Yet again a good video,we've had the same trouble over here in the U.K,and europe with our engines,up to euro 5,we had a choice of egr or scr,scr is favoured by anyone pulling at weight over here,as egr engines on the same work pretty much have a tendancy to blow up,a common one for that was the m.a.n 440 engine,the main reasons for having egr here,is to save on ad-blue(i think you lads call it def?),and to save some-one putting it in the wrong tank,same problems with vgt turbos,anything over 500 thou kms is a bonus,as against the good old fashioned turbo which here is good for a million kms or more,now we're just getting into euro 6,which is egr plus ad-blue,so we'll see how that lot holds up in time
ARD heads also have fuel pressure solenoid which is in a fuel manifold which has a very fine strainer that looks like ceramic. It does get clogged overtime so even with maintenance done every 250 instead of 500 hours is still gets clogged. Problematic system anyways...
Never saw this guy in my life. His video just came on and couldn’t stop watching him. You have to love people that know their shit and are able to explain the theory behind it. Nice!
I drive a 2004 school bus with the C 7 210 hp engine, it’s a good enough for me in the school bus but a few years ago a drove a 3406 475 hp in a KW hauling fuel and it’s a big difference in the power . Keep up the good job of letting us know about cat engines .
MXS 1,480,000 getting it rebuilt with the platinum kit aug 31st, looks like were about in the sane boat, mine started spitting up coolant so you're right on the money.
Wayne that is going to depend on what kit you are going to buy. You have a Bronze, Sliver, Gold and Platinum rebuild kits. I went with a Platinum Kit with Turbos and a Compressor. Parts were right at $19,000 plus labor. My labor is going to run me right at $4500-$5,000. I also put a clutch and new u joints and carrier barring in the truck also. I am going to be getting 3 years unlimited miles warrantly on the engine with this also. Do your research and talk to your certified CAT mechanic. I have a great guy who works on my trucks and he has help me a lot and CAT financial has help me too. 18 months at 2% for all those parts
Most guys nowadays rebuild them with 16:1 compression and delete the ivas. Keep the twins, good tune and you can have a good reliable engine with 700hp. As always thank you Josh for a very informative video! 👍👍
Andrey Chuprin twins means 2 turbos working on their own with 2 different sets of ductwork compounds work together ie the cat uses compound turbos that work together one small for low end torque one larger for broad rpm power being spooled by the other
@@ryanprough253 I have my own sis and cat ET and do my all my own work..my trucks never see a cat dealer and only a mom pop shop I know if not near home..yall dealers just fuck shit up anyways with your low nox files and crap..
@@ryanprough253 I'm glad I don't have to deal with you. Take sdp and shove it where light don't shine, I don't mind emissions control but they have to be reliable and cat is not, a year of owning a couple of sdp motors is enough to bankrupt a small trucking company so report all u want! In order for us to survive we have to do something about the shitty product cat made, oh another thing you might want to report is 3406e swapped in for sdp!
Thanks that was a lot information and I m glad I m out of the trucking business. If I ever had another truck it would be pre emissions and elogs. I’m so tired of government interference.
I'll keep my old 3406b all mechanical. Never any problems, reliable, good fuel economy and pushing around 650 hp. And very easy to work on were I can do most of my own work.
Very sensible ,stick to what you know , anything geeky leaves me cold,as we in the UK are not blessed with these geeky KittyCats, especially the small C7,s and C9,s.Far as small engines are concerned Clessie Cummins is dominant in UK , their little four pot ISME 'lawnmower' engine very popular with DAF and IVECO, yes those Italian washing machine makers use them,and the ultra quiet reworked 6BTA and Hestair Dennis uses the 8,3 litre C series in Trident buses. Reading some of the comments from owners and drivers KittyCat,s ACERT engine is a bag of shit. Is the 3406 and later C16 the same engine ?. Like you i want my KittyCat C16 to meow 650 ponies reliably , and what is their torque delivery between 900-1800 rpm,as i want the big Kitty to meow away from the traffic lights at 900 rpm without any problems.
Good explanation , l have 06 cat c15 and your right about injector harness . I just replaced both a couple of weeks ago broken wire . They had over 700,000 miles on them , engine light came on . I've had this truck for 11 years , had a platinum kit done 7 years ago . Its been pretty good to me , good power half decent fuel mileage . What l like most is the independent Cat dealer network , when l have engine issues l dont take it to a peterbilt dealer l take to a Cat shop . Everyone of those Cat shops over the last 25 years have been really good , they have a lot of knowledge and experience . They always fix the problem and get me on my way in a timely fashion . I have had other trucks in that 25 year period all had Cat engines in them . Only reason I have had this truck so long is it has a Caterpillar , and when it comes time for in frame l will not hesitate .
00:55 Part 1: What is Acert? 02:55 Part 2: Medium-duty engines 04:37 Part 3: Heavy-duty engines 07:28 Part 4: Particulate matter 08:47 Part 5: NOx 10:15 Part 6: IVA's and VVA's 12:34 Part 7: A turn for the worse 13:55 Part 8: Particulate matter, part 2 17:02 Part 9: NOx, part 2 17:55 Part 10: Is this EGR? No, this is CGI. 20:01 Part 11: Blow-by 22:21 Part 12: Fuel systems 23:14 Part 13: Conclusion
I run water injection on my 6nz c-15, which significantly reduces heat in the combustion chambers. This is a very good way to reduce or eliminate Nox. It also increases the torque of the engine by about 25 to 30%. I see a significant reduction in coolant temperature and also EGTs. I wouldn't run without it Too many advantages with no downside other than the cost and having to fill the water tanks. It will NOT damage the engine AT ALL if properly installed and operated correctly. Sno-performance has an excellent system. If you install this system I highly recommend you install at least a 30 gallon tank. I have 2 such tanks. These large engines can burn 60 to 80 gallons a day. I have been running it for over 10 years now, and have never had any problems with it or damage to my engines. This is the second engine I have run it on. NOTE; it's only effective on hills, and steep grades. It does not even activate on flat land.
I’m a diehard CAT engine fan. I drove an 03 kenworth with a 550hp c-15 single turbo. Boy she’d scoot. Then I went to a 06 Detroit 14.7. It was alright. Then the biggest POS a maxxforce. I mean total junk. 2 egr coolers under warranty, a high pressure fuel pump under warranty and 4 egr valves under warranty. We live in the rust belt in Michigan and we were constantly changing coolant and oil pipes. Constant corrosion issues with lights. ABS lights on wet roads, way overly complicated hvac systems to keep us warm that we’re also constantly giving fits. Then four years ago I bought a Fitzgerald glider. Oh man talk about reducing maintenance cost! It’s got a 12.7 Detroit with 540k on it now. The only thing I had troubles with was the cylinder head leaking oil which was done twice because the front structure also was part of the problem. She’s the best truck I’ve owned so far and definitely believe I’ll get a million plus before the next overhaul. Still partial to CATS tho. Keep the vids coming. 👍
ACERT Advanced Combustion Emissions Research Technology. It worked in some engines. It was a very small injection of fuel before the injection cycle. The idea was to add fuel to fire (pre-ignition) at TDC +- (depending on flash file) and burn all of the fuel, instead of adding fuel to compression that caused ignition but did not burn all of the fuel before being expelled through the exhaust. Every injector fired twice which is the reason trim files were very important. Incorrect trim file would cause excessive fuel consumption. Great video!
There is another way to solve this problem, politically, isolate the heavy truck engine line to its own LLC, make a very simple and reliable engine that doesn’t meet the EPA’s standards(what the customer wants), pay the fines, get government stimulus (your fine back) because the business isn’t viable do to the fines, and the line is an infrastructure necessity. To beat the government, beat them at their own game...
Yes , let's go back to the days of smoke polluting diesel engines . I remember the 50' thru the 80's and into the 90's . We cleaned up the engines , and also the fuel .
@@billneill6417 own and operate a truck in today's market which still has the freight rates from back then and you'll be whistling a different tune. The government is the biggest polluter and spender; i.e. the most corrupt hypocrites on the planet. They profit off of all this crap and cost the rest of us a fortune through inflation while our wages have stagnated. Look at everything in the military, plus other industries... ships, jets, heavy equipment, trains, city owned garbage trucks, etc... STILL rolling coal (black soot). They only target and enforce emission regulations on trucks and cars without which this country would come to a screeching halt.
I drove a 2011 Peterbilt with a C13. What a nightmare regarding the Acert contraption. Every 6 months it was guaranteed to go in for replacement. My boss, finally pissed enough money away because of it decided to delete it along with the DPF. The truck went from barely being able to drive 60 Mph fully loaded and having to fuel up every 2 days to after the delete, to being able to hit 80 mph fully loaded & being able to fuel up every 3 days. What a difference. I drove that truck 1.2 million miles & it was a good truck once it was deleted.
