Still Driving Pre EGR Trucks

A friend of mine drives a 99 Volvo with Cat engine.

 

That's all I drive 99 KW T600 w/12.7 & 97 FLD w/3406E. I'm going to find me a 99KW W900L w/12.7 soon

 

Did not even know those Volvos came with Cats

 

Yup, 98 and 99 only I think.

 

I think I was wrong I think it's a Detroit engine

 

I'm just taking a guess here you're probably looking for a 99 free admission because of the new elog mandate wondering about reliability of a truck that old

 

I'm just rebuilding my 99KW it has 1.3mil on it & really its the head gasket going bad. It doesn't burn oil. My 97 FLD with that Cat 3406E runs to Florida very often. It runs 79 through W. Virginia with no problems. No disrespect to that modern technology but she hasn't been sitting on the side of the shoulder for engine problems or transmission. They are more than reliable for me anyway.

 

Oh I agree with you I'm buying my first brand new truck and it's a glider got a 99 6nz cat in it I wouldn't have anything else myself... I would have put a pre 99 motor in it but glider rules you can't put a motor older than a 99 in a glider... because of the new elog mandate 99 and older trucks are going to be worth their weight in gold here real soon I know a bunch of guys trying to find 99 and older trucks in good shape so they can stay on paper logs

 

I have an 05 Columbia with an 04 C15 pre-emissions ACERT. No EGR, No DPF, No DEF.

At 1.3 million miles its an absolutely wonderful engine. Very reliable. Fuel mileage is anywhere from 5.5 - 6.5 mpg,.. depending on load and region I'm pulling the load.

I did not buy this truck in this condition. I spent a good sum of money to get it to this point. My point is,.. that you can buy a newer truck or an older truck. It will be as reliable as who ever maintained it.

I bought mine with 875k mi. I was averaging 4.5 - 5 mpg. It needed a lot of service and upkeep that had been neglected. There was some trial and error with a few things. But once I got on top of the maintenance, repaired/replaced the worn out parts. The truck rides and runs as good as it ever was.

So personally I would not be afraid of an older truck. But be prepared to get your hands dirty. If thats not something you want to do or do not feel comfortable with,.. then opt for a newer truck with warranty.

Both newer and older trucks will have break downs and need maintenance and repairs. This is trucking and thats the nature of what we do. It would be naive to believe your going to buy a used truck with over 400k miles on it and expect it to be as reliable as a new car or pickup.

A newer semi under warranty does not mean that truck will be any more reliable than an older truck with out warranty. Also the warranty in and of itself is no guarantee that your truck will be repaired properly, or in a cost effective timely manor. 1 - 2 weeks of down time,.. is still 1 - 2 weeks of down time. Warranty will not make that truck payment,.. nor will it cover the cost of a rental should you break down under a load. The load still needs to be delivered.

So you can buy a complicated expensive truck with emissions components that will eventually have emissions related break downs. Or you can opt for an older pre-emissions truck that may or may not be more reliable,.. but throwing money at worn out parts that need replacement makes more sense to me than throwing money at unreliable emissions related problems that often reoccur over and over again.

To me I can understand and see where the money goes when parts wear out. But nothing frustrates me more than to have a truck in the shop for 4 - 5 days for nothing but diagnostics because the technicians dont know whats wrong with it.

You have to pick your poison so to speak. The money you invest into the truck will be about the same, new or used. Reliability comes down to how deep your wallet is and how much of your own personal time you are willing to invest doing pre-emptive maintenance and getting ahead of maintenance schedules in order to minimize down time while out on the road. Its easier to replace a $10 hose at home that looks dry and could possibly be a problem soon,.. or ignore it and let it blow all your coolant out on the side of the road,.. then spend about $380 for a mobile service to fix that $10 hose.

Hurst