Million mile CAT ACERT motors?

I am the 3rd owner and mine has 1,007,558.5 right now, I have all service records since day 1. Only issues have been waterpump and a head replacement @822,485(caused by previous owner trying to limp it home fro St.Louis with the waterpump failure mentioned above).It still has the factory Paccar radiator and CAC.I average 6.2-6.5 MPG's pulling a smooth-bore tank loaded 75-80,000 about 70% of the time and idle about 2hrs a day.I work mine in a very dusty environment and change the oil and filters every 10-12,000 miles(Delvac and 2 gal. of Lucas) and the single under-hood air filter every 20-25,000 miles.It uses 0 oil between changes,has 65-70 lbs of oil pressure @ 1400 rpm. Now that I've been bragging on, it the crank will probably drop out of it the very next time I hit the key, and yes I will blame you!!!!!!!!!!!

 

my truck has a c-15 in it and has 1 mill 400 thou on it and it was properly maintained and it runs like its still bran new

 

C 15 with 1,102,917 miles.
Oil changed every 15,000 miles. Always used Mobil DelVac. Motorkote added every 3rd oil change. Oil analysis every 3rd oil change.
Overhead ran every October.
Does not use any oil between changes.
Avg. 6.4 MPG. I can get 7 MPG if I didn't like the left lane so much.
I've thought about an inframe several times but, just can't justify it yet. She still runs like new.

 

I put a million miles on a C-15 ACCERT in an '05 379. It was poorly maintained, used oil and coolant and was neutered by the company that I was driving it for! 60mph top speed and wouldn't pull a hill worth a #### unless I had 54,000lb in the box! Heavy Haul spec in the ECM! When the truck left it was turned wide open and the guy that was driving it got 2 weeks out of her before the motor blew! "Fleet maintained" isn't always a good thing!

 

One way to give yourself an edge on engine longevity is to change out the crankshaft damper at or before each 500,000 miles and even put on a crankshaft balancer. Those dampers do wear out, and since they are "out of sight, out of mind" people tend to forget them. Very cheap insurance for the engine, and should be included in anyone's idea of an engine being properly maintained. The balancer acts similar to Centramatics on the wheels. The damper absorbs the crankshaft torsional twisting that goes on with each firing of a cylinder, and the balancer eliminates a lot of vibrational wear and tear. Of course, doing all the other maintenance things right makes a difference.

 

Second the damper replacement though 500K seems a waste. Mine was original with 1.025 million on it before replaced. Could tell a difference in smoothness of idle after replacing it. They ought to be good for 700-800K. Do not use CAT OEM Dampers they are made in China with poor quality silicone. Check with Haney for a replacement Vibratek made in USA. Had a buddy who was second owner of an Acert with just under a million on it and never had anything doen to that motor other than routine maintinence. They will go the distance if taken care of.

 

Depending on the truck an aftermaket damper can be a PITA. I know on a 379 that the larger balancer requires removal of a fan shroud bracket I believe to change the belt. I put a Fluidamper on the Dodge diesel I used to have, being larger it was extremely close to the fan hub. You couldn't change the belt without removing the damper or the fan hub.

 

Bruce Malinson at Pitts Power recommends replacing a damper at 500,000. They have seen some even lose their effectiveness at lower mileages. And if it wasn't doing it's job, how would the average person know? Unless you take it off and put it on a chop saw and open it up, you can't see if the silicone inside has hardened and the damper is not moving properly, since they are a sealed unit. I rely on Bruce's advice for this. It really is not very expensive, so it seems like decent insurance.

A balancer, unlike the damper, is a one time cost for no matter how long one holds onto their engine. Just makes a nice compliment to the damper.

There is plenty of evidence of engine internals suffering additional wear, and in some cases, serious damage that can be attributed to a bad damper. And even if the damper is in good shape, or even has been replaced with a new one, there are incidental harmonic vibrations that the balancer is designed to reduce. Seems like just a win-win all the way around and a sound addition to any maintenance program.