Buying a Freightliner 07, 515 hp 3.58 ratio..Need some tips so I don't get a lemon

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by Freightguy, Jul 27, 2013.

  1. dustinbrock

    dustinbrock Road Train Member

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    The dealership will send the oil sample away, and I've watched the mechanic check the ecm. If your worries about them then they must be a second rate dealership. Just request that a Freightliner dealership check it over. I bought from a B dealer and my condition of sale was that a Freightliner dealer do a oil sample, blowby test and that the fresh safety they promised be done by Freightliner as well.
     
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  3. Horse Whisperer

    Horse Whisperer Light Load Member

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    For those who are interested:

    EGR Delete for Series 60

    GREY Wire Ext Cable ¼ Watt 10k Ohm Resistor
    ENGINE SIDE ============== ====== vvvvvv --------] BARO Sensor Side
    PINK Wire |
    ============== =========== <]
    BLACK Wire ]
    ============== ======vvvvvv -------]
    ¼ Watt 10k Ohm Resistor


    Radio Shack Parts List:


    1. 2 “AA” Enclosed Battery Holder (Part #: 270 0408)
    2. 10k Ohm, ¼ watt resistors (Part #: 271-1126)
    3. Extension Power Cable (Part #: 278-767)
    4. Butt Connectors (heat shrink type work best)
    5. Silicone sealant
    6. OPTIONAL!!! 4 Position Female Interlocking Connector (Part #: 274 0234)

    Instructions:



    1. Remove insides of Battery Holder; then drill 2 extra holes in order to fit a total of 3 wires through the case (one hole is already to one side on one end, so just drill 2 holes beside that one for even spacing);
    2. Cut the Extension Power cable in half, so you have equal amounts of wire with a connector on each end… remember to select ONE black wire that matches each end and cut off, as you only need 3 of the four connections provided; Run the wires through the holes in the battery box, BLACK wire to the center position;
    3. Connect one end of BOTH resistors to the BLACK wire in the battery box (use butt connector to secure the resistors to each other then the black wire);
    4. Connect the other end of each resistor to ONE of the remaining wires; Both the RED and the ORANGE wires get a resistor butt connected inside the box – see diagram above;
    5. Use an OHM meter to test the resistance/connections… set for 10k resistance, then probe the BLACK wire to each of the other 2 wires and make sure you read 10k resistance;
    6. Once you are satisfied that all connections are secure, gently arrange the resistors and wires inside the battery box, and fill with silicone sealant, replace cover, screw down tight;
    7. Next, Remove the Barometric Sensor from the motor, leaving at least 2 inches of wire for the optional connector (#6 in parts list above);
    8. Strip the wires on both the remaining section of the Extension Power Cable and on the Engine side of the system leaving about ½” bare for each… place butt connectors on all 3 wires for the Extension Power Cable, then match up to the engine side. VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure the PINK engine wire is connected to the BLACK Power cable wire…. The other 2 wires can be matched up with either red or orange, there is no difference in the operation.
    9. If using the optional part for the Baro Sensor in case the operator wants to revert back to the standard system, match the plug ends to the wires on the sensor;
    10. Plug the Power Cable ends together, start the motor… if NO Codes or CHK ENG/ENG PROT lights, then turn off motor, seal with electrical tape, and zip tie in place…
    11. ENJOY Your NEW motor!

    View attachment 51763
     
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  4. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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  5. Horse Whisperer

    Horse Whisperer Light Load Member

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  6. Horse Whisperer

    Horse Whisperer Light Load Member

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    Can't imagine why... I did mine about 100k miles ago... saved only about $30k in fuel... crappy reason to do it, I know... just have to stay out of CA and off of OPEC's radar.
     
  7. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    Because there are better ways to do the same thing IMO.

    Ways I don't think risk the engine itself.
     
  8. Richter

    Richter Road Train Member

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    Feb 13, 2012
    Philadelphia Pa
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    Everything you do is not going to prove the truck is a good deal. All it proves is there is no huge red flag saying its a bad deal. That being said, if you don't look for ALL the red flags, your going to be at much higher risk of a problem. Its all about minimizing your risk. (Atleast thats what they tought me in business school lol)


    As for oil sample, sometimes you are SOL if they already changed to oil. If they haven't and you trust them, you can ask them to get it sampled. Is it common to get samples? I'd say it is. Really your an idiot if you don't get it. To much risk involved without it. You have no idea how that engine is doing without it, and your not going to see the signs on a 15 mile test drive. The better option is buy a test kit fro EcoPure. You send it to them and they have results in a few days. My recommendation is ask the dealer to fill your sample container from eco pure and watch them fill it. Oil sample is a must. It will not show 100% that nothing is wrong, but it will show if something major is wrong. Again, your looking for a potential red flag.

