best engine
- Thread starter aceman
- Start date
You left out the fourth dimension, rebuilds. One could argue that's part of most durable and to a degree it is. Along with that you have to factor in cost and timing as well. Mercedes engines get good mileage but rebuilds can be significantly more expensive so after xx months / xxx miles you spend the mpg savings on a more expensive rebuild. I'm not sure there is an absolute winner. That said, given the option of every engine available on the market also being available in the truck I wanted, I'd probably flip a coin for Cummins/MBE. Within the first 5 responses you'll likely get a half dozen answers on this one. Engines are a largely prejudicial item and everyone has their own prejudices. Good luck with your research.
There is no best engine.
The engine that will work well for you depends entirely on your application. You can also factor in your driving and maintenance habits in terms of longevity/reliability
We run strictly Cat in the fleet.
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
Also remember that you have to factor in one other detail: Transmission. Pairing it with the right tranny can make or break the longevity of your engine. As far as class 7 trucks go, just stay away from the Cat 3126. I know. it's hard. Folks like Alimijunk saturated the market with these Expeditors a few years ago. Cat is a great engine for machinery, where you have a contant rpm. I don't know anything about their bigger class 8 engines. I vote for Cummins though.
R
riverrat
Guest
I agree about the 3126 it came close to breaking me with all the expenses it cost me.
I swore i would never own another cat after that experience however when I went looking for another truck i did not want to go into a great amount of debt and I wanted a class 8 truck and the one that finally presented itself happened to have a c-10 cat with 500,000 miles on it the dealer made some personal assurances that he would back up the motor so I with reservations bought the truck and am very happy I did now at 800,000 it has not had a lick of trouble,doesn't use one bit of oil and purrs like a kitten with 10 mpg.
I swore i would never own another cat after that experience however when I went looking for another truck i did not want to go into a great amount of debt and I wanted a class 8 truck and the one that finally presented itself happened to have a c-10 cat with 500,000 miles on it the dealer made some personal assurances that he would back up the motor so I with reservations bought the truck and am very happy I did now at 800,000 it has not had a lick of trouble,doesn't use one bit of oil and purrs like a kitten with 10 mpg.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
The 3126 is a good engine but when it comes to repairs and overhauls, it is not. The engine is a dry sleeve engine and throw away block - too bad that it is.
The Cummins IS series is a very good engine, the ISB is the same but smaller than the ISC with the exception the ISC is a wet sleeve engine. I have owned a bunch of ISBs and have one of each right now. I read somewhere that Cummins came in number one for medium duty rebuilds and repairs.
MB makes a great diesel, no way around it, they have been for a long long time.
The larger class 8 engines is simple, I will depart my normal habit of Cummins and buy a DD. Seeing them being built was memorable and it was impressive enough to start trusting the engine.
There is not one engine you can say is the best, it is all about personal preference, how you maintain the engine and how you drive but most of all it is about LUCK. As I mentioned before and this was said to me on my DD tour, you can two engines go down the line at the same time, have the same people work on them, the can dyno perfectly the same but one can blow up within the first 10,000 miles while the other reaches a million miles.
The Cummins IS series is a very good engine, the ISB is the same but smaller than the ISC with the exception the ISC is a wet sleeve engine. I have owned a bunch of ISBs and have one of each right now. I read somewhere that Cummins came in number one for medium duty rebuilds and repairs.
MB makes a great diesel, no way around it, they have been for a long long time.
The larger class 8 engines is simple, I will depart my normal habit of Cummins and buy a DD. Seeing them being built was memorable and it was impressive enough to start trusting the engine.
There is not one engine you can say is the best, it is all about personal preference, how you maintain the engine and how you drive but most of all it is about LUCK. As I mentioned before and this was said to me on my DD tour, you can two engines go down the line at the same time, have the same people work on them, the can dyno perfectly the same but one can blow up within the first 10,000 miles while the other reaches a million miles.
Being a Farm Boy heck the best Engine.
HA HA the old H farm tractor Engine was darn reliable for the Farm. Not to mention the John Deer 4020 now thats a good Tractor.
Now for Trucks U can take it with a grain of salt. All these guys will say Cat or Cummens. Mercadies Hmm. Volvo ect. HG.
Well the Truth is Mack is the Toughest the Monona County has had the same low boy tractor for the last 32 year and guess what its a Mack. Every time some one would bring out a truck to sell them they get the D-10 out put it on the Low Boy and the rest is History. If there Truck could beat the Mack pulling power on the county dirt and gravel hill well the county didnt get a new Rig needless to say they still got the old Mack over at the Solider Shed. Hint. Now before any one jumps on me here. I think The Detroit 60 series is a relable engine, and is dececnt on fuel Economy and hooked to a straight 10 or 13 with the right diff gears pending the trany well good combo.
Im sure somebody will differ with me on here. So for truck driving I pick the Detroit 60. But for grunt power I pick the old county Mack.
How many Driven a D-7 cat?? I have.
I 'm talking Catapiller (Bull Dozer) .