Josh, I'm a nut for durability and longevity videos. I go crazy over the stuff you post about million mile and high hour engines and internal wear. If you could someday do a video about Cat generator/truck engines with crazy miles and 40k+ hours and how they got there, how they were maintained, and what parts were still original. I've read about Cat generators that have run basically non-stop for years on end, on islands and places with no other power source. Love your stuff immensely. Take care and thanks.
Just pull C32 out of D11, just over 15000 hours and 2 million litres of fuel. The engine had not failed just hours . Most cats in mining are rebuild at 15000 hours, no in frame repairs.
@@daddy111ist That fascinates me how those parts can hold up to all those heat cycles and rotations and friction. I remember in the 70s, my parents had gasoline cars that would get junked after 50k miles. Engines were worn out. I realize that diesels are a different animal but it goes to show that if manufacturers wanted to make internal combustion engines last forever, they could. Thanks for sharing
D Smith 15000 hours is normal change out time. The C15 I’m rebuilding now had 16000 hrs and not failed it will be sent back to service for anther 15000hrs Cat we’re made to rebuild.
I work on c13 LEE Acerts everyday in MCI buses. The engine really is good. We have 18 of them and never had a major engine failure. I find if you change the ARD every year or so you're golden. I have a record of every ARD changed and for us and the type of miles our buses do, the ARD will fail between 10 and 14 months. Also we change the DPF around every 2 to 3 years. Do that and keep up with maintenance and you'll last forever. They all have about 900k of them. The only other issue iv been finding is high crank case pressure which pushes the oil out the stick. You NEED to not overfill them and you must change the crank case filter!! Also noticed the rear main housing behind the bell housing leaks alot. Gotta take it apart, changed the gasket and lock tight the bolts. Also gray silicon it too Injectors last forever, turbos, water pump, oil pump, IVA, EGR also last forever. Only think I don't like is that if I get a hard code for say, loss of combination/high soot. I find the ARD is bad soooo I changed it. Now I fixed the issue BUT I can't Regen it to clear the code. The only way to clear the code is to have a successful Regen lol. See the issue here? So we have to call cat in to clear the code.... Kinda shitty. Weve (njt) have owned these engines since 2008.... I don't blame cat for saying FU to the EPA and dropping out.
Jon Cooper sounds like you work for a company with deep pockets to be changing all those parts on a regular service interval. Do you work for a municipal garage where taxpayers are funding the shop? That's the only way you can do it.
@@robpeters5204 yes sir. But sadly with the type of driving our buses do, over the past 10 years iv never seen an ard head last over 13 months. It's almost like clock work that they fail between the 7 to 8 month mark. In parts it cost about 1,700$. That's for the head, 2 fuel fittings, spark plug, gaskets, and the 3 temp sensors. I'm sure you can get away with just doing the head and fuel filter fittings for around 850$. We rather fix it early and avoid the road call. Also it's new Jersey transit. Other then the ard issues, the engines is good. Never had a catastrophic failure. The buses with the cats all have around 900k on them. I changed 3 motors around that milage for high crank case pressure with recently low oil pressure. The engines get rebuild in house and cat comes and warranties them.
With that said.. if it was a privite business and it was up to me I'd probably stick with the non LEE Acerts. Think like pre 2007. No regen, AVI's, and no CGI. You need deep pockets and be able to do your own work to have a fleet of LEE c13s lol
@@CoopaCoop sadly I think they got rid of most of the last of the series 60 buses. I could never find out where their auctions went to. Replacing parts early is still cheaper than a tow bill/breakdown. We’re you a diesel tech or did you work on all the systems for the buses? I’m always looking for someone familiar with MCI’s, for reference to talk about, from 2007 and older. Thanks.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s yeah we had about 100 mci with the series 60 in them that we retired 2 or 3 years ago now. That's just our garage. Company wide, we probably retired 800 or so. Bus numbers were 7400's, 8200's, 8500's, 7900s, 7800s, and probably another 1 or 2 I'm forgetting. I wanna say that almost all were all sold to a single company In the northeast. A scrap yard. Most of our buses were from 1998. We had the series 60 Detroit diesels and we had about 55 of the natural gas version of the 60. Now we have 18 of the c13 cats About 50 with the Cummins X12 And about 130 with Cummins ISL-G (natural gas) The natural gas buses (CNG) are a complete nightmare. Its a tiny 8.9 liter engine in a 45 ft, 55,000 pound vehicle. Mind you all our other engines are and were either 12 or 13 liters. Every engine has blown up with cracked pistons before 200,000 miles. They all got upgrade steel positions. Now almost everyone has had a failed head, dropped a valve, blown oil coolers, or blown head gasket.
Great video to understand all this engines complexity. I’m learning to deal with my Land Rover Discovery 2 with a Td5 engine now with 250,000 Km. Got rid of EGR system and having some blow-by. Initially thought it was not normal. Tried venting to atmosphere (draft hose-tube) but had to re-connect CCV hose to the depression valve in the inlet turbo hose. The problem was low turbo vaccum in depression valve at inlet turbo hose because it was cracked causing not enough vacuum to fully open the depression ccv valve to get rid of blow-by fumes. Better left all systems stock. Greetings from Guayaquil, Ecuador 🇪🇨
I love my ‘05 Acert! Had mine overhauled last November after 1.6 million and nothing more other than maintenance items and like Josh said, the occasional IVA problem which was an easy fix.
@@albertosepulveda-lozoya3263 no, the only problem I had associated with my IVA’s was a check engine light. I never had a breakdown or performance related issue.
Whats the fix for check engine light iva not responding codes. Changed then the harnesses, the sensors. Still have the codes and light. Idles great but wont pull a load@jjjthomasson8902
One reason C15 ACERTS weren’t liked that much in Australia was because the engines were designed to lug down at lower rpm than the single turbo C15s and 3406s. It just doesn’t work when you’re running weights of minimum 65 tons up to 200 tons with multiple trailers. Also if one turbo goes out, you’ve got to replace both as a rule. Any wiring under the valve covers has to be replaced fairly regularly because it cooks under our hot conditions. At least we didn’t have to run particulate filters and the rest of that crap on our ACERTs when they were installing them in our new trucks. Now if only they’d gone to using DEF like the other engine manufacturers they’d probably still be around...
Is the cat acert bad ? I'm not too sure but my truck after 8 years and 1.2 million km still going good its 2009 C15 Acert I service it on time, but I was worried years ago when I bought it but not any more since it kept me going well after 8 years.
Of all the videos I watch on RUclips. I feel like I get more information and knowledge from your videos than any other. As a owner/operator of a c-15. I really appreciate you. Thank you for the information that you share.
The whole NOX thing is what sticks in my craw. NOX goes up with leaner burns. Within limits of engine destruction safety, leaner burn results in less fuel burned. One of the ways to reduce NOX, along with the various after treatments, is to lower the AFR, resulting in poorer mpg. So the net result, all else being more or less equal, is more fuel burned to "reduce emissions". That seems like a paradox to me.
Limiting NOx has nothing to do with climate change. The simple fact is that NOx and diesel particulates are toxins that cause respiratory diseases and cancer. Drive around without emissions control equipment and you are making your own little crowdfund contribution to killing someone's kids. The people in the EPA and organisations like it made the judgement call that killing fewer people was more important than preventing climate change, so they mandated the NOx and PM controls first and hoped to get the CO2 under control later.
@@nerd1000ify "think of the children!" Jesus dude can you come up with a less tired and overused argument for something? We had 0 emissions on diesels for a century and people weren't dying in the streets, quit being fucking dramatic.
@@jellyfrosh9102 also don't forget, ultra low sulfur fuel is slightly less energy dense so you have to use more, and you can make less per barrel of crude so you use more oil to create the same amount of fuel. We're literally just trading one problem for another and creating much more expensive, less reliable engines along the way.
Long story short, keep in mind my mileage is Canadian numbers. Had a C15 1994 475 hp, trouble free 8-9 mpg pulling 140,000 lbs. Bought a new Pete 2005 C15 550 hp same job same weight. Always in the shop we called them Vivas always needing adjusting mpg? 4.5-5 so less pollution but you burn way more fuel. Let’s not even talk about the junk out there now. That 1994 is still hauling Stateside my neighbour bought it, no issues regular maintenance. I sold it with about 850,000 miles and only did a bearing roll in. He’s well over 1 million miles and she’s never been apart. Now that was a motor.
Thanks ive been a truck mechanic for 30+ years, and working for fleets i don't get into this till they warranty is long gone. And cat has always been bring it to me. So it gave me a reason to hate them, ie im pro Cummins. Until they brought in this emission bs. Anything after the N14 sucks.but i was always impressed by their c7, extremely good on fuel, but had the problems like every other engine in the day. And you just explained everything to me. Thanks!
