Anyone have a bad International

Dumb question but should your insurance company be sending you a check?

 

Whats gap insurance?

 

International had a factory defect electrical problem that they tried to cover up around the year model you had. I am not sure of the exact years, but you are in the ball park.

The problem was with the main power cables to the starter. Something in the starter area would short out, causing the battery cable to overheat and burn the truck down. Quite a few have done this.

The truck can be sitting turned off, or driving. The company we leased our trucks from had at leat three do this. I came in one Monday to see a brand new International and its loaded trailer, and the truck and trailer next to it burnt to the ground from this.

I would fight this with the insurance company and International. Google any information you can find about International trucks burning down to back up your case. The gap should at least be covered, and downtime should also since this is a known defect by International.

Think what would happen if you were asleep and the truck caught on fire. There were people at the terminal that had just parked the IH that burned, and within a few minutes it was gone.

 

Pam has had some of the same problems with International

 

I had my first million miles driving InterTRASHanals, the electrical systems were always a problem, The 4070B cabover Transtar I drove got converted to all Mack switches, the 9670 cabovers I pulled turnpike doubles with all had to be modified to handle the electrical load of two trailers.
The 1991 Eagles we had were junk, only one A/C out of 14 trucks worked when they were new. I knew all the mechanics by their first names at the dealership because I was there every other day.
I drove a 9300 for about six months a few years ago, 585 Horse Cummins, 13 speed, never had a problem with that one. I figure they must have made more that one good truck in the past decade.

 

I wonder if this is two different problems because he said his fire started in the glovebox...I've got to do some research on this as I'm buying a 2007 IH in January....

 

I don't know about the '07 International, but the '95 and older IH had all the relays and wiring behind the dash panel on the passengers side.

I have seen nuts that held majot cables loosen up and overheat, causing tripped breakers. Mine would quit every so often until I found the barely loose nut. A friend of mine with the same truck looked for weeks before we found the wiring problem in the dash area.

If the newer models still have the electrical in that area, then it is very possible that is where the fire srarted.

International used to, and may still have, a lot of problems with the heat/AC fan switch overheating and causing the switch and wiring harness to melt. This would cause all kinds of A/C problems until a new switch and wire pigtail was spliced in. I have seen them melted into a ball of plastic.