c15 problem motor

It sounds like the shop did not correct the liner protrusion issue. They just put in new head gasket and sent you on your way. The 03-04-ish CATS did have protrusion issues from the factory. They left the factory with some liners low in the block and blew head gaskets. I know...I went through this. 350,000 mi number 3 low protrusion.....fixed under warranty......550,000 number 4 low protrusion....not under warranty (over mileage). I said , "didn't they check the others....we just did this 2 years ago" and response, "not under warranty....CAT only pays to fix the one problem liner and put it back together".....which puts them out of warranty by the time it blows again.....beautiful.

The solution is to set all liners to the high-side of CAT spec ( .005-.006) and then forget about it.

 

i just went through the same thing if it is an ongoing problem they should honor it under the original warrenty you will have to stand your ground. if the liner protrution is the problem. and that sounds like what it is. he is correct .005 to .006.

 

The CATs are more problematic than most people know, the liner protrusion problem is pretty well known and Cat knows about it, but just like Cummins and I am sure Detroit they will only replace the parts that "failed" or caused the failure. This will lead to future problems but their hope is that it will be out of warranty by then. There is not much you can do about it, as I am sure you know it is a very expensive job and no repair shop is going to eat that bill, CAT will simply not pay them for it.
I work at a Cummins dealer, so I have had to deal with their BS warranty issues multiple times.

 

Warranty is at a set mileage, and or time, blowing a head gasket is not a big deal, easily repaired and if the liners are low or uneven, then the motor comes apart to shim it. But when you do not bring it in until it has split the head you loose any kind of good will repairs. If you can not check the coolant level until it splits the head open, then you will not get a lot of concern from CAT. The liner protrusion must be 0.001 to 0.006 Personally if I have to cut the block I want it a 0.006 When the engine tempature is erratic, it starts blowing out the overflow, you loose heater operation. then it is time to bring it in if you do not those heads are not cheap, and overheating it definitely will not make it better or cheaper to repair. Lots of other parts are put under stress when it is overheated, pistons scuff, rings break, linners crack. Just a thought!

 

cat had a problem for a while with inferior reman heads but if your liner protrution is way off from 1 to 6 more than .001 that could be whats messing it up . even though cat says .001 to.006 dont go below .005 if you stay at that or above no more than .007 you wont have head gasket problems again. thats from experiance with my motor.

 

If the engine never got above 215F and when they down loaded the codes and events, and history and there were no anomalies then, you should have a claim that should be looked into. You have to ask, nicely to get any results. If there is an anomaly in the data, you have boosted the power, even as little as tying the waist gate hose, they will deny the claim. I worked on lots of "CAT" products. How I can repair an engine under warranty is what they allow. I tell them what I find and what I want to do they tell me what they will pay for, that is how it works. Same thing with a customer paying job, I give you a list of what it should have done to get you longevity, and you tell me what you want done. That is how it works, same way with Cummins, Detroit, Mercidies and Cat all have similar policies. On some units with certain customers we would call and explain what the engine manufacturer would pay and my recommendation, and give the customer the option to pay the difference. I understand how you can feel cheated, and have seen many a customer get a raw deal, and the next guy gets a free ride that he did not deserves. I really do recomend that you make an appointment with the service manager, bring all the paperwork, and ask if he will review the situation, and see what he can do for you. You have to be nice or you will get nothing and it costs you nothing to ask for a review. Just a thought!

 

JohnP3 is right, when ur a cat service manager ur day is nothing but people complaing to you that caterpillar is a piece of crap. Its a nice break in a day to actually serve a customer that has proof of being cheated, and he feels better about truely getting a customer what he deserves. As for the liner situation every head gasket or cylinder pack replace should have a liner depth check and a form showing the measurement, i know this doesnt happen as often as it should thus it pays to be booked up on ur tech. I've pulled my hair out enough of times knowing the customer left with a screwy deal and could do nothing about it. The mbn is not a horrible engine, but it is possible to get a ####### child engine that never seems to work correctly.