I had an 07 w900 with an 550hp acert and it was absolutely fantastic. That C15 was a horse. Only two problems it ever had was after 700,000 miles, the injectors became very difficult and had to change out the jakes twice because they kept decentigrating. I wanted to convert the twin turbo over to a single because let's face it. They are trash and even cat realized that,but to do it,it was going to run about 10,000 dollars for the conversion so needless to say. It still has the twin.
I would take a C15 Acert non dpf engine without question. They were the last million mile engines in my opinion. Have several at work with over a million, heads have not been off them. Now the Acert dpf engine will bankrupt you.
I have a 2007 c15 that i spent 17,000$ on the regen system. I was so broke i borrowed 5,000 $ and had it deleted & the ecm flashed for the iva. It was like a different truck. Better fuel milage , 667 hp. That was 300,000 miles ago. Its at 970,000 now no issues. If you own one of these its a no brainer unless you live in California. And what in the hell are you doing there anyway. Its never to Late to move back to the USA. Lol
@@garyhaley3072 You did the right thing. The EPA serves a purpose. However, they arbitrarily set standards that the manufacturers could not meet. USA EPA diesel emission standards are more stringent than anywhere else in the world. This standard needs to be a world wide standard that is reasonable. Zero emissions are not reasonable IMHO. The push toward electric vehicles is a pipe dream. Ask the do good-er environmentally conscious hybrid or electric car owner where the lithium for his batteries come from. Out of the ground. They are, for the most part, imbeciles.
@Evermore my mechanic says it was a 625 hp detuned to a 475 hp. When i sent the ecm to Florida to be flashed I told them to turn it loose. A few months later the check engine light was coming on but not throwing a code.I had my mechanic scan it and it said the rated hp was 667. I don't know if thats correct or not. But i am very satisfied with it.
I have a 2007 c15 acert. I put 1,700,000 before overhaul. To be clear. My engine didn't broke down on me. I did the overhaul because I though it was time to do it. It was running like a champ before overhaul.
I have an 06 and so far has been amazing. I still have everything stock. It’s still governed as well. What would you recommend me to do to it so it can give me that kind of life yours did? Other than maintenance? Should I tune it and run a straight pipe or leave it alone? Thank you.
@@cesar9496 what I recommend to you is that. Add a Lucas oil stabilizer every oil change. 9glls of oil and 1 Glln of Lucas. I changed my oil every 13,000 to 15,000 miles. Caterpillar filters. I don't like white filters.🤭
@@victorchavez6266 yeah I have always used caterpillar filters. Hey thanks a lot, I always trusted Lucas. Never used it on my c15 but in other motors I have. Should I leave it alone with the catalytic converter and untuned?
Outstanding explanation, sir. Definitely a better explanation than DPC modules give. I do, however, have one small correction- NOx is representative of nitrogen oxides, not nitrous oxides. Nitrogen oxides are emissions, nitrous oxides belong in your drag car.
The worst part for everyone with early IVAs was [I believe if memory serves] 'IVA #x not responding' were troubleshot by Cat by swapping IVA heads, putting it all back together, have the customer run it until a code returned, then see if the code followed the head or stuck on one cylinder. As a service manager at that time, I fought Cat tooth and nail because they refused to pay for two repairs with only one failure. After a while, iva heads just got replaced, -7 codes got new sokenoids, then those damned ARD heads came out. Constantly updating head designs, pissing off customers because Cat would not cover spark plugs even on a failed warranty ARD head. Ugh. I don't miss those days. That said, I was an International service manager during the Maxxforce days, so times got way, way worse.
I know this is frowned upon, but we run a 4 2008 sdp petes, gave usual trouble, But have all been deleted, Best trucks we own even better than newer 2011+ trucks in our fleet(isx’s). Also it shocking to see how clean they still burn with emissions gone
We are running the ISX 15L Cummins at work we had a VGT turbo seal failure that sent oil into the scr/dpf just after a passive regen (thats the dealers thought). The fire department showed up and ripped the whole system out from under the truck and hosed it down. $32,000 in part (needed turbo to the stack). The insurance company totaled the truck. Now after watching this video I wonder if a plugged blow by tube was to blame for the turbo seal failure. Thank you I will have to look into that on our other trucks
@@electric7487 Kinda like breast cancer, you can remove just the lump and risk the cancer coming back OR you can remove the whole breast and have a better chance of the cancer not recurring. With California..... I'd take the latter approach.
ACERTS were not bad.....but yes the actuators were a pain in the butt. The combo of high compression and high boost from the compounds plus the added complexity hurt reliability. Reprogramming those big block engines changed everything.....they run HARD.
All i can say is my last C- 15 Acert had well over a mil miles on it and one overhead @ 534g and she was as clean as new because i know😎😉 how and what she needed to keep her fit! And we had. 7 C-13 engines that were very awesome pulling heavy haul all there lives to at least a mil each! But i will take A 3406E anyday 🤘🤘🤘 Cat power forever here!
I had a PDI tuned C15 Acert making 700 hp at the flywheel that I finally rebuilt with just shy of 1 million miles due to the head gasket letting go. It was a good engine. I think the only thing we did was update the rocker arm studs when one broke, other than that it got serviced every 10,000 miles. It got worked hard too pulling tri-axle grain trailers grossing 94,000, and over 100,000lbs in the fall through spring. The PDI tuning added over 1/2 mpg, but it was still down roughly 1/2 mpg compared to my old 6NZ.
I have 06 nxs c15 acert. No complaints. LOVE IT. Very mechanically friendly engine, 9 sensors and twin turbo. Rebuild ones because oil cooler failure it took me my 40 hrs to clean oil/coolant mud out from inside. Old saying "Don't fix while ain't broken" Wrong. When broken will cost 10 times more. Fix it b4.
I run an MXS purchased in 2014 it had inframe done just before purchasing Only engine problems I've had was an injector and replaced the IVA connectors myself as a prevention. 7.1 MPG average since ownership Only get 40 PSI in boost Put straight pipes which reduced my EGTs drastically. Great engine so far anyway.
We have the same truck. Mines a 2005 387 with the MXS in it. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XHVHZHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title These will bring you up to 2020 lol. 350 for both headlights. Haven't had any issues with them so far.
Thanks epa for making the diesel engine so overly and unnecessary complicated. I agree with the statement I just read in the comments section. Josh, you would make one hell of a teacher. Great job on explaining in this video!
I'm all for a clean-burning engine, but it seems like the EPA don't even know what their own standards even mean. Zero emissions is not reasonable, but low emissions is reasonable. At this point I'm starting to believe that the people who say "emissions is not about clean burning, it's about control" actually has some ground. IMO the ideal system on trucks would have no DPF or EGR. It would consist of only a DOC and an SCR system. Death to DPF's.
So basically, it’s the government’s fault… no surprise there. Just like everything else we’ve ever dealt with haha. Great video josh! Love listening to your lessons on stuff. So interesting
That’s why I still run my 98 Cummins 12v and will never sell it, I really wanna build a rat rod with a CAT 3406A or B can’t beat the old mechanically injected engines
@@isaacmontoya9144 I have an MXS too. Getting it rebuilt the week of august 31st at 1.5 million miles. I'm getting a new turbo too and was worried about high boost pressures...so I was wondering if I should turn it down or something...but per your comment, it does no harm.
Great explanation. I remember when these came out. It's too bad the epa didn't leave them alone, 02 seemed to be the best year for truck engines. Thank for the video.
Had a fun IVA fiasco the other day on a BXS. The #1 IVA was sticking intermittently but it would stick even without oil pressure (control valve open). It also was staying open just enough to cause a miss with little to no white smoke. But also the miss wouldn’t go away when backing the IVA completely off. Found the problem by backing the IVA off while the engine was running (which would make the miss momentarily go away). Retaining nut was intact but the o-rings on the cylinder were shot. Same engine, another tech had backed all the IVAs off previously and readjusted them. It had an intermittent ticking and sometimes knocking noise in the top end. The noise came in when the IVA control valve was closed. All the IVAs were noisy but disconnecting #4 made the most dramatic reduction in sound. I didn’t see the retaining nut for the foot falling out like you sometimes do, so I assumed an o-ring failure similar to #1 was taking place. Backed it off and very quickly learned that the slave pistons will come out all the way if there is no nut in there at all. The foot cocked sideways and the rocker arm had no way to return. The piston pushing back up on the valves made short work of the rocker arm…
jim benton but the bulk of the regulations were in place or were in progress before he was elected. DPF was on the books in George W’s first term. The next reduction also came in under GW. The next went into effect when Obama was in but were on the books before and he didn’t stop them. It is popular to blame everything on him but it just ain’t true.
