Are Detroits THAT bad?

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Wildcat74, Mar 2, 2011.

  1. Pablo-UA

    Pablo-UA Road Train Member

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    hah! to fix it the only way - drop tranny first...((
     
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  3. groundpounder

    groundpounder Road Train Member

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    I never insinuated they leak more than others in my original post I described the only one I owned as an "oil leaking, no pulling, money pit," which it was......I also went on to post the 3406E's I owned (past tense) never missed a beat which they didn't..

    Since that time I have refused to buy another Detroit and have managed to avoid driving for companies w/Detroits.....my money and my choice..

    Personally I really could care less what you've worked on or your experience, the OP was asking for info on Detroits I passed along mine and you passed along yours......end of story I'm done with it
     
  4. Bent Wrench

    Bent Wrench Medium Load Member

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    They were dribbley because of the drains in the intake air passages, a design feature interpreted by the un-informed as a leak.
     
  5. Brandonpdx

    Brandonpdx Road Train Member

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    Those 14L motors were rated as high as 825 hp in marine applications.
     
  6. little cat 500

    little cat 500 Road Train Member

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    most guy's that hate detroits drive or have driven a detroit were the company hade them so denutted thay wont run i hated them myself for that reson now i own one it leaks no oil an with the proper tune pulls as good as anything out there as much as i hate to say it detroits not all that bad oh mine a 2004 14 liter
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2015
  7. Cowpie1

    Cowpie1 Road Train Member

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    Well, my factory reman Detroit 60 12.7 500 hp is doing a great job. 358,000 on the reman, uses about 1/2 gallon of oil in 22.500 miles. No leaks. Now that the winds died down in the Upper Midwest this week, she has been delivering that 8 mpg pump tp pump numbers I like. I noticed many folk's Detroits leaking some oil into the exhaust and around turbo. Only seen that with the stock waste gate turbo. When I put this motor to work, the waste gate turbo got yanked off the reman and a BW non waste gate turbo put on. Nice clean exhaust pipes and no dribbling. I'll keep it. And on those tougher 46K+ loads in the box I get, it does a killer job. Walks the hills right along with anything else that is loaded down similarly. Definitely puts a lot of company spec'd trucks to shame.
     
  8. Marsh92

    Marsh92 Bobtail Member

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    THEY ALL LEAK!!!!!!
     
  9. Cowpie1

    Cowpie1 Road Train Member

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    Yeah, they can do that. But the problem is more with the owner than the motor. If it leaks, repair it! I have replaced gaskets and such in various places on my Detroit when leaks cropped up. Haven't had to replace any seals. 956,000 miles on my Detroit 60 reman now. Still only uses a about 1 qt of oil every 11,000 miles. Yes.... one quart, not one gallon. Oil changes at around 22,000 miles and the oil level is down about 1/2 gallon.
     
    rollin coal and magoo68 Thank this.
  10. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    I have not had a Detroit fail to run upgrade yet. That's what they like. But you need to have them able to drink fuel to do the work. Cummins only want one RPM and force you to downshift all day in hill country trying to stay at cruise. Cats on the other hand they will RUN. Particularly the older ones. I exclude Mack because they run their own way and usually a short legged transmission.

    In the computer age I found sometimes the engines were cut back to say 1950, 1800 or around there rather than the full 2150 or even 2300 and the shift band is 400 RPM down lower on the Tach usually 1600 on down. I constantly ran into fleets that have casterated these engines a thousand ways to save a dollar in fuel but pay a thousand in the shop when these engines are unable to work, get hot and burn up upgrade.

    The higher the horse say 500 on up the easier it goes. However when a old mechanical 350 cat goes up against a seriously steep grade able to wind to 2300 all the way down to 1400 it made it. If it was a small range shifting cat with computer it would have quit on the grade because there is nothing lower than that low gear. You would stall.

    Im not a expert on engines, I am not anti this or that with the exception of certain 10 speeds that are too tall and certain cummins unable to stay at cruise in the midwest. One company in PA casterated a Detriot once from 120+ down to 60 max and there is no point in driving it, the result was the sawing of the top two gears while traffic piled up around you with very bad animosity pointed at you and your company. Not enough to maintain 58 and down shift while the next gear down maxed at 51 and caused problems of a safety nature. I quit that one on principle within a week. Anyone assigned that tractor probably did the same thing until something finally broke on the transmission or intentionally damaged beyond repair. That company went out of business several months later so the whole thing is moot.

    I have nothing for the two strokes, those older engines you load em up and go. If they ever burned up then it's just too heavy a load for too long.
     
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