How many miles before you ran into problems?

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.

 

I had 9 years & over 1.1 mill miles before I had any problems, other than normal wear & tear. never broke down away from home. never on the side of the road. ever. 95 ser 60 11.1 detroit.

 

No offense, but I don't really think any "pre 2004" era information is useful. Engines simply are not made that good, or that reliable anymore. Considering how much engines and there systems have changed over the years, comparing engines from 2004 - 2012 to engines from a decade or more earlier, simply doesn't make sense. Even comparing engines from 2004 to 2007 to engines from 2008 to 2012 is a stretch.

Components and emissions laws are changing far to quickly to establish any extremely reliable engines like the older engines from back when.

 

Warranty cant/wont be voided by using different brand filters than manufacturer specific brand. Magnusson Moss Act. Any Cat from the factory is sucking air through a Donaldson air filter. Their oil and fuel filters have a quality synthetic mmedia. My cat dealer sells them substantially cheaper than Cat filters. Cat filters are overpriced. Donaldson's or Baldwin's will do just as good or better and will not void a warranty.

 

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.

 

Yeah your right, just wanted to let known my blessing & luck with what I had & still have.

 

The company I worked for had over 250 leased operators at the time I left it. They also had about 100 company trucks and growing.

The shop foreman told me numerous times that they had major engine issues, in which case, the engine needed a rebuild. There were times where all 3, Detroit, Cat, and Cummins, denied any warranty claim, and blamed it solely on 1 thing. The owner of the vehicle did not use the specified filters as per the warranty or manufactures standards. In the end, only Caterpillar came through and repaired the claims they had, because they had about 50 Cat engines, they were a bigger contract, more important to Cat then 1 man. Both Cummins and Detroit said we don't want anything to do with it, your problem now.

While I agree most filters are made in the same place and simply painted different colors, this is not always true. Even if it is, a filter that is the wrong color in the eyes of someone who decides the fate of your warranty claim....do you REALLY want to take that chance? Stake a multi thousand dollar repair bill on something so cheap as an oil filter?

Filters are so cheap, that any variance in price, really doesn't matter. It cost me $5 extra to purchase Caterpillar filters. If $5 extra matters so much to your business, that it keeps you up at night, or you even argue the point about spending it, you need to punch a clock and work for someone else.

Caterpillar parts are not overpriced like they used to be. The saying "you pay for yellow paint" does not really hold value anymore. I would say only a handful of parts are more expensive for a Cat then a similar or identical part on a Cummins or Detroit. When I bought my filters in bulk, I paid $12 EACH! My 2 thermostats cost me $165, changed myself. Valve cover seals for all 3 covers, cost me $47.

Find the right shop and the right dealer, give them your business. The company I worked for purchased parts in massive quantities, and they would sell to there leased operators at only a 2% mark up. I purchased almost everything I ever needed through them. I only bought on the road if I was desperate. I got my headache rack and all my decking equipment from them, for way cheaper than any store would have taken me for.

The other key component, fix things yourself. I have rebuilt fan hubs on the side of the street before in front of the Kenworth dealer. I paid only for parts and did almost all of my own labor. Labor is what will kill a Leased Operator, especially in today's situations with trucks being built with so much crap on them.

 

oh I agree, just stating the truth.