The purpose of EGR is to add inert air to the combustion chamber to lower the oxygen content which reduces NOx formation. This can also be accomplished using water injection.
In 2007, getting ready for 2010 EPA regulations. EPA came to town with their advisory board. Meeting: They said that Cat has to meet the upcoming 2010 regulation when fuel is contaminated. Our refineries do produce low sulfur diesel. But thru pipes and storage tanks, sulfur content does go up. They (EPA and their party boys) refused to answer the question posed = "What are the contamination we now need to design and build for???" No answer. So they left for Chicago tourism on the USA tab. I had wanted to install co-generation off of the exhaust manifold in the C11 thru C18 engines. This provides 6% to 12% increase. The 2006 ACERT had already increased milage to 6.8 MPG from 6 MPG on C13 {as i remember} while providing no soot exhaust. The wiring harness - keep these at stand off, away from trapped heat areas.
Great video A Ape, I like your objective sarcasm on what cost the engine manufactures and industry billions. It's no wonder why Cat stepped away from over the road applications. The EPA continues to bring on the demise of the diesel engine.
It's no wonder Cat practically threw their hands up and said Screw It and walked away from the the trucking scene. I don't think the EPA can be said they don't know what their demanding. They've had too consistent a track record of getting the results they've accrued.
I'm surprised Cat hasn't elected to go w/ Switchblade Turbos. The guys who have installed them on their Cat engines seem to LOVE 'em. One other comment. Use CAT filters. There is no comparison. Check the tear down videos of the frams wixes, and other cheap ones.
Other than the valve actuators and the Jake brake housing breaking it really was a good motor for me... Oh yea and the wire harness inside the valve cover so it or they did well on the other hand the 3406E and fighting oil leaks and Yuming up fuel, Ok burning more fuel I prefer the the C15 models before 2007 and not the second year C15 .Hey good video love the info you share your Awesome...
We had two ways to go. First was straight egr. The second was High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) with the two turbos. This provided a much lower intake air charge than a straight egr system. Unfortunately development time was cut by a year and a half due to budget issues so we had to choose one path and focus on that. Once tier 4B hit we added urea (def) to the exhaust and dpf filters as an after treatment. The filters from the supplier had issues, the ard heads would crack, the after coolers would form hydrochloric acid due exhaust gasses combining with water vapor in the air. Normally that wouldn’t have been an issue as the temp was too high to cause condensation. And of course the VIVA system which worked but really beat the valves to death. It’s too bad further development didn’t continue. I believe with a common rail (higher fuel pressure at injection) and laser cut injector tips would have created much better atomization of fuel help with emissions. But idk I could be wrong.
Sounds like I didn't do too bad after all. I bought a 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a C15 Accert newly rebuilt (gold package) with 1.3 million miles on it and it runs great.
This guy is great brilliant video really knows his stuff even if you have a short attention span which most of us do this guy did a very good job with this video.. long live the cat truck motor 👍🏾
Thank you I was looking to get a used glider with low miles that happens to have an '07 Acert. Currently I'm driving a 97 Detroit 12.7. I'm going to stick with it.
Man thank you that was a lesson i need for my c15 now i beter understand my engine and how it works all around GREAT JOB love video keep up uploading videos 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 and one more 🌟
Doing a C18 in a compactor for NRS/EGR cooler failure resulting in hydrolock. The new C9.3B does away with EGR, but uses more DEF. In the machines, they have the ARD hammered out pretty well
@@5.43v not my favorite, but they seem to do well enough. Better than the C6.6 did, especially early on. Still issues with injectors, and to a lesser extent pumps. Have seen a few hit 15k hours in excavators, but that's not terribly common. High pressure turbo on the twins likes to blow its seals.
Man i knew some of this stuff about the Cat systems but this shit is ridiculous. ive worked for cummins for 16 years and although our system is far from perfect its much less complicated then this stuff. Good video man. Im always up for learning something new, even if its on an engine i wont ever touch.
I have a KCB in an 06 Wanderlodge. It is pre emissions and was probably built in 04 or 05. In a 50K pound bus it performs really well but is a little thirsty. I have a friend that is a CAT certified mechanic that works at the local CAT shop. She said that they were pretty much bullet proof, just keep up with the maintenance. I'll never wear it out. It will last longer than I will. My son can play with it when I am dead and gone if he wishes.
I ran a c12 and a c13. The difference was night and day between the two. The c13 had way more torque. It pulled way better on hills. I personally liked the alert engines.
Honestly, the ARD head and that system in theory was a really good idea. Compared to how everyone else did it, injecting extra fuel into the cylinders, which always leads to some fuel dilution, possibly cylinder wall wash, and high heat in the cylinders. Doing it after the engine basically avoids all of that. Avoiding EGR for as long as they could, and then when they finally did, deciding to pull EG after the DPF was also a great idea. Gotta give cat engineers credit for all that. Not sure why they couldn’t improve the ARD head and make them reliable though. Wish they wouldn’t have stopped producing truck engines.
No they didn’t make a genuine engine “brake” as in Jacobs Brake, but the 3408 in highway trucks had the CAT Brakesaver which is a hydraulic retarder bolted to the back of the flywheel housing. It uses engine oil with a seperate oil pump and huge oil cooler. It weighs a lot and cost a lot when new.
@@gm16v149 i used to run with a guy who had a 3408. When he went around you ( any time he wanted) it sounded like a freight train just passed you. Lol.
A Jake brake on a 3408 would have been a plumbers night mare. What is amazing about a 3408, it has a sixty degree vee instead of a ninety. Made the engine narrower to fit in a smaller frame. Yet a little taller. So they redesigned the crankshaft to achieve this. Get an old PC 3408 and start it up in the winter time.
Back in the DAY i had a Cat 1693 pre cup. If I am not mistaken i think it had dual over head cams. When it was idling it rattled like it was coming apart. Lol
I've been running my /05 WS with a 475hp ACERT C15, it's been a hell of allot better than any DPF engine. Although I have replaced 2 VVAs and just got a 385-3 code the IVA. but it's still running and hasn't derated the power.
I have been a cat fitter for 40 years in Australia I’ve seen lots of changers Over the times. Biggest change I noticed is the quality of the fitters. You should run classes ole mate.
All they needed was independent VVT for both intake and exhaust sides like the one used on every modern gasoline fed four banger nowadays, DPF, DEF and maybe a small[quick spool, off idle high boost] and a big[high HP top end] turbos in series. OR one super expensive and complicated VGT turbo to keep parts count down.
Josh, you need to be teaching somewhere. You are easy to understand and you have great communication skills
Yet again a good video,we've had the same trouble over here in the U.K,and europe with our engines,up to euro 5,we had a choice of egr or scr,scr is favoured by anyone pulling at weight over here,as egr engines on the same work pretty much have a tendancy to blow up,a common one for that was the m.a.n 440 engine,the main reasons for having egr here,is to save on ad-blue(i think you lads call it def?),and to save some-one putting it in the wrong tank,same problems with vgt turbos,anything over 500 thou kms is a bonus,as against the good old fashioned turbo which here is good for a million kms or more,now we're just getting into euro 6,which is egr plus ad-blue,so we'll see how that lot holds up in time
He is worth 4 times the amount of pay any PROF at a university is worth ....
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
He is
@@roberthowell932 Hard skills... At the end of the day...there's ACTUAL value.
I went to school for this and have been working in the industry for a few years and this was the best explanation of emissions systems I've seen.
Most of the ARD heads failed due to the fact that the Primary fuel filter wasn't changed often, at least every 300 hours.
ARD heads also have fuel pressure solenoid which is in a fuel manifold which has a very fine strainer that looks like ceramic. It does get clogged overtime so even with maintenance done every 250 instead of 500 hours is still gets clogged. Problematic system anyways...
Never saw this guy in my life. His video just came on and couldn’t stop watching him. You have to love people that know their shit and are able to explain the theory behind it. Nice!
Me and you both 😂😂😂😂😂
Normal engineering thoughts: nothing was ever made to eat it’s own shit🤷🏼♂️
EGR- Watch this 😏
I
Can you imagine what the human body would look like if the EPA was in charge of health care
@@markgeorge2225 Oh wow... that is a thought to imagine 🤣
Exactly what happens when politicians are put in charge of things they know hardly anything about.
@@markgeorge2225 lmao
Labradors and Golden Retrievers: Watch this
I drive a 2004 school bus with the C 7 210 hp engine, it’s a good enough for me in the school bus but a few years ago a drove a 3406 475 hp in a KW hauling fuel and it’s a big difference in the power . Keep up the good job of letting us know about cat engines .
I have a C15 Acert (NXS24662) It has been really good to me 1,4700,000. Going for it first inflame in a few weeks.
