what would you do?
 

as my business is growing i think its time to add another truck. now i have an opportunity to buy a 2001 379. while i'm not a fan of the long hood at all the price is way too good to pass up. 1 owner truck maintained like crazy, new rears, rebuilt trans motor was rebuilt (maybe out of frame) a month after i got my columbia out of cat, ALL new suspension, front axle, springs, rear springs, air bags shocks the body has over a million miles on it. it has the special sleeper with the table and fold down bed.


550 cat
18 speed
3.55's
short 24.5's

now the bad..

it has a major electrical issue. apparently its been like that since new but many people have been in there to try to fix it. i was told it needs a new wiring harness. it runs and drives fine though.

my plan is to take it to cat throw it on the dyno and make sure the truck checks out. from there i want to take it to peterbilt to have the electrical system looked at to see exactly what it needs.

so what would you guys do?

Electrical problems can be difficult to find and expensive to repair. Often when a problem is hard to find it is something simple. When you say major electrical issue, what do you mean. You stated that it runs good. A dyno and oil analysis would be good for the engine, but won't tell you anything about the electrical issue. CAT or a good garage might be able to find the problem by connecting to the ECM. Wiring harnesses are not usually cheap. It might even be in the ECM. Those are also not cheap. If the price was cheap enough I might give it a try. But, without knowing what I was facing in repairs, I would be cautious. What is it doing? If the problem has persisted since new, I would think that someone would have been able to find the problem and repair it. For me, it would depend on the symptoms and repair costs.

i should have been more clear (was dealing with one of my dad's trucks thats acting up in FL with a bad fuel filter)

the truck is owned by my main customer who recently switched to volvo. so i do know the truck.


the motor was rebuilt right after mine came out of cat built by the same cat dealer.

the electrical issues are the alarms will go off for no reason and low air pressure warnings will go off for no reason. so maybe major was the wrong word for it.

Well, it may be not really electrical. May be like Gman said ECM, or bad sensor. ECM is no big deal, 2 grand+... But i wouldn't worry about it much, since truck was able to run with it for over million miles...

yeah def. not the ECM. i thought it was a 02 with the new style dash. i know pete had a issue with the fuse box being leaked on. i'm kinda hoping thats what the issue is. i run across PA twice a week at 80k so the 18 speed (though i prefer the 13) would be nice and the 550 will definitely be nice. i'll eventually be running on flat ground so the 3.55's are nice as well.

2 concerns is that i'm not used to the hood

and how heavy is that truck with that ultra sleeper?

the price is so good i have to buy it. just wanted to get some opinions.

So buy it. The hood is not a problem, you'll get use to it, and i guess they will let you scale it before you'll buy. Difference between 18 an 13 , is only split in a lower gears, it's good to have it, but you don't have to use it. What kind of a fuel mileage it's ECM showing?
BTW this year, i've started running mostly NJ to PA and back, and mostly heavy, my average dropped from 7mpg to 6.1 mpg...

i can't go by the ECM. they go out heavy and back dead empty. there is a scale on premises so thats easy (not sure why i didn't think of that). i hope i get used to the hood.. i do brooklyn and queens at times. i'm betting the fuel milage will be the same to my truck going out which is 5.5mpg going though the hills. my truck is a 10 speed and 435 so i'm really beating on it.

If the engine has been rebuilt then I would probably go ahead and buy it. The hood may take a little time to get used to after driving a Columbia. It takes a wider area in which to turn than most other trucks. If you have the time and don't mind spending a little money tracking down the electrical issues, it would probably be a good buy.

Great. Thanks guys! Think I'm going to do it.

Let us know what you find out about the electrical problem.

i just spoke to the driver about 20 min ago. he said the truck runs super strong. BUT.. he said it has gauges that don't work, cruise control that don't work. he said that he brought it to peterbilt and they said it needs the harnesses. I'm still real interested in the truck but from experience am I opening a can of worms? am I buying a money pit? from my thought this is a job for peterbilt only correct me if I'm wrong.

