12.7 detrion compared to 03 cummins isx

[jason_driver]

Looking to buy.. but dont know which one to get.. anyone know?

[jason_driver]

help

[Kranky]

Of those 2 choices, I'd go Cummins.

Otherwise, get a Cat.

[Paul McGraw]

Looking to buy.. but dont know which one to get.. anyone know?

I guess you mean a 12.7 Detroit?

The Cummins ISX is a 14 litre, so a larger engine than a 12.7 Detroit and will have more torque (power) and be better for climbing hills under a heavy load. On flat terrain the smaller Detroit should get better fuel mileage. If you are going to run a lot of mountains, you WILL want the stronger engine.

The Cummins has a great reputation, but when it does need a repiar, the parts are going to be more expensive than the same part for the Detroit. Also truck mechanics hasve worked on so many Detroits, because they are so common, that they are more likely to diagnose and repiar problems on a Detroit faster and more accurately than a Cummins. I currently have a Cummins, and I like it, but I think a 14L Detroit is a very competitive product.

Cat is getting out of the truck engine business. Their recent engines have a reputation for lots of problems, parts are far more expensive than Cummins, fuel mileage is the lowest of the three, and they cost the most to buy.

[firebird_1252]

it all depends on what you want to do. the 12.7 has amazing milage sounds pretty good. on flat ground i'd say detroit. pulling weight and hills isx..


comparing the ISX to the 14l detroit.. hands dwon the ISX. i used to run a 400 ST isx and we also had 435/500 detroit 14.9 and hands down the isx would run circles around it. the company i work for now i drive a 515 14l detroit every day.. and i HATE it. runs like crap.. great power... when the egr isnt messing up.. smokes worse then a steam locomotive.. and sounds like a coffee maker.

[matcat]

Gearing can play a much more major role in pulling then HP alone.

[Paul McGraw]

it all depends on what you want to do. the 12.7 has amazing milage sounds pretty good. on flat ground i'd say detroit. pulling weight and hills isx..


comparing the ISX to the 14l detroit.. hands dwon the ISX. i used to run a 400 ST isx and we also had 435/500 detroit 14.9 and hands down the isx would run circles around it. the company i work for now i drive a 515 14l detroit every day.. and i HATE it. runs like crap.. great power... when the egr isnt messing up.. smokes worse then a steam locomotive.. and sounds like a coffee maker.

Wow, that 515 Detroit sounds like it has serious issues! What year is it? I think just about every maker had big problems with the 2008 models.

[GMAN]

The last Detroit that I owned was a series 60 12.7. It was a good engine but did have an oil leak problem. I think that every Detroit that I have owned has leaked oil. The series 60 isn't usually as bad as the older engines. I have never owned a Cummins, but have driven several different models over the years. I prefer the N14 over the ISX. I think they are easier to work on and are definitely a strong engine. A friend of mine has an N14. I think it is a stronger engine than the ISX. I believe CAT still has more torque and can out pull the other two. Of course, my friend with the N14 says the same about his Cummins.

I would not worry too much about the engine as long as it is a good truck and checks out. You should get good service out of any of the three brands. Although I have never owned a Cummins I would buy one if I found a good truck that was in decent shape and that I could get a good buy. If I had a choice between two identical trucks and one had a CAT I would choose the CAT.

[Copperhead]

Gearing can play a much more major role in pulling then HP alone.

Agreed. Gearing is everything. The right tranny/rearend combination is as critical as the engine specs.

The 12.7 Detroits have a good reputation for fuel mileage, next is Cummins, then Cat.

The Detroits are easier and less costly per repair on average than the other two. A Cummins usually has a good cost per life cycle ratio though. Cats are great engines, but over the life cycle, they can sometimes end up costing more to operate than the other two.

Cats and Cummins are great low end torque engines and will pull hills better than the Detroits. But, you will pay for that great pulling power over the Detroits in fuel. Nothing is free.

You didn't mention if the engines are pre-egr. If that 03 ISX is a pre-egr engine, then it would be the better overall choice. If it is not pre-egr, and the Detroit is pre-egr, then the Detroit is the best choice.

[firebird_1252]

the 515 i'm talking about is a 06. i spent all f-ing day at ryder today with it. on a rev now it starts blowing grey smoke out of no where.. it sucks! now the 435/500 i drove i loved.

i personaly am a cummins man threw and threw.. but.. the detroits are great on fuel. if i was going to get a "new" truck i'd get a glider with a n14. n14. 3.55 rears, 13 speed. thats just me tho.