MXS 1,480,000 getting it rebuilt with the platinum kit aug 31st, looks like were about in the sane boat, mine started spitting up coolant so you're right on the money.
jmh4ggg agreed! Had mine overhauled last November and I’ve been very happy with it. Good luck!
What the coat of the in frame? I’m about the same mileage
Wayne that is going to depend on what kit you are going to buy. You have a Bronze, Sliver, Gold and Platinum rebuild kits. I went with a Platinum Kit with Turbos and a Compressor. Parts were right at $19,000 plus labor. My labor is going to run me right at $4500-$5,000. I also put a clutch and new u joints and carrier barring in the truck also. I am going to be getting 3 years unlimited miles warrantly on the engine with this also. Do your research and talk to your certified CAT mechanic. I have a great guy who works on my trucks and he has help me a lot and CAT financial has help me too. 18 months at 2% for all those parts
@@southerncatfish4030 man thanks for the heads-up
Most guys nowadays rebuild them with 16:1 compression and delete the ivas. Keep the twins, good tune and you can have a good reliable engine with 700hp. As always thank you Josh for a very informative video! 👍👍
Andrey Chuprin twins means 2 turbos working on their own with 2 different sets of ductwork compounds work together ie the cat uses compound turbos that work together one small for low end torque one larger for broad rpm power being spooled by the other
@@bobrewer177 yea they work together to make big hp and torque in the same way they were initially designed for..works great I have one..
Just don't go to a legit CAT dealer when you have issues! I will flash your ecm back to stock, and report it!
@@ryanprough253 I have my own sis and cat ET and do my all my own work..my trucks never see a cat dealer and only a mom pop shop I know if not near home..yall dealers just fuck shit up anyways with your low nox files and crap..
@@ryanprough253 I'm glad I don't have to deal with you. Take sdp and shove it where light don't shine, I don't mind emissions control but they have to be reliable and cat is not, a year of owning a couple of sdp motors is enough to bankrupt a small trucking company so report all u want! In order for us to survive we have to do something about the shitty product cat made, oh another thing you might want to report is 3406e swapped in for sdp!
Thanks that was a lot information and I m glad I m out of the trucking business. If I ever had another truck it would be pre emissions and elogs. I’m so tired of government interference.
I owed a 2001 C-15 " 6NZ " best engine I ever had in over 30 years truck driving since 89. Wish I still had it. Thank you 👍
I'll keep my old 3406b all mechanical. Never any problems, reliable, good fuel economy and pushing around 650 hp. And very easy to work on were I can do most of my own work.
User serviceability is everything....Especially, when it's a road side repair! Huge savings in money and down time.
The best engine ever made by Cat.
Very sensible ,stick to what you know , anything geeky leaves me cold,as we in the UK are not blessed with these geeky KittyCats, especially the small C7,s and C9,s.Far as small engines are concerned Clessie Cummins is dominant in UK , their little four pot ISME 'lawnmower' engine very popular with DAF and IVECO, yes those Italian washing machine makers use them,and the ultra quiet reworked 6BTA and Hestair Dennis uses the 8,3 litre C series in Trident buses. Reading some of the comments from owners and drivers KittyCat,s ACERT engine is a bag of shit. Is the 3406 and later C16 the same engine ?. Like you i want my KittyCat C16 to meow 650 ponies reliably , and what is their torque delivery between 900-1800 rpm,as i want the big Kitty to meow away from the traffic lights at 900 rpm without any problems.
@@angelosmith8755 c15 6nz for me
Oh yes, 3406 one of my all time favorite engines!!
Good explanation , l have 06 cat c15 and your right about injector harness . I just replaced both a couple of weeks ago broken wire . They had over 700,000 miles on them , engine light came on . I've had this truck for 11 years , had a platinum kit done 7 years ago . Its been pretty good to me , good power half decent fuel mileage . What l like most is the independent Cat dealer network , when l have engine issues l dont take it to a peterbilt dealer l take to a Cat shop . Everyone of those Cat shops over the last 25 years have been really good , they have a lot of knowledge and experience . They always fix the problem and get me on my way in a timely fashion . I have had other trucks in that 25 year period all had Cat engines in them . Only reason I have had this truck so long is it has a Caterpillar , and when it comes time for in frame l will not hesitate .
I am like you Either my local Cat Mechanic here in NC or Thompson Cat in Tupelo MS
Yes sir my 06 mxs... platinum at 1 mill has 1.6 going strong... bully dog tuner, boost sensor harness.... its a beast .not best at fuel .3.36 rears.
00:55 Part 1: What is Acert?
02:55 Part 2: Medium-duty engines
04:37 Part 3: Heavy-duty engines
07:28 Part 4: Particulate matter
08:47 Part 5: NOx
10:15 Part 6: IVA's and VVA's
12:34 Part 7: A turn for the worse
13:55 Part 8: Particulate matter, part 2
17:02 Part 9: NOx, part 2
17:55 Part 10: Is this EGR? No, this is CGI.
20:01 Part 11: Blow-by
22:21 Part 12: Fuel systems
23:14 Part 13: Conclusion
Thank you for the glossary.
I run water injection on my 6nz c-15, which significantly reduces heat in the combustion chambers.
This is a very good way to reduce or eliminate Nox. It also increases the torque of the engine by about 25 to 30%.
I see a significant reduction in coolant temperature and also EGTs.
I wouldn't run without it
Too many advantages with no downside other than the cost and having to fill the water tanks.
It will NOT damage the engine AT ALL if properly installed and operated correctly. Sno-performance has an excellent system.
If you install this system I highly recommend you install at least a 30 gallon tank. I have 2 such tanks.
These large engines can burn 60 to 80 gallons a day.
I have been running it for over 10 years now, and have never had any problems with it or damage to my engines.
This is the second engine I have run it on.
NOTE; it's only effective on hills, and steep grades. It does not even activate on flat land.
While it seems counterintuitive, water and water/methanol injection on large Diesel engines has been shown to be able to reduce _both PM and NOx._
100% there with you on a water injection
I’m a diehard CAT engine fan. I drove an 03 kenworth with a 550hp c-15 single turbo. Boy she’d scoot. Then I went to a 06 Detroit 14.7. It was alright. Then the biggest POS a maxxforce. I mean total junk. 2 egr coolers under warranty, a high pressure fuel pump under warranty and 4 egr valves under warranty. We live in the rust belt in Michigan and we were constantly changing coolant and oil pipes. Constant corrosion issues with lights. ABS lights on wet roads, way overly complicated hvac systems to keep us warm that we’re also constantly giving fits. Then four years ago I bought a Fitzgerald glider. Oh man talk about reducing maintenance cost! It’s got a 12.7 Detroit with 540k on it now. The only thing I had troubles with was the cylinder head leaking oil which was done twice because the front structure also was part of the problem. She’s the best truck I’ve owned so far and definitely believe I’ll get a million plus before the next overhaul. Still partial to CATS tho. Keep the vids coming. 👍
ACERT Advanced Combustion Emissions Research Technology. It worked in some engines. It was a very small injection of fuel before the injection cycle. The idea was to add fuel to fire (pre-ignition) at TDC +- (depending on flash file) and burn all of the fuel, instead of adding fuel to compression that caused ignition but did not burn all of the fuel before being expelled through the exhaust. Every injector fired twice which is the reason trim files were very important. Incorrect trim file would cause excessive fuel consumption. Great video!
ACERT - Advanced Cash Excruciating Removal Technique.
Delete, delete, delete.
Haven't found that to be the case at all. My local mechanics all recomend it over EGR Cummins or Detroit.
@@scottcurry479Because your mechanics want that 💲💲💲
@@hom._. Hardly. I have found my KCB to be way cheaper than any other 05 engine. I'm at 2.1 million on it now.
@@scottcurry479 Lucky you.
There is another way to solve this problem, politically, isolate the heavy truck engine line to its own LLC, make a very simple and reliable engine that doesn’t meet the EPA’s standards(what the customer wants), pay the fines, get government stimulus (your fine back) because the business isn’t viable do to the fines, and the line is an infrastructure necessity. To beat the government, beat them at their own game...
Yes , let's go back to the days of smoke polluting diesel engines . I remember the 50' thru the 80's and into the 90's . We cleaned up the engines , and also the fuel .
@@billneill6417 own and operate a truck in today's market which still has the freight rates from back then and you'll be whistling a different tune.
The government is the biggest polluter and spender; i.e. the most corrupt hypocrites on the planet.
They profit off of all this crap and cost the rest of us a fortune through inflation while our wages have stagnated.
Look at everything in the military, plus other industries... ships, jets, heavy equipment, trains, city owned garbage trucks, etc... STILL rolling coal (black soot).
