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Papa Rick
Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 339
Location: North Alabama
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:57 am Post subject: Rebuild or Buy New Engine |
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I have a 1985 Freightliner Day cab with a 350 big cam Cummings engine, mileage unknown, but will soon have to make a decision on to:
1. Rebuild
2. Buy a Used Engine
3. Buy a Rebuilt Engine
I haul logs for a living, longest radius I go one way is 150 miles, and avg 1500 to 2000 miles a week. The reason I am asking this question is the 350 seems to be losing some of its get up and go.
I know it has quite a few miles on it, but am unsure as to what would be my best route. |
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Rev.Vassago
Joined: 04 Apr 2006
Posts: 6267
Location: The other side of the coin
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:00 am Post subject: |
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| Short answer - it depends. Have your mechanic look it over from top to bottom, and he should be able to tell you what the best route is. |
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GMAN
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 9906
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| I think having someone to check it out is a good idea. If it needs to TLC and you plan on keeping the truck, you may want to either rebuild the engine you currently have or buy a new one. Personally, I don't like the idea of buying a used engine. You never know what you are getting. You can do an oil analysis, inspection and dyno. That should give you the information you need to make a decision. |
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PackRatTDI
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 1004
Location: Las Cruces, NM
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:32 am Post subject: Re: Rebuild or Buy New Engine |
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Papa Rick wrote: I have a 1985 Freightliner Day cab with a 350 big cam Cummings engine, mileage unknown, but will soon have to make a decision on to:
1. Rebuild
2. Buy a Used Engine
3. Buy a Rebuilt Engine
I haul logs for a living, longest radius I go one way is 150 miles, and avg 1500 to 2000 miles a week. The reason I am asking this question is the 350 seems to be losing some of its get up and go.
I know it has quite a few miles on it, but am unsure as to what would be my best route.
If your engine does need a rebuild, it would probably be better to buy a reman/rebuilt unit. The downtime would definitely be less than waiting on a rebuild. |
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GMAN
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 9906
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:31 am Post subject: |
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| You will probably be down about 5 days or so if you do a rebuild, depending on availability of parts and scheduling. If you buy a remanufactured engine you could probably get turned around in 2-3 days. |
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LOAD IT
Joined: 02 Sep 2006
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: Rebuild or Buy New Engine |
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Papa Rick wrote: I have a 1985 Freightliner Day cab with a 350 big cam Cummings engine, mileage unknown, but will soon have to make a decision on to:
1. Rebuild
2. Buy a Used Engine
3. Buy a Rebuilt Engine
I haul logs for a living, longest radius I go one way is 150 miles, and avg 1500 to 2000 miles a week. The reason I am asking this question is the 350 seems to be losing some of its get up and go.
I know it has quite a few miles on it, but am unsure as to what would be my best route.
1. How much money do you want to spend?
2. How long are you going to keep the truck?
3. Would the engine rebuild be worth more than the truck and does the 21 year old truck have enough life left in it?
I've been in this situation before as have other guys that I know. You may be better off buying another tractor, keeping this one and fixing it later. I have regretted getting rid of every tractor that I got rid of. Should just keep them, make repairs, and keep them close to home. Good luck with your decision. |
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Overloaded
Joined: 09 Sep 2006
Posts: 80
Location: West Virginia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Whether you decide to rebuild it or buy a re-man, I would consider moving up to a 400 BC. If you rebuild it, there are not many parts differences between a 350 and a 400. The pistons have a different compression ratio but, you would be changing them anyway and they should be the same price. The injectors, fuel pump calibration, and the timing key on the cam is different. That should be all you need to change, and hauling logs you could probably us the power increase. |
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PackRatTDI
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 1004
Location: Las Cruces, NM
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| Posted: Wed Nov 22, 2006 9:50 pm Post subject: |
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Overloaded wrote: Whether you decide to rebuild it or buy a re-man, I would consider moving up to a 400 BC. If you rebuild it, there are not many parts differences between a 350 and a 400. The pistons have a different compression ratio but, you would be changing them anyway and they should be the same price. The injectors, fuel pump calibration, and the timing key on the cam is different. That should be all you need to change, and hauling logs you could probably us the power increase.
Heck, he could probably order some of those nifty parts from Pittsburg Power and build a 700hp engine. 8) |
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Papa Rick
Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 339
Location: North Alabama
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| Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2006 4:32 pm Post subject: |
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Approximately how much should it cost to do the rebuild. Taking it from a 350 to a 400. I cannot afford to do this just yet, but would like to get an idea on how much I need to set aside for this including labor, and for the week I would be down.
I am not expecting an exact for sure figure, but an estimate.
This forum is so great to learn from. I really appreciate the advice and info from everyone. |
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Papa Rick
Joined: 07 Sep 2006
Posts: 339
Location: North Alabama
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 7:31 am Post subject: |
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| Has anyone ever, or know anyone who has rebuilt a 350 big cam to a 400, and if so were you pleased with the results. |
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LOAD IT
Joined: 02 Sep 2006
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| I have never had a Cummins rebuilt, but I had a Detroit 60 rebuilt inframe for $7300 and I had a 425 Cat that I was shopping around and couldnt find anyone to do it for less than $11000. I sold that truck to the junk man. I would say the Cummins would be closer to the $7300 but probably not cheaper, parts for the Detroit usually are less expensive. |
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Overloaded
Joined: 09 Sep 2006
Posts: 80
Location: West Virginia
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| Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:55 pm Post subject: |
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| Probably around $10,000 would be a good estimate. I would use Cummins brand parts instead of after-market, for the pistons and liners especially. |
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GMAN
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 9906
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:13 am Post subject: |
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| I know a guy who rebuilt a Cummins 500 about a year or two ago and I believe he paid about $8,400. But it depends on what you do. I would count on $10,000. If you are going to rebuild the engine, I would replace everything, such as the turbo. |
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NascarFan
Joined: 18 Sep 2006
Posts: 307
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:09 am Post subject: |
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| What about a reconditioned engine? We have one of them in one of our trucks and it's better than a new engine. |
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GMAN
Joined: 13 Feb 2005
Posts: 9906
Location: Tennessee
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| Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:20 am Post subject: |
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| A reconditioned engine would probably have you down for a shorter time period than doing an in-frame. |
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