[jason_driver]

thanks for the help drivers...the isx truck i am looking at has 720,000 miles on it and they want $12,995 for it. Deal or no deal??????? 2003 model international 9400, tandem with sleeper

[firebird_1252]

thanks for the help drivers...the isx truck i am looking at has 720,000 miles on it and they want $12,995 for it. Deal or no deal??????? 2003 model international 9400, tandem with sleeper

me personaly i'd stay away from it unless you know the truck. there are a pair of 03 columbia's in tampa. old swift trucks. granted.. not perfect but pretty clean. one with 528k? and the other 578k. if i land work i WILL be buying one of them they want $24k with a selectruck warrantee. for me power means nothing. i pull almost no weight at all. these days name of the game is MPG. there are alot of good deals out there you just have to know where to look.

[GMAN]

thanks for the help drivers...the isx truck i am looking at has 720,000 miles on it and they want $12,995 for it. Deal or no deal??????? 2003 model international 9400, tandem with sleeper

With that many miles I would want to know what work has been done. You are at a point where most engines are likely to need an in-frame. You also want to see any maintenance records. I bought a truck once with over 800,000 miles on it but it had an in-frame shortly before buying it. The truck had less than 100,000 miles on the engine. I would not have bought it otherwise. If you plan on buying a truck with that many miles you need to make sure that either it has had major engine or other work or you can buy it at such a low price that you can afford to rebuild the engine and still not have too much in the truck. If I felt good about the truck after driving it and could check the maintenance records then I would probably consider buying it. Another factor would be how the sleeper was laid out and how the truck was equipped.

[heavyhaulerss]

I would go with the det. why? it is the engine I started with & I am still driving it. 1.3 million & still going. no inframe yet. great on m.p.g. beats most new trucks on m.p.g. although mine is a 11.1 det 60 ser. over 11 years running same truck, same engine. this opinion is biased. lol. best of luck.

[Chiefwhatdahey]

I can't speak for the newer models but there is a reason Detroit was the number one engine for many years, it was realiability and ease of maintenance.

The ISX is a quiet engine and will outpull a Det., but, when it comes to working on them you better know what you're doing or be prepared to pay big bucks.

Imho the DDEC III was the best engine Det. produced, the Cummins N14 is also a great motor and the Cat 3406 E was good as well but I was never too impressed with them as they seemed to have tempermental ECM's.

[GMAN]

I own two 3406E's and have never had a problem with the ECM. I know a couple of owners who have had problems with ECM's on their N14's.

[Kranky]

I own two 3406E's and have never had a problem with the ECM. I know a couple of owners who have had problems with ECM's on their N14's.

We've had ECM failures on 2 of the N14's in the fleet where I work.

No ECM problems with the Cats so far though (C12's, C13's, & C15's).

.

[heavyhaulerss]

The last Detroit that I owned was a series 60 12.7. It was a good engine but did have an oil leak problem. I think that every Detroit that I have owned has leaked oil. The series 60 isn't usually as bad as the older engines. I have never owned a Cummins, but have driven several different models over the years. I prefer the N14 over the ISX. I think they are easier to work on and are definitely a strong engine. A friend of mine has an N14. I think it is a stronger engine than the ISX. I believe CAT still has more torque and can out pull the other two. Of course, my friend with the N14 says the same about his Cummins.

I would not worry too much about the engine as long as it is a good truck and checks out. You should get good service out of any of the three brands. Although I have never owned a Cummins I would buy one if I found a good truck that was in decent shape and that I could get a good buy. If I had a choice between two identical trucks and one had a CAT I would choose the CAT.

if I had a detroit & it DIDN'T have a oil leak, I'D be worried. oil leak on a det = all sys checked & normal. lol.

[heavyhaulerss]

now a days the engines really depend on the year it was made. I have a 95 intl w/ a ser 60 det. though mine is a 11.1 & I am told they were much better engines than the 12.7. drivers who have had the 12.7 430/470 & upgraded to the 500 h.p. said it was not worth the extra cost in fuel, although the 500 h.p. even still did better than the cat. also I remember when the 500 det's were blowing turbo's like crazy. I think the 00-03 det's are the most fuel efficient engines, along with reliability in the newer range. of course if ya want real dependability, you could go with the ole mechanical engines without any sensors.




the engine mfgrs have gone too fast to try & keep up with all the regulations & the quality has suffered. all of us will have different opinions based on our own experience. just like we did with the ford's, gm's, chry's e.t.c.

[firebird_1252]

wasnt the mid 90's s60's the ones that kept throwing rods or cranks threw the block?


not to thread hijack.. N14 vs. s60 hmm..