Caterpillar 5EK pros vs cons????

IIRC its the best version of the 3406E. 5ek is 3 of the engine serial numbers.

 

@wore out

 

5EK was known for breaking cranks. Changing the harmonic balancer at regular intervals is like maintenence for them to prevent it

 

They were known for breaking cranks. However the crank they replaced the broken one with fixed that issue. If it hasn’t broken a crank by a million then it didn’t have one of the bad ones. Any engine past a million anything goes we all know that. The bad cranks had to die with a strike at the engine plant I’m pretty sure I’ve heard the story when I worked for Riggs in Little Rock but can’t remember enough of it to recite it.

Jim I personally like the 5EK. I know of 3 that I’d put against anything in terms of dependability, economy etc. now these guys don’t have them “tuned” and beat on em. They all have a factory 550 ECM. Trim files match what’s on the injector run factory turbos and are well maintained. They do an excellent job. Like anything with lots of miles you have to watch the lower counterbores for too much wear possibly have them sleeved. And watch liner potrusion at the top like we’ve talked about on your B model. I wouldn’t be a bit scared of one. Unless they made big power with it at one time or currently. They will crank the block horizontally above the oil pan rail around prolonged use at 700 or better. Just go look at with the same approach you would anything else and you’ll be fine

 

One of the few friends I have .. has a couple 5EK's he bought 1 with about 350k on it the other one had close to 500k.. he has extra stupid files in them their both set at about 660 or 680. He don't baby them but he don't whip em into the ground either.. He drives em with common sense and has never had a issue in the 8 or 9 years I think he's owned them.. We put new fuel squirter's in the lower milage 1 this last winter cause 1 was weak when we ran the cut out test.. I think it has about 680k on it now its on the books for a OH sometime later this summer just because of the milage on it .. the other 1 was OH about a year after he bought it because of oil consumption .. but they both have the original crankshafts in them
like @wore out said they can make some dependable HP ..
I would own 1 and not be scared.
But you.know me I like my mechanicals

 

My former 1994 379 had a 5EK. I had a tune in it with a stage one turbo, best engine I’ve ever owned and still got 7.0 mpg.

 

Did you know Kenneth Driggers? Think that was his name. Worked at Riggs in LR