Well, it is their truck. They should know how to fix it. But, if you have a good mechanic he might be able to repair it for much less than Peterbilt. I try to stay away from the dealers as much as possible. Have you priced a wiring harness? Sometimes you can get a lemon. Several years ago there was an owner operator who bought a Peterbilt and had a lot of problems with the truck. They had it checked at Peterbilt several times and spent thousands to try to find the problem. They finally just sold the truck. I would be hesitant to buy a truck that had a lot of problems without some assurance that I could make the needed repairs without going broke. Electrical issues can be difficult to diagnose. From your description, the wiring harness does make sense. If not the wiring harness, I would be looking at the ECM. Both of those could cost quite a bit of money.

I agree 100%. Now when I spoke to the driver he said a "box" needs to be replaced. I wrote that off as a harness. I spoke to someone else that has a Pete same issues. He said there is a box where all the guages plug into with a surge protector. I'm waiting to see if I got this work. As soon as I find out if I got it then I'll pull the trigger. Selling my freightliner is out of the question and I can't see why it should sit.

Buddy of mine owns 200+ Pete's different models and years. He had 3 that had those issues. All three turned out to be where someone had ran a screw into a wire. Now his 2000 EXHood had all kind of issues from day one. Pete had to tear it apart even taking the sleeper walls out to trace the bad wiring in it. Turned out to be someone at the plant had plugged in something under the dash that should have not been there. Plus the wires in the sleeper had gotten between supports and was shorting out.
As far as the hood, used to run NYC and all of the east Coast in a 280" long hood. Did not find a dock I could not get into. Had to work a little harder at some, but enjoyed the large car and just smiled as I did the job.
Pete

I drove a 2001 379 with a 310" WB and it was tough at times to get around corners especially right turns. A couple times I had to have a forklift pickup the rearend of my empty trailer(48ft flatbed spread) to get it around a tight shipping yard. It looked great and it is setup was perfect for hauling 60ft rebar or floor joists, but I was hard on the right front outside trailer tire.

if it was me I would pass on that truck
a buddy got one similier to it and his mpg is a little over 4

big cat motor,18 speed,runs like a monster but it costs the heck out of him

i hear that from a lot of people but never seen it. my dad has a pete 550 (might have a 625 file in it ) 13 speed, 3.70's and he gets 5.5 pulling a reefer. my buddy has a 550 3.36's cracking 6. what i learned about driving a cat is its how you drive it. holding it to the floor pulling a hill, shifting high slamming on it to pass someone will kill the milage.

Ain't that the truth! People blame the motor, for their lack of ability to drive it in a fuel efficient way.

in my columbia i get 6.5+ at 70mph.. with a cat.


anyway, today i drove the truck. drove great. trans shifts like butter. for some reason the truck seems.. small while driving it. AC works not ice cold but i was told to shut the heater valve off and its ice cold. as far as the electrical problems... the only thing i can find is that the fuel gauge don't work when the switch is in the middle. each tank sender works. put it on the scale 20800 with 3/4 tank of fuel.

now here is what i don't understand. truck had power i didn't jump on it just rolled into it a bit. smoked a bit no breaking up or anything but i'm thinking thats because its been sitting. now i've never drove a 6nz before. i have drove my dad's 3406e motor. if you tap the throttle instant response. this is like my MBN with no response. but i'm used to that.

i think it might need a steering box. but then again i don't know if its not used to it seems like it wonders a bit but i'm just hoping i'm not used to it.

thats the up date.

So? Did you...?

clearing up bills then i'm pulling the trigger. was at it and in it again today. not gonna lie.. more i see it more i want it. and i hate long hoods. but.. guess its like anything else just need to get used to it.

You will get used to the hood. It will take some adjusting. It can be a little more challenging getting around tight areas, but it is sure nice having that nice long hood pushing the wind out of your way. Besides, you will look cool in a hood. :cool:

lol yeah the wind slamming into that big hood too lol! also has the top fairing too.