    Ecopoure is nice enough to tell you what the sample results mean. If the truck has already gotten changed they may have done a sample prior. If you trust them its good enough. If they changed it and didn't sample it, I would not buy the truck. It could be a great truck, but not having a sample is to big a risk. Everything aside from and engine on the truck can be be fixed. it can be expensive, but it can be fixed. If your engine goes boom, that could put you out of business if your not prepared. A cheap "in frame" cost 15,000 and doesn't include the extras you should do while your in there. You want to be prepared to spend 20K before it needs one. When you buy a truck your trying to figure out how much time it has left. A truck with 500k on it probably has 200-500k left depending on if it was abused before an inframe. 10 cents per mile should be put away to build your inframe fund. ($20,000/ 200,000 miles to the early point it could fail)

    As for the ECM report, if they let you in there shop you can watch them pull it. if not you could take to a 3rd part shop with their permission on your test drive. (you could get the bats checked at the same time) Yes they could fake it, but if you ever proved it, they would be liable since they provided you with falsified data. You can match up the hour meter and miles to what the dash says. Unless they got another truck with real close miles it would be hard to fake. Ofcourse they could just type something up and hand it to you, but I wouldn't think they would.

    My personal recommendation: After the purchase of the truck, have 5g set a side for unexpected maintenance and a 15,000 line of credit set up. You can do everything right and still get a bad truck. You need to be prepared for that and able to survive if that happens. This is in addition to any money you need to pay for start up. If leasing on to a carrier you need to get a ein number (even if not becoming incorporated) and pay your heavy weight tax. Everything else should be able to be taken care of by your carrier but may have varied start up cost.. (base plates, insurance, permits)

    Just to give you an idea, I spent almost 2k on my truck and only drive it 20 miles so far (I start Monday)
    Batts were 700 (i got nice ones), replacement dash pieces were 200, Bluetooth radio 200, Cb and antennas 200, Transport of truck (because i don't have insurance until i start on Monday, and no one will insure you until your leased on) 75, repairs on leaking oil hose and exast (weren't leaking on test drive)425. I did all the labor myself and it still cost that much. That's why you need 5k for little items, and 15 in case of a big item. Remember tires are around 400 a piece, so make sure they have good tread to. If poor, use that to negotiate your price.
     
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  9. Horse Whisperer

    Horse Whisperer Light Load Member

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    Sooo.. what's the risk to the motor??? All I've seen is the dyno reports, oil samples and ECM reads... oil comes back super clean on 15k mile changes (since no soot goes back into the oil from the exhaust), the VNT shows boost mode, and my dyno showed 2 1/4 inches of blowby at 990k miles... Took it in for an inframe at 1million plus 5600 miles... mechs took the head off... Looks AWESOME... can't understand what "damage" I've done to this motor... EVERYTHING and everybody that looks at it, seems impressed... 7.8-8.3 mpg LOADED and 9.2 empty is pretty hard to argue with... understand: I don't make a DIME off telling folks how to do this modification, and I have NO interest in shamming drivers or causing them to damage their equipment... I DO have an interest in pissing off the oil companies... and all the Arab filth that have gold-covered toilet bowls at our expense... De Oppresso Liber

    I looked at your thread... did NOT see where you have taken the Baro sensor off and installed the feedback loop... However, I suspect that your motor has a DPF from the problems you describe... I'd NEVER buy a motor with that destructive system on it... if you have something SPECIFIC you can document about this modification, I REALLY want to know about it...

    Thank You.
     
  10. MNdriver

    MNdriver Road Train Member

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    Because by putting the resistor into the system, you are "setting" the engine to a specific "situation". It's why there is a variable thermistor or sensor in the fisrt place.

    But if you understood the programming and such, you'd understand all of that.

    You are creating a position where it could fuel lean. Not that it would be healthy for your engine.


    My peraonal feeling is to have the ecm programmed correctly and by someone who really understands what is happening to the fuel and timing tables.
     
  11. Horse Whisperer

    Horse Whisperer Light Load Member

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    First of all, you make assumptions that are invalid... the first being that I don't know what my mod does to the system... I know EXACTLY what it does... it removes the barometric altitude sensor from the system and produces a signal that locks the VNT in boost mode -- a NORMAL and acceptable mode of operation for the engine... one that occurs when the altitude is detrimental to engine operation because of the interference by the EGR system... remember, the EGR system is an engineering ADD-ON to the motor, not an original design feature. Bypassing the EGR valve does NOT lean out the fuel, it removes a backblow of exhaust gasses into the oil system., it also removes any possibility of the EGR cooler causing coolant leaks into the oil (kind of expensive to fix);

    Next, even ASSUMING that the modification causes me to blow a motor every 3 years or so, the math is still in my favor... $30k in fuel savings per 100k miles averages about $100k in fuel savings... a new DDEC IV motor, INSTALLED runs me about $25k... still at LEAST $75k in my favor... however, I have YET to get a SINGLE report from ANYONE who has done this modification about ANY system or motor damage... All I hear is glowing performance and fuel economy results...

    Again, I request SPECIFICS, not OPINION... opinions have a maximum effective range of ZERO meters.
     
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