They only target and enforce emission regulations on trucks and cars without which this country would come to a screeching halt.
My glider truck has a 93 series 60 Detroit, it barely smokes any, just a little poof between shifts if under a heavy load
I drove a 2011 Peterbilt with a C13. What a nightmare regarding the Acert contraption. Every 6 months it was guaranteed to go in for replacement. My boss, finally pissed enough money away because of it decided to delete it along with the DPF. The truck went from barely being able to drive 60 Mph fully loaded and having to fuel up every 2 days to after the delete, to being able to hit 80 mph fully loaded & being able to fuel up every 3 days. What a difference. I drove that truck 1.2 million miles & it was a good truck once it was deleted.
Josh, I'm a nut for durability and longevity videos. I go crazy over the stuff you post about million mile and high hour engines and internal wear. If you could someday do a video about Cat generator/truck engines with crazy miles and 40k+ hours and how they got there, how they were maintained, and what parts were still original. I've read about Cat generators that have run basically non-stop for years on end, on islands and places with no other power source. Love your stuff immensely. Take care and thanks.
I have a cat c 15 acert 2007 with 1444568 million miles with no overhaul yet, and still running strong it has 44457 hours has a right now
Just pull C32 out of D11, just over 15000 hours and 2 million litres of fuel. The engine had not failed just hours . Most cats in mining are rebuild at 15000 hours, no in frame repairs.
@@daddy111ist That fascinates me how those parts can hold up to all those heat cycles and rotations and friction. I remember in the 70s, my parents had gasoline cars that would get junked after 50k miles. Engines were worn out. I realize that diesels are a different animal but it goes to show that if manufacturers wanted to make internal combustion engines last forever, they could. Thanks for sharing
@@chevy36ful That's a D11 dozer? 15k hours on it? Man, if you take care of them, they can make you alot of money before they need a rebuild
D Smith 15000 hours is normal change out time. The C15 I’m rebuilding now had 16000 hrs and not failed it will be sent back to service for anther 15000hrs Cat we’re made to rebuild.
Love these CAT “lessons”. I’m so glad I have a 2004 C7. The potential HEUI issues scare me enough.
Hi Larry.
@@AdeptApe Hey back dude.... :)
I work on c13 LEE Acerts everyday in MCI buses. The engine really is good. We have 18 of them and never had a major engine failure. I find if you change the ARD every year or so you're golden. I have a record of every ARD changed and for us and the type of miles our buses do, the ARD will fail between 10 and 14 months. Also we change the DPF around every 2 to 3 years. Do that and keep up with maintenance and you'll last forever. They all have about 900k of them. The only other issue iv been finding is high crank case pressure which pushes the oil out the stick. You NEED to not overfill them and you must change the crank case filter!! Also noticed the rear main housing behind the bell housing leaks alot. Gotta take it apart, changed the gasket and lock tight the bolts. Also gray silicon it too
Injectors last forever, turbos, water pump, oil pump, IVA, EGR also last forever.
Only think I don't like is that if I get a hard code for say, loss of combination/high soot. I find the ARD is bad soooo I changed it. Now I fixed the issue BUT I can't Regen it to clear the code. The only way to clear the code is to have a successful Regen lol. See the issue here? So we have to call cat in to clear the code.... Kinda shitty. Weve (njt) have owned these engines since 2008....
I don't blame cat for saying FU to the EPA and dropping out.
Jon Cooper sounds like you work for a company with deep pockets to be changing all those parts on a regular service interval. Do you work for a municipal garage where taxpayers are funding the shop? That's the only way you can do it.
@@robpeters5204 yes sir. But sadly with the type of driving our buses do, over the past 10 years iv never seen an ard head last over 13 months. It's almost like clock work that they fail between the 7 to 8 month mark. In parts it cost about 1,700$. That's for the head, 2 fuel fittings, spark plug, gaskets, and the 3 temp sensors. I'm sure you can get away with just doing the head and fuel filter fittings for around 850$. We rather fix it early and avoid the road call. Also it's new Jersey transit. Other then the ard issues, the engines is good. Never had a catastrophic failure. The buses with the cats all have around 900k on them. I changed 3 motors around that milage for high crank case pressure with recently low oil pressure. The engines get rebuild in house and cat comes and warranties them.
With that said.. if it was a privite business and it was up to me I'd probably stick with the non LEE Acerts. Think like pre 2007. No regen, AVI's, and no CGI. You need deep pockets and be able to do your own work to have a fleet of LEE c13s lol
@@CoopaCoop sadly I think they got rid of most of the last of the series 60 buses. I could never find out where their auctions went to. Replacing parts early is still cheaper than a tow bill/breakdown.
We’re you a diesel tech or did you work on all the systems for the buses? I’m always looking for someone familiar with MCI’s, for reference to talk about, from 2007 and older. Thanks.
@@user-ln7of9gs4s yeah we had about 100 mci with the series 60 in them that we retired 2 or 3 years ago now. That's just our garage. Company wide, we probably retired 800 or so. Bus numbers were 7400's, 8200's, 8500's, 7900s, 7800s, and probably another 1 or 2 I'm forgetting.
I wanna say that almost all were all sold to a single company In the northeast. A scrap yard. Most of our buses were from 1998. We had the series 60 Detroit diesels and we had about 55 of the natural gas version of the 60.
Now we have 18 of the c13 cats
About 50 with the Cummins X12
And about 130 with Cummins ISL-G (natural gas)
The natural gas buses (CNG) are a complete nightmare. Its a tiny 8.9 liter engine in a
45 ft, 55,000 pound vehicle. Mind you all our other engines are and were either 12 or 13 liters. Every engine has blown up with cracked pistons before 200,000 miles. They all got upgrade steel positions. Now almost everyone has had a failed head, dropped a valve, blown oil coolers, or blown head gasket.
Great video to understand all this engines complexity. I’m learning to deal with my Land Rover Discovery 2 with a Td5 engine now with 250,000 Km. Got rid of EGR system and having some blow-by. Initially thought it was not normal. Tried venting to atmosphere (draft hose-tube) but had to re-connect CCV hose to the depression valve in the inlet turbo hose. The problem was low turbo vaccum in depression valve at inlet turbo hose because it was cracked causing not enough vacuum to fully open the depression ccv valve to get rid of blow-by fumes. Better left all systems stock.
Greetings from Guayaquil, Ecuador 🇪🇨
I love my ‘05 Acert! Had mine overhauled last November after 1.6 million and nothing more other than maintenance items and like Josh said, the occasional IVA problem which was an easy fix.
Has the iva ever given you problems with the engine breaks?
@@albertosepulveda-lozoya3263 no, the only problem I had associated with my IVA’s was a check engine light. I never had a breakdown or performance related issue.
Whats the fix for check engine light iva not responding codes. Changed then the harnesses, the sensors. Still have the codes and light. Idles great but wont pull a load@jjjthomasson8902
That’s why I’m sticking with the 6NZ and 3406E
One reason C15 ACERTS weren’t liked that much in Australia was because the engines were designed to lug down at lower rpm than the single turbo C15s and 3406s. It just doesn’t work when you’re running weights of minimum 65 tons up to 200 tons with multiple trailers. Also if one turbo goes out, you’ve got to replace both as a rule. Any wiring under the valve covers has to be replaced fairly regularly because it cooks under our hot conditions. At least we didn’t have to run particulate filters and the rest of that crap on our ACERTs when they were installing them in our new trucks. Now if only they’d gone to using DEF like the other engine manufacturers they’d probably still be around...
Is the cat acert bad ? I'm not too sure but my truck after 8 years and 1.2 million km still going good its 2009 C15 Acert I service it on time, but I was worried years ago when I bought it but not any more since it kept me going well after 8 years.
@@isaakgentz7393they still ended up using it eventually. It was get with the game or use Cummins in your off highway. You know what they decided to do
Josh. Thank you for your support and giving the great information you share.
Of all the videos I watch on RUclips. I feel like I get more information and knowledge from your videos than any other. As a owner/operator of a c-15. I really appreciate you. Thank you for the information that you share.
Thank you thank you for having a loud volume. Makes it so much easier to listen in a loud truck. 🤘
I had one in an '05 379 and absolutely loved it. Those compound turbos could drag a mountain up the side of another mountain.
The whole NOX thing is what sticks in my craw. NOX goes up with leaner burns. Within limits of engine destruction safety, leaner burn results in less fuel burned. One of the ways to reduce NOX, along with the various after treatments, is to lower the AFR, resulting in poorer mpg. So the net result, all else being more or less equal, is more fuel burned to "reduce emissions". That seems like a paradox to me.
Don't forget to clean a DPF you have to burn more fuel too. Saving the environment by burning twice as much diesel.
