Example of some fine Cummins work quality

I am at the tail end of all of this... If you spend $6000 +/- on a new head, $3,000 +/- for new cams, what is another in $300 Chinese made bolts that may fail if reused? I made sure I had all new head bolts installed when we in framed the motor.

What I am going through replacing a simple air compressor will prove my point. I'm at $3000 in parts, 1,000,000 mile motor... The crap I am finding is beyond belief. Seals, bushings, etc. Things that were reused in the in frame. I bought one little bag of parts up at Cummins, the size of a 2 litre Pepsi or Coke bottle that you would buy at the store, $500 for that tiny bag.

If you are in there, do it right, skimp at your own peril. Because when you have to tear it all apart in 200,000 miles, you are NOT going to be happy, and you are not going to be AHEAD.

 

6k,for a new head,jeez. My Cummins recon heads for my old NTC's were $195. each x 3.
I don't think the N-14 heads are a whole lot more,had my N-14 500 for 21 years,never had to buy one.

 

The ISX heads on these EPA motors are signal use only. They are disposable. I wish I would have known this when I bought this particular truck, not that it would have mattered at the time, the added accessories is why I purchased. Bottom line, I would have an N-14 or old Detroit Series 60 in a whatever, Freightliner, Pete, pick your flavor. The parts alone are a ball breaker. A compressor should be a $500 job, not $3000 or more. Sadly, that is no longer the reality.

 

Yeah, it disposed of any income quite easily

 

No kidding, my dad bought his ISX with a fresh rebuild on it since the last owner had it done. The new head was the first thing I noticed when I popped the hood.

 

That sounds like a egr cooler gasket blown, or they forgot to put the gasket on. I mean “remanufactured” basically means put back together.

That happened with a truck i drove and had a isx15. When you start seeing bursts of white smoke every now and then, its an indication that you should stop and get it towed before you cause more damage to the engine.

As with a rule of thumb, if you replace a gasket, might as well inspect the others to see if they need to be replaced. You’ve got to see the gaskets itself and if you see even a tiny bit of crack, replace it immediately.

 

I've seen trucks with the cooling plate bypassed.
I wonder if it would help the ECM longevity if it could be remounted inside the cab.