I have heard similar issues on both sides. Cat of course likes to drink the fuel and they both break electronically and with hard parts. Very frustrating but from my perspective the "best motor" still falls to Cummins. I know it sounds terrible but my opinion is, when you buy a new motor you have to expect that it will spend several weeks in the shop in its first 6 months and plan your business accordingly.

Birken

... several WEEKS in the first 6 months?!? your expectations aren't too high ;0)

""motors"" are electric ........ internal combustion powerplants are ENGINES, or so the old boy down in the engine bay has told me....

No they are not. And most of those were around 01 or 02 Cummins, right now I have an 05 Cat that is getting rebuilt though. (Under warranty)

Yeah yeah

I am a mechanic too...I feel entitled to call them what I call them

A motor is something that imparts motion...hence a MOTor...it can be electric, fuel burning, or otherwise...think of a rocket motor or a motorboat.

An engine is something that is a complicated piece of machinery that does some sort of work. Think of a fire engine, a search engine, Engine No. 9 that pulls a train.

A diesel engine is a complicated machine that costs lots of money to keep running. A diesel motor is a thing that imparts a twisting motion to a transmission to move a truck down the road. Both are equally correct ;)

Birken

Motor is too broad a term for me... engine is more specific.

Cummins motors, Caterpillar motors........ doesn't ring too well does it? Sorry, but I gotta side with the old boy down in the engine bay, he's never steered me wrong yet!!!


the wik doesn't even list internal combustions under a motor search... they do however state that "it may also refer to..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor


JMHO

Or we could simply call them a "prime mover" ;)

Birken

nashville hill
 

the long steep grade refered to earler just south of nashville on i-24 is called monteagle

I have an ISX in mine that was recalled for the reprogramming. My dad reported no change in fuel consumption or performance.

My buddy had his Cat w/ 120K let go a few months ago, so I agree about getting a lemon, and the luck of the draw :)

I run an 03' ISX 470, and since I've been in it I've put more than 300,000 miles on it in 2 1/2 yrs and had no problems it has 650,000 on it now and I'm gettin 6.25 and 6.5 mpg per trip.

Everyone says cats drink fuel...ever notice what type of trucks have cats in them...most long nose conventions 379s and W9s. Of course fuel econ is not going to be the best and that has to do with aerodynamics not the engine. Freightliner, volvo and most internationals dont use cat engines. My 9400 has a C15 435 and I'm getting close to 7 mpg.

My carrier has a bunch of the 07 Cat engines and we can't keep the damn things running! We have already had several that are on rebuild status and nearly all of them are blowing the oil plugs off the engines, the most recent one being a month old kw with only 7000 miles on it.

one of the few Kw's out of my terminal has 90,000 on it, has been rebuilt once, has to be towed or limped to a shop once a week. My company runs KW,International,and F/L, all with Cats. Are Cats really that finniky?

I like how they pull and all but geez,only when they work :sad: