Reman Cummins N-14: Good or Bad?

the isx motors aren't that great. expensive to work on. poor quality. and tough to find mechanics that will work on them.

25G is a lot for a motor considering you can rebuild what you have for around 15G.

you also have to consider that the ecm will need to be reflashed and what ever other dillemas you may run into switching motors.

you could be upwards of 30G plus by the time it's all done.

for that kinda money you can buy TWO older trucks that already have non egr motors in them.

 

Why not go with a signature 600? If your getting a new engine the wiring harness comes with it. You should only need the manufacturer harness then;engine to firewall. If you could find a truck like yours with a signature 600 use there vin for a harness or misc. Pieces.

 

Hello, I have a 94 international cabover. I have a 460 N14 celect. I pull a 53' cattle pot and am getting horrible fuel economy. I have pressure tested air to air and other little things. I'm looking to get a lot better fuel mileage out of this engine. If anyone could let me know anything to do to get it out of a n14 celect. Thanks.

 

What are you getting now? BTW, nothing gets good mileage with a cattle pot.

 

First off the red top is not a code about anything it is a valve cover option nothing more.
Engines started the EPA regulations starting with the 1970 engines they do the EGR with cam timing.
An STC engine is a piece of crap unless you can do the work your self, they are not as good as the electronic engines.
The 500 and 550 they have a lot more head problems because the heads squirm on the block, and they break head bolts.
The 1991 N14 bought as a 460 to get the right cam for the best jakes, is one of the best engines ever. Just because it does not have an EGR cooler does not mean it does not use EGR.
Just a thought!

 

All Celect Plus engines were "Red Tops"and maxed out at 525 hp and 1850 lb/ft of torque, Celect engines were not and maxed out at 500 hp and 1650 lb/ft of torque.
The reason people break head bolts and heads move around is from reusing headbolts, too much. When headbolts are torqued correctly, they stretch. Cummins has a gauge for checking headbolt length. Few people bother to check them and reuse them, cauing them to bottom out in their holes. Poor maintenance practices are not the fault of Cummins.
There is no EGR on any Cummins NTC or N-14 engine. They are the same design as the old NH.

 

Like I said before they use cam timng to get the exhaust to stay in the cylinder for lowering of cylinder tempatures.
The heads on the high HP cumin's squirm, if you ever see a block from a 550 compared to a 460. We did a lot of Cummins work and sand blasted every head bolt, replacing every one that showed any sign of electrolysis, usually a dozen or so. I would clean out the head bolt holes then fill with solvent, take a head bolt and with a 2 inch cutter cut 4 lines in the bolt, screw it into the solvent filled hole, with a 3/8 air ratchet. When all holes done, blow them out with an air nozzle at the bottom of the hole. I always go for protrusion of .006. I use a very thin mixture of Never size, synthetic gear oil and ATF on the bolts and under the heads of the bolts when torquing.
What works in the flats does not work in the mountains, that is why B.C. has the highest warrenty claims of any area in North America. I use to talk to Cummins engineers all the time and even arranged for one to ride with a chip truck, 144,000 lbs over two mountain ranges, 11 hours round trip one hill was a 55 minute hill at a 95% power factor.

 

You don't mention anything about measuring the length of the used headbolts. Those are speced at torque plus, run down to torque plus turned one flat. This stretches them and they stay stretched. Reusing them, without measruring them can cause problems as they may be too long and bottom out in their bores. Cummins has a "go, no go" guage to check them with.

 

An N14 head bolt can only be torqued a total of three times, after that it is stretched beyond specs. Head bolts cost $15.00 each so when in need I get them from a salvage yard at $50.00 for a bucket full. Whenever I pull a N14 cylinder head I always run a bottoming tap in every hole, by doing this I eliminate all the problems associated with cylinder head bolts.

 

Every Cummins head gasket kit comes with a gauge, for every head bolt used on that engine, It is there for a reason and is done every time I never thought I had to tell some one that. You have to clean gasket surfaces and every surface including new parts should be ran over with a flat file, to clean off every ding. Every liner must be inspected for dings on the flanges top and bottom and for defects in the liner inner surfaces.
Doing an engine is a mental list of things to be done, things to check, things to measure, things to clean, and things to replace.
Also just because a part is new does not mean it is good, everything has to be inspected, I have found lots of liners that were defective, cylinder heads that are beat up and have huge dings, Cat and Cummins are the worst.
I would never buy someone else's junk bolts to use in an engine.