Now for some music and a few laughs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j_fxs8mUcQ&feature=related
have a nice day everybody.
PSS/ CRG ur not missing nothing.
No Chains allowed.
HA HA the old H farm tractor Engine was darn reliable for the Farm. Not to mention the John Deer 4020 now thats a good Tractor.
Now for Trucks U can take it with a grain of salt. All these guys will say Cat or Cummens. Mercadies Hmm. Volvo ect. HG.
Well the Truth is Mack is the Toughest the Monona County has had the same low boy tractor for the last 32 year and guess what its a Mack. Every time some one would bring out a truck to sell them they get the D-10 out put it on the Low Boy and the rest is History. If there Truck could beat the Mack pulling power on the county dirt and gravel hill well the county didnt get a new Rig needless to say they still got the old Mack over at the Solider Shed. Hint. Now before any one jumps on me here. I think The Detroit 60 series is a relable engine, and is dececnt on fuel Economy and hooked to a straight 10 or 13 with the right diff gears pending the trany well good combo.
Im sure somebody will differ with me on here. So for truck driving I pick the Detroit 60. But for grunt power I pick the old county Mack.
How many Driven a D-7 cat?? I have.
I 'm talking Catapiller (Bull Dozer) .
Now for some music and a few laughs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j_fxs8mUcQ&feature=related
have a nice day everybody.
PSS/ CRG ur not missing nothing.
No Chains allowed.
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R
riverrat
Guest
never ran a d-7 but have a lot of stick time on an old d-8 cable dozer, that is what I learned on ,it was in a quarry in Hemet Ca. I hate to think of how many thousands of tons of dg I scraped up with that thing.
arkjarhead
Veteran Expediter
My only problem with a DD is the way the spit and slobber oil all over the place. When my dad went looking at new trucks the local Freightshaker dealership said DD no longer warrantyed oil leaks because they new it would happen soon. They also said they were putting out to much money on warranty jobs fixing oil leaks. Dad already isn't a very big DD fan so he went with the Cat. I know plenty of guys who haul grain around here local still run them old 4 and a quater cats. Some of them are even mechanical engines. Dad's old truck had one of the "bridge" motors from Cat in it. It's a 4 and a quater and it was the "bridge" between mechanical and electric. It's an 86 model I think. I could be wrong it might be an 87, but it has been well taken care of.
Can't go wrong with a DD but as said above they will slobber a bit, especially if you use cheap oil or don't change it enough. Early DD series 60 has poor cam shaft "diamond" seal problems. Caused a mess up high on the left side of the engine. Best fuel mileage all things being equal and reasonably cheap to inframe (highly recommend you do the injectors at this point). Can't say about the big or small Mercedes, never had them. The new DD15 looks like a winner, got to see one and they are sooooo quiet.
Cats (not the 3126), while more expensive to buy, and more expensive to fix are VERY re buildable and if you shell out for the extra warranties Cat really is the best at standing behind them. The bridge engines of 2002 to 2005 (before ACERT) are awful on fuel. 3126's, well, I've had 5, good performers, but not cheap to fix. The HUEI fuel injection system is $$ to fix and if you have any oil leaks in it, they get big quick due to the pressures. Buy the warranty and you'll get better luck if you get them worked on at a "CAT" distributor.
Cummins, always seemed like it was a big fight for warranty. Likely had more to do with the distributor for Ontario who had to authorize the work. ISB was a good 400,000 mile throw away engine and the ISC was ok, both did not like being overheated as the heads would warp. The old N14, bulletproof and cheap to fix. The ISX, good performer with a great Jake brake. M-11's no problems except they leaked oil and changing a waterpump on one is my idea of hell.
Cats (not the 3126), while more expensive to buy, and more expensive to fix are VERY re buildable and if you shell out for the extra warranties Cat really is the best at standing behind them. The bridge engines of 2002 to 2005 (before ACERT) are awful on fuel. 3126's, well, I've had 5, good performers, but not cheap to fix. The HUEI fuel injection system is $$ to fix and if you have any oil leaks in it, they get big quick due to the pressures. Buy the warranty and you'll get better luck if you get them worked on at a "CAT" distributor.
Cummins, always seemed like it was a big fight for warranty. Likely had more to do with the distributor for Ontario who had to authorize the work. ISB was a good 400,000 mile throw away engine and the ISC was ok, both did not like being overheated as the heads would warp. The old N14, bulletproof and cheap to fix. The ISX, good performer with a great Jake brake. M-11's no problems except they leaked oil and changing a waterpump on one is my idea of hell.
bluejaybee
Veteran Expediter
Most of your older class 7 trucks will have Cummins or Cat. I have driven both but only owned one with a Cat 3126. My experience was the Cat got better fuel mileage (10 -11 mpg) and gave less trouble. But when it did have problems, mechanics didn't like to work on them. And the repair costs were staggering. But I wouldn't be afraid to buy another one. I think it is luck of the draw sometimes.
bjb
bjb