy 350 LT1(iron heads 260 HP factory), going from a 2.93 to 3.42 was insane and adding an Eaton POSI, it took off like a rocket, some went to 3.73's but was a killer for fuel mileage. By the way, if you get a Schneider truck you will have a 2.79 axle ratio, yikes! Some companies put 3.31's or 3.42's with a 10 speed, most drivers complain enough with 3.73's.