What's the most reliable emissions era engine?

You'll just want to know that the system has been looked at within a certain interval, which varies on how severe of a duty cycle, idle time, or if the owner only replaces stuff when it falls off. Even if you don't do the work, it really helps to understand how the system works. As an example, you can probably get by with not touching a 7th injector for a few years in the right running environment. But when the truck finally attempts to regen, the injector might be packed with soot and unable to dose properly or some other failure. When you go to pull that part, there is a greater chance that the bolts will be seized or stubborn since it hasn't been touched in so long. If you pull the part off periodically to clean it, it should operate correctly when it needs to be used, or it will be a lot easier to remove and replace if it fails.

If you apply that concept to the other parts, like EGR cooler or DPF/DOC filters, then it can get expensive if you have the dealer doing the work. So if nobody has touched these parts, expect them to act up in the near future.

For the most part, they're all the same from one motor to the next. They have the same principles for reducing NOx and capturing particulate matter. Detroit's One-Box system has them all in one package, where the other motors separate the filters and the SCR. If I were to choose between them all, I'd probably go with Cummins since they can be worked on at almost any dealer across the country.

 

I picked mine. 2EK, 3ZJ, 2 5EK’s and a BXS. My total emissions downtime in the last 10 years is maybe 3hrs changing VVA solenoids in the BXS.

 

Good choices lol but I don’t think that’s the answer he wants but very similar to the answer I was going to give
Mpg is more affected by the driver than anything i can get 6 out of a played with big cam but if i want to have fun it can go as low as 2 generally better all around performance with old cat in my opinion

 

I thought everything had to be MY 2010+ ?

 

I have been limping a 98 Freightliner along since I put it on the road last November. Still going and made a lot of money. Just eats all the fluids lol. Only one tow due to ECM crapping out. I will be spoiled with the new engine…….it it ever gets finished.

 

Great post. Yet people still ignore the advice and jump in.

 

I have had Both emissions Paccar and Detroit’s. Key is read the engine manual stay pro active on emissions services and Don’t idle them. Detroits all went to almost a million before I sold them not once did those 3 ever end up on a hook. My Paccar ran over a million miles never on a hook
Very little issues. Don’t idle.
I changed my Def fluid filters yearly and pulled sensors yearly and cleaned. Tried my best not to buy the biodiesel garbage. I live in Midwest and yes you can find non biodiesel. Detroit first then Paccar

 

Which Paccar engines did you have? Which Detroit? Which transmissions?

 

Maybe but that is why you didnt have problems and only proves my earlier point. You kept to a strict maintenance schedule. Which if you do tends to lead to a reliable vehicle in 7 out of 10 cases (there are a good few that are just never right from day one). The problem buying used def trucks is i would say the majoroty come from fleets that trade in at 500k and tend to just let everything slide towards the end of the lease or trade in period/arent properly maintained to begin with because they need to keep the uptime maxed. or in many cases are repos that ended up taken back because the owner never did any of the maintaince and kept breaking down.

The problem with emissions is when you let them slide too long they enter a downward spiral and from my own experince even throwing vast sums of money at the problems cant really recover it as the damage is done. In the first year of owning my paccar, i replaced the following, def tank sensor, all nox sensors, 7th injector, def tank, def lines, wireing harness, scr, dpf filter, 7th injector, most of my egr system, decomp tube, my control module, heater control relay, my manifold and more sensors then i care to remimber and im sure will continue to haunt my nightmares. Most of the above more then once. I literally rebuilt my entire emissions system from the ground up.

It never fixed the problem even though i literally had nothing original left over from when i bought the truck. It was just a constant growing money pit that at the end i could have literally just dropped a C15 into my truck for less then i paid in downtime, parts labor and hooks. And i have the recipts to prove it.

And again my story is not uncommon. Just look on the forums here you will find literally hundreds, many from drivers of brand spanking new fresh out of the dealer trucks and others from scrapyard specials. Is it posible to have a good emissions truck? Yes. Is it worth the risk? Thats the choice of the individual.

 

A lot of this would depend on whether it was a company truck or O/O

A company truck with several different drivers will have a much less lifespan than a single owner truck