Limiting NOx has nothing to do with climate change. The simple fact is that NOx and diesel particulates are toxins that cause respiratory diseases and cancer. Drive around without emissions control equipment and you are making your own little crowdfund contribution to killing someone's kids. The people in the EPA and organisations like it made the judgement call that killing fewer people was more important than preventing climate change, so they mandated the NOx and PM controls first and hoped to get the CO2 under control later.
@@nerd1000ify "think of the children!"
Jesus dude can you come up with a less tired and overused argument for something? We had 0 emissions on diesels for a century and people weren't dying in the streets, quit being fucking dramatic.
That's why they came up with the DEF/Adblue system. Lean burn = efficient combustion = low PM, then the Adblue takes care of the NOx emissions.
@@jellyfrosh9102 also don't forget, ultra low sulfur fuel is slightly less energy dense so you have to use more, and you can make less per barrel of crude so you use more oil to create the same amount of fuel. We're literally just trading one problem for another and creating much more expensive, less reliable engines along the way.
Josh is awesome. He really knows his stuff and can explain it unlike other people who just show up to collect a paycheck.
As an old technical writer, bless you for explaining the acronyms!
Your one of the best RUclips channels I stumbled on researching c15s
Long story short, keep in mind my mileage is Canadian numbers. Had a C15 1994 475 hp, trouble free 8-9 mpg pulling 140,000 lbs. Bought a new Pete 2005 C15 550 hp same job same weight. Always in the shop we called them Vivas always needing adjusting mpg? 4.5-5 so less pollution but you burn way more fuel. Let’s not even talk about the junk out there now. That 1994 is still hauling Stateside my neighbour bought it, no issues regular maintenance. I sold it with about 850,000 miles and only did a bearing roll in. He’s well over 1 million miles and she’s never been apart. Now that was a motor.
Thanks ive been a truck mechanic for 30+ years, and working for fleets i don't get into this till they warranty is long gone. And cat has always been bring it to me. So it gave me a reason to hate them, ie im pro Cummins. Until they brought in this emission bs. Anything after the N14 sucks.but i was always impressed by their c7, extremely good on fuel, but had the problems like every other engine in the day. And you just explained everything to me. Thanks!
I had an 07 w900 with an 550hp acert and it was absolutely fantastic. That C15 was a horse. Only two problems it ever had was after 700,000 miles, the injectors became very difficult and had to change out the jakes twice because they kept decentigrating. I wanted to convert the twin turbo over to a single because let's face it. They are trash and even cat realized that,but to do it,it was going to run about 10,000 dollars for the conversion so needless to say. It still has the twin.
I have a 07 379 with a acert I also love it ! I’m only at 475 hp though.
Much respect for the reasoning. Learn so much from you even tho I have a Detroit motor in my truck.
I would take a C15 Acert non dpf engine without question. They were the last million mile engines in my opinion. Have several at work with over a million, heads have not been off them.
Now the Acert dpf engine will bankrupt you.
I have a 2007 c15 that i spent 17,000$ on the regen system. I was so broke i borrowed 5,000 $ and had it deleted & the ecm flashed for the iva. It was like a different truck. Better fuel milage , 667 hp. That was 300,000 miles ago. Its at 970,000 now no issues. If you own one of these its a no brainer unless you live in California. And what in the hell are you doing there anyway. Its never to Late to move back to the USA. Lol
@@garyhaley3072 You did the right thing. The EPA serves a purpose. However, they arbitrarily set standards that the manufacturers could not meet. USA EPA diesel emission standards are more stringent than anywhere else in the world. This standard needs to be a world wide standard that is reasonable. Zero emissions are not reasonable IMHO. The push toward electric vehicles is a pipe dream. Ask the do good-er environmentally conscious hybrid or electric car owner where the lithium for his batteries come from. Out of the ground. They are, for the most part, imbeciles.
We have 4 acert engines(06&07) on the farm, haven’t spent a dime on those engines, can’t say the same about the 2019 D13
@@DLTJR1959 and most have a dsl gen to charge em
@Evermore my mechanic says it was a 625 hp detuned to a 475 hp. When i sent the ecm to Florida to be flashed I told them to turn it loose. A few months later the check engine light was coming on but not throwing a code.I had my mechanic scan it and it said the rated hp was 667. I don't know if thats correct or not. But i am very satisfied with it.
I have a 2007 c15 acert. I put 1,700,000 before overhaul. To be clear. My engine didn't broke down on me. I did the overhaul because I though it was time to do it. It was running like a champ before overhaul.
I have an 06 and so far has been amazing. I still have everything stock. It’s still governed as well. What would you recommend me to do to it so it can give me that kind of life yours did? Other than maintenance? Should I tune it and run a straight pipe or leave it alone? Thank you.
@@cesar9496 what I recommend to you is that. Add a Lucas oil stabilizer every oil change. 9glls of oil and 1 Glln of Lucas. I changed my oil every 13,000 to 15,000 miles. Caterpillar filters. I don't like white filters.🤭
@@victorchavez6266 yeah I have always used caterpillar filters. Hey thanks a lot, I always trusted Lucas. Never used it on my c15 but in other motors I have. Should I leave it alone with the catalytic converter and untuned?
@@cesar9496 yea,not a problem. I still have mine. I bump my from 375 hpwer to 500 in Effingham, IL. I'm happy with that hpwer.
@@victorchavez6266 awesome. Hey thanks a lot bro! My last name Chavez too by the way! Greetings from Houston, TX and keep on trucking!
Outstanding explanation, sir. Definitely a better explanation than DPC modules give. I do, however, have one small correction-
NOx is representative of nitrogen oxides, not nitrous oxides. Nitrogen oxides are emissions, nitrous oxides belong in your drag car.
The worst part for everyone with early IVAs was [I believe if memory serves] 'IVA #x not responding' were troubleshot by Cat by swapping IVA heads, putting it all back together, have the customer run it until a code returned, then see if the code followed the head or stuck on one cylinder. As a service manager at that time, I fought Cat tooth and nail because they refused to pay for two repairs with only one failure. After a while, iva heads just got replaced, -7 codes got new sokenoids, then those damned ARD heads came out. Constantly updating head designs, pissing off customers because Cat would not cover spark plugs even on a failed warranty ARD head. Ugh. I don't miss those days. That said, I was an International service manager during the Maxxforce days, so times got way, way worse.
I know this is frowned upon, but we run a 4 2008 sdp petes, gave usual trouble, But have all been deleted, Best trucks we own even better than newer 2011+ trucks in our fleet(isx’s). Also it shocking to see how clean they still burn with emissions gone
Did you gut the DPF or straight pipe the exhaust?
I can listen to you all day man... your knowledge is incredible.
We are running the ISX 15L Cummins at work we had a VGT turbo seal failure that sent oil into the scr/dpf just after a passive regen (thats the dealers thought). The fire department showed up and ripped the whole system out from under the truck and hosed it down. $32,000 in part (needed turbo to the stack). The insurance company totaled the truck. Now after watching this video I wonder if a plugged blow by tube was to blame for the turbo seal failure. Thank you I will have to look into that on our other trucks
So after looking into it, the ISX has a filter for the blow by. Its on the drivers side behind the charge air cooler pipe. Now I know
So... the solution to improve and fix ACERT engines is: GET RID OF CALIFORNIA...
Or, just abolish CARB.
@@electric7487 Kinda like breast cancer, you can remove just the lump and risk the cancer coming back OR you can remove the whole breast and have a better chance of the cancer not recurring. With California..... I'd take the latter approach.
@@harriettedaisy2233 Do you have any idea what you're talking about lmfao
@@electric7487 Its a joke
@@dumdum7786 Sorry, couldn't tell
ACERTS were not bad.....but yes the actuators were a pain in the butt. The combo of high compression and high boost from the compounds plus the added complexity hurt reliability. Reprogramming those big block engines changed everything.....they run HARD.
So the c13 2006 model was good to go also the c15
Thank you for all this info, it’s vital for me cause I own a C-15... Thanks again!
All i can say is my last C-
15 Acert had well over a mil miles on it and one overhead @ 534g and she was as clean as new because i know😎😉 how and what she needed to keep her fit! And we had. 7 C-13 engines that were very awesome pulling heavy haul all there lives to at least a mil each! But i will take A 3406E anyday 🤘🤘🤘 Cat power forever here!
I'll stay with a 425 mechanical catterpillar thank you
Love watching these cat videos I don’t even have a truck bus rv or excavator but just carry on watching 👍
I had a PDI tuned C15 Acert making 700 hp at the flywheel that I finally rebuilt with just shy of 1 million miles due to the head gasket letting go. It was a good engine. I think the only thing we did was update the rocker arm studs when one broke, other than that it got serviced every 10,000 miles. It got worked hard too pulling tri-axle grain trailers grossing 94,000, and over 100,000lbs in the fall through spring. The PDI tuning added over 1/2 mpg, but it was still down roughly 1/2 mpg compared to my old 6NZ.
what was your overall mpg?
