Change my mind

Discussion in 'Ask An Owner Operator' started by God prefers Diesels, Jul 2, 2020.

  1. God prefers Diesels

    God prefers Diesels Road Train Member

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    Thanks for the suggestion, @Scooter Jones. I actually have a job at a shop if I want it, but that's the last last resort for me. After I got out of the Marines, I worked at a shop for almost a year. On call 24/7. Maybe it's because I was still young and dumb, but I hated it. The absolute worst part for me was going on a road call, knowing the trucker had places to be, and what if I couldn't fix it? It was something I constantly worried about, and it bit me once. The marker lights on a triple set kept tripping the breaker in the truck. I swapped switches, pigtails, spent five hours looking for the short. Finally their yard called him and said one of the trailers had been hit in the yard. Sure enough it had wiring on the exterior of the trailer running to a light, and the insulation was damaged and the hot was grounding to the trailer side. Five minutes later he was ready to go. Problem was he didn't beat a storm because of me, and got stuck in Grand Junction overnight. He was pissed, and I didn't blame him either.
     
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  3. Dino soar

    Dino soar Road Train Member

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    I also forgot that you should set the overhead and rebuild and adjust the jake brakes if applicable.

    And at that point you can decide if you want to put injectors in.

    Probably a good idea.
     
  4. God prefers Diesels

    God prefers Diesels Road Train Member

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    Will do. I can run a rack, set injectors, and adjust the Jakes. I don't know how to rebuild a Jake, but I can learn.
     
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  5. tommymonza

    tommymonza Road Train Member

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    If i put my old wreck on the road this is my mechanical plan .

    Pull my fifth wheel and thoroughly inspect and rebuild if rebuildable. If not a new or used takeoff if i can find one.

    Priority one.

    Than pull the axles and inspect everything and replace axle seals and fluids and pinion seals

    Brakes,drums,cams,cans Rubber lines and plastic lines. Airbags , new led taillights .

    Inspect drive shafts and replace universals and carrier bearing .Verify my set ride height is correct

    Clutch only has 300 thousand on it but will visually inspect it and the throwout bearing and clutch brake

    My 13 speeds shifts well but needs the tower rebuilt , new tailstock bushing and seal and mount plus fluid.

    Pull the front hubs and inspect and reseal as well as thoroughly inspect the steering and suspension parts along with front shock replacement. Inspect steering box and pump. Replace hoses.

    Inspect the condition of the radiator and have recored if less than top notch condition.Newradiator hoses and inspect metal tubes in cooling system loop for corrosion .

    New heater hoses and clamps for heater cores .Inspect and Rebundle frame and cab wiring.

    Replace starter with new high torque unit along with new starter positive cable. Throw old starter in sidebox of spares.

    Inspect all battery cables and replace batteries if more than 2 years old.

    New water pump on my n-14 and accessory drive. Might do the oil pump also since their known to free spin.

    New alternator and belts. Throw alternator in spare box.

    N-14s Cummins are known for bad injector harness so long as I have the rocker covers off to Run an Overhead install a new one.

    All new Rubber fuel lines as well as solenoids and check valve.

    Service air compressor and drier and valves. Flush out air tanks and inspect for internal corrosion .

    Possible turbo replacement after inspection for wear and oil leakage new turbo hoses and clamps if needed.

    Inspect and recharge A\C system

    Replace air clutch on fan.

    Replace piston cooling nozzles .

    So not much more small stuff left to replace other than kingpins, springs ,hangers,bolts, torque arm , leveling valve.

    And this is all on a well cared for one owner truck with a million175 and a perfect oil analysis report that with new brake shoes and tires would pass a DOT inspection

    The interior pics are my old company western star and how i had it set up for livability

    3FE460C3-229D-4E23-801E-34B8B54169E8.jpeg 738EFA27-D87A-4DBA-A605-3C07DD8F3562.jpeg B25D822A-8AED-4BCE-A364-1CD29AE4597B.jpeg B4461CD8-8AB1-40C0-876A-32FA2EA8B304.jpeg CF948602-1F90-4E4E-B899-EEC62C3490F1.jpeg image (1).jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2020
  6. God prefers Diesels

    God prefers Diesels Road Train Member

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    @tommymonza thank you for taking the time to write that up.
     
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  7. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    Where are You going to be? And how much is it going to cost when it breaks? A lot of the things mentioned aren’t expensive. Especially if you do the work. No sense in changing good parts, till needed. Credit only in emergencies? Every breakdown is an emergency. Need to be prepared for that. Never know, what’s around the corner. You’ve got a good list going. I would add, thermostats, maybe waterpump, front wheel bearings, flexible brake air hoses. Check torque rod bushings for the axles and cab. Along with all spring/ hanger bushings. Cab mount bushings. All that stuff rots out, after 10 yrs. A good solid foundation, so you’ll have time to keep up with all the little things, that are definitely going to keep you busy, running an older Truck. It’s a constant thing. Hopefully you can avoid a breakdown, over a simple thing. The risk of a major break down, is always there. You can throw a lot of money away, trying to buy peace of mind. Hanging onto the money, knowing it’s there, just in case. That’s peace of mind. You’ll have to weigh it out, and decide what’s needed. And keep any perfectly good parts you change for a spare. Like wiper motor, or belt tensioner. No guarantees the new parts will last any longer, than the ones you replaced.
     
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  8. God prefers Diesels

    God prefers Diesels Road Train Member

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  9. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    You’re way ahead of the curve. You could overhaul a 12.7 yourself. I just had mine done in in January. The cost for parts isn’t bad at all. Bull gear added almost $3000 to the cost. They’re good engines, Bull Gear, and alternator mounting brackets can be a problem. The Holes in the front covers get wallowed out, from bracket bolts. The bolts tend to break. Something to check, when buying one. There’s been a couple upgrades, the best one is 2002, and up. Different bracket and front cover.
     
  10. Rideandrepair

    Rideandrepair Road Train Member

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    5A41BC88-52E2-4F90-89F5-2486A3913AE0.png Here’s a pic. I replaced mine with original covers and bracket. Had I known about the newer design, I would have gotten the new style ( inner) front cover, and bracket instead. Note the 4 bolts in the top of bracket. That’s the upgrade.
     
  11. God prefers Diesels

    God prefers Diesels Road Train Member

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    I'm pretty confident I could do an in-frame. I can't overhaul one, because I can't get the engine out of the truck. I've thought about building a frame with an I-beam and some sort of chain fall, or something like that, though. But I'm really not set up to handle something that weighs that much out of the truck.
     
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