help with choosing a 379

Only if it is origin

No any e-model or c-15 up to the mbn. Will be fine. Even the a-cert's are ok if you set them up right. If you want big power then you also need a big wallet.

 

Isn't the mbn a bridge engine? Can anyone tell me how to get in touch with 'truck engine machinist'? A pm on here will not work.

 

Either Cat will do you good. I ran a 2005 C15 for 9 years and never had any major issues with it.
Fun Fact: Only the people that has never owned Cats talk trash about Cats. LOL!

 

I agree. All my Pete's have either a 3406A or C16. They range from 565 HP to 625 HP. Well maintained, and no more expensive to fix than a Cumalong or Deadtroit.

 

Get a real CAT the one that made them popular, 1693 TA

 

Good engine for it's time. Not any more though.

 

From my understanding the 3406e is just an early version of the c15. I'm a company driver and my 07 379 has a c13 with 10 spd tranny and I haul stone overweight up to 60 ton and tanker. It's the the one in my avatar pic . My truck is also really light so I can net 48/49k pulling the tanker. It's an incredibly reliable engine and haven't had any major issues. I don't think you can go wrong with a cat! But you won't get the best fuel mileage. I get around 5.25 mpg

 

I think cats are the way to go its too bad you can't get one in a new truck anymore. In my opinion I think the 3406e and c15 are the best motors out there. Like northernmechanic said, the engines have been long around enough to work out the electronic problems, but they're not so new that the computer stuff on them is crazy. We got about 10 trucks and we've had everything from cat, cummins, detroit, and international. We have a 3406e with 600k original miles and it has hauled 100k lbs its entire life and we never even rebuilt it yet and its still going strong. We got another truck with a 625 hp c15 and that is the most powerful truck I've ever driven. Only problem with the newer c15 is the twin turbos because the weight of the two turbos on the exhaust manifold is too heavy for the studs and they tend to break. That truck got 300k and we've already had to replace the studs twice. If you can get a single turbo c15 that would be the way to go i think. With regular maintenance and changing the oil at regular intervals those motors should last you a long time before you need to do an overhaul. Also, keeping the valves in adjustment is a big thing you'll notice a big difference in power. Id try to keep those old cats running as long as possible until they make the new stuff more reliable

 

The whole Cat gets bad fuel mileage is a myth. I do about 6.2 grossed at 80k which is rare and mainly 6.5-7.5 mpg. It's all about the specs and with cat you have to get a good tune to bring em to life with power and fuel mileage