Detroit Deisel Rear Main Seal?

Theres guys running trucks from the 50s, 60s, and 70s without any of those issues. As long as you check things over you will be fine. I can tell you its way cheaper then buying a new piece of crap, paying $2500 a month for it and get crappy millage and power.

Just because it has a million dont mean its wore out, not like leaf springs break everyday, atleast not all of them at once causing a major failure, same goes for U bolts etc. Stick a reman trans in it, rear ends, inframe and shes good for another million.

 

Oh sure, you had to mention that.



Actually, I was just inspecting my truck for that exact problem this past week and decided they didn't need to be replaced.

 

LOL, I wouldn't trust a brand spanking new truck as far as I could throw it.

I've only ever drove one 0-miler and that one left me stranded in the middle of BFE Wyoming (or was it Montana?) all because of a computer glitch. That was in 1992.

Trucks nowadays? Plastic pieces of crap! Too much electronic crap to go wrong. Give me an old mechanical 3406 anyday.

 

Start at the service writer, then go to the service manager, next to the dealer manager, and if it is a private dealership, go to the owner.

I have worked for a truck dealership before, and have had to deal with dealers with my own trucks.

Keep telling them it did not leak before, it does now, you broke it, you fix it. You may have to get firm, not stark raving mad, as they would not fix it under any circumstances then, but firm.

They may make a partial cost repair offer. If so, and you can live with it, then demand about 20% more, and you will probably get it.

 

Cat, one statement your saying that there is no reason to drop a crank when replacing main bearing, next your saying you have to drop it a little. Which is it. I think Barcode is correct in saying that the inframe should have been done more carefully and I also agree that a truck over 1 million will have many other problems that you won't see during a regular pre trip inspection. Yea you see older trucks on the road from time to time but the good reliable ones have been stripped down and completely rebuilt at least one other time in thiers lives. Most (not all) of the other mid to late 90's trucks that have over 1 million miles on them look and probably drive like crap. Broken Springs? You must not checks springs or hangers often or you must have not driven many different pieces of equipment in your time. I can't tell you how many times I've come across broken leafs, especially on pups and dollys. They break all the time, steering boxes get worn out, tie rods bend, bearings and hubs wear out, air lines get brittle, frames warp or get loose (which causes all sorts of other pre-mature wearing on other componants), electrical componants get rub marks on them and water damage, differentials get sloppy, etc, etc. The rear main seals shouldn't be leaking if they were just at the crank a week ago. That would be like getting a tranny rebuilt and a week later the clutch needs replacing. The mechanics in there, therefore it's best for the customer and the company that the mechanics works for if he checks things out and replaces anything that won't go the next 500k plus miles. Sadly there isn't much he can do to get Freightliner to fix it free of charge.

 

The Freightliner dealership here is the worst place to get things fixed I have ever seen, unless they have changed lately.

I have had to stand there and argue that they did a repair on an injector wrong, and them saying everything was right. The truck would be cut off, and one minute later when started, it would miss slightly and smoke. Sure indication of leaking fuel line or bad o-rings. They did not think so, until I made them tear back into it, and sure enough, an o-ring was pinched.

I have seen a "mechanic" take four hours to replace a turbo return line gasket on a 12.7 Detroit.

Freightliner seems to have the worst mechanics of all the dealerships, or at least in my observations and experiences.

 

Hes talking about completley dropping the crank, im saying the crank will move a little, not completly pulling it out. No in my 8 years of driving i have yet to break a leaf spring, or hanger, or have a diff get "sloopy" on me, or better yet lose a steering box..... Maybe because i dont off road.

 

It also makes a HUGE difference whether it's a O/O truck or a company spec that perhaps a dozen people have whipped the hell out of.

I might reuse the cab on something like that [old company truck]... and throw a glider under it.