I have 06 nxs c15 acert. No complaints. LOVE IT. Very mechanically friendly engine, 9 sensors and twin turbo. Rebuild ones because oil cooler failure it took me my 40 hrs to clean oil/coolant mud out from inside. Old saying "Don't fix while ain't broken" Wrong. When broken will cost 10 times more. Fix it b4.
You are very intelligent young man. Thank you for clearing that up.!!!!
I run an MXS purchased in 2014 it had inframe done just before purchasing
Only engine problems I've had was an injector and replaced the IVA connectors myself as a prevention.
7.1 MPG average since ownership
Only get 40 PSI in boost
Put straight pipes which reduced my EGTs drastically.
Great engine so far anyway.
We have the same truck. Mines a 2005 387 with the MXS in it.
www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XHVHZHX?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
These will bring you up to 2020 lol. 350 for both headlights. Haven't had any issues with them so far.
@@jmh4ggg installed a pair last week exect ones.
Was disappointed they didn't have access to adjusting screw on the side like originals.
Thanks epa for making the diesel engine so overly and unnecessary complicated. I agree with the statement I just read in the comments section. Josh, you would make one hell of a teacher. Great job on explaining in this video!
I'm all for a clean-burning engine, but it seems like the EPA don't even know what their own standards even mean. Zero emissions is not reasonable, but low emissions is reasonable. At this point I'm starting to believe that the people who say "emissions is not about clean burning, it's about control" actually has some ground.
IMO the ideal system on trucks would have no DPF or EGR. It would consist of only a DOC and an SCR system. Death to DPF's.
That is by far the best EGR system ever built in my opinion pulling exhaust after the DPF system it was brilliant
So basically, it’s the government’s fault… no surprise there. Just like everything else we’ve ever dealt with haha. Great video josh! Love listening to your lessons on stuff. So interesting
That’s why I still run my 98 Cummins 12v and will never sell it, I really wanna build a rat rod with a CAT 3406A or B can’t beat the old mechanically injected engines
The government didn't design, manufacture, or sell those engines or the fuel they run on. They regulated two significant forms of pollution.
I think it’s a great Engine, you can’t beat that 60lbs of boost.
Yes sir my mxs... 1 mill overhaul now 1.6 going strong... bullydog tuner and turbo boost harness... its a beast
@@isaacmontoya9144 I have an MXS too. Getting it rebuilt the week of august 31st at 1.5 million miles. I'm getting a new turbo too and was worried about high boost pressures...so I was wondering if I should turn it down or something...but per your comment, it does no harm.
@@jmh4ggg no harm... with boost harness and turner at power... i see boost at 63 to 65 at full tilt. Obviously I don't run it like that ..lol
Chief119 my runs great boost about 60 pounds also changed both turbos at 1,750,000 I get really good fuel mileage on my 379 when it’s not windy.
@@isaacmontoya9144 Yeah mine hasn't touched 30psi since i've had it...reason why i'm rebuilding and replacing turbos with it.
Great explanation. I remember when these came out. It's too bad the epa didn't leave them alone, 02 seemed to be the best year for truck engines. Thank for the video.
Excellent video man, thanks for laying it out. 👍
CAT has been out of the heavy duty truck market for over 10 years! Those engines are classified as classics!
Love my 1996 3406e👍🏾
Had a fun IVA fiasco the other day on a BXS. The #1 IVA was sticking intermittently but it would stick even without oil pressure (control valve open). It also was staying open just enough to cause a miss with little to no white smoke. But also the miss wouldn’t go away when backing the IVA completely off. Found the problem by backing the IVA off while the engine was running (which would make the miss momentarily go away). Retaining nut was intact but the o-rings on the cylinder were shot.
Same engine, another tech had backed all the IVAs off previously and readjusted them. It had an intermittent ticking and sometimes knocking noise in the top end. The noise came in when the IVA control valve was closed. All the IVAs were noisy but disconnecting #4 made the most dramatic reduction in sound. I didn’t see the retaining nut for the foot falling out like you sometimes do, so I assumed an o-ring failure similar to #1 was taking place. Backed it off and very quickly learned that the slave pistons will come out all the way if there is no nut in there at all. The foot cocked sideways and the rocker arm had no way to return. The piston pushing back up on the valves made short work of the rocker arm…
Would love to find a Cummins break down like this. Excellent video!
Fantastic job of simplifying the complexities of the BO administration's EPA IW. ( Infinite Wisdom)
jim benton but the bulk of the regulations were in place or were in progress before he was elected. DPF was on the books in George W’s first term. The next reduction also came in under GW. The next went into effect when Obama was in but were on the books before and he didn’t stop them. It is popular to blame everything on him but it just ain’t true.
We know that doesnt happen today.
Good stuff to know. I had no clue what ACERT meant on my 04 C7
The purpose of EGR is to add inert air to the combustion chamber to lower the oxygen content which reduces NOx formation. This can also be accomplished using water injection.
In 2007, getting ready for 2010 EPA regulations. EPA came to town with their advisory board. Meeting: They said that Cat has to meet the upcoming 2010 regulation when fuel is contaminated. Our refineries do produce low sulfur diesel. But thru pipes and storage tanks, sulfur content does go up. They (EPA and their party boys) refused to answer the question posed = "What are the contamination we now need to design and build for???" No answer. So they left for Chicago tourism on the USA tab. I had wanted to install co-generation off of the exhaust manifold in the C11 thru C18 engines. This provides 6% to 12% increase. The 2006 ACERT had already increased milage to 6.8 MPG from 6 MPG on C13 {as i remember} while providing no soot exhaust. The wiring harness - keep these at stand off, away from trapped heat areas.
Great video A Ape, I like your objective sarcasm on what cost the engine manufactures and industry billions. It's no wonder why Cat stepped away from over the road applications. The EPA continues to bring on the demise of the diesel engine.
Josh you are a great mechanic and have a ton of general knowledge thanks for sharing
It's no wonder Cat practically threw their hands up and said Screw It and walked away from the the trucking scene. I don't think the EPA can be said they don't know what their demanding. They've had too consistent a track record of getting the results they've accrued.
Cat probably should have sued the epa for ruining their reputation
Let me just clear this up. Truck engine do not release nitrous oxides in there exhaust. They do however release nitrogen oxide. NOx.
Oh damn!! I was gonna start sniffing diesel exhaust to get my giggle n smile on. 😃😄🤣😂🤪☠
Stumbled across your channel got immediately glued to it subscribed very interesting thank you !!
We like the Acert engines on the farm, more reliable than a 2019 D13. We make 55psi on our 475hp c15’s
My 2005 C13 has been pretty good to me. Thank you for posting I’m going to install a switchblade turbo this fall on it.
I'm surprised Cat hasn't elected to go w/ Switchblade Turbos.
The guys who have installed them on their Cat engines seem to LOVE 'em.
One other comment. Use CAT filters. There is no comparison. Check the tear down videos of the frams wixes, and other cheap ones.
@@misiclover1658 I do use Cat filters on all my caterpillars 😎
Thank you Josh for Sharing. Greetings from Hastings Deering papua new Guinea 🇵🇬
Other than the valve actuators and the Jake brake housing breaking it really was a good motor for me... Oh yea and the wire harness inside the valve cover so it or they did well on the other hand the 3406E and fighting oil leaks and Yuming up fuel, Ok burning more fuel I prefer the the C15 models before 2007 and not the second year C15 .Hey good video love the info you share your Awesome...
We had two ways to go. First was straight egr. The second was High Volume Low Pressure (HVLP) with the two turbos. This provided a much lower intake air charge than a straight egr system. Unfortunately development time was cut by a year and a half due to budget issues so we had to choose one path and focus on that. Once tier 4B hit we added urea (def) to the exhaust and dpf filters as an after treatment. The filters from the supplier had issues, the ard heads would crack, the after coolers would form hydrochloric acid due exhaust gasses combining with water vapor in the air. Normally that wouldn’t have been an issue as the temp was too high to cause condensation. And of course the VIVA system which worked but really beat the valves to death. It’s too bad further development didn’t continue. I believe with a common rail (higher fuel pressure at injection) and laser cut injector tips would have created much better atomization of fuel help with emissions. But idk I could be wrong.
Sounds like I didn't do too bad after all. I bought a 2004 Peterbilt 379 with a C15 Accert newly rebuilt (gold package) with 1.3 million miles on it and it runs great.
This guy is great brilliant video really knows his stuff even if you have a short attention span which most of us do this guy did a very good job with this video.. long live the cat truck motor 👍🏾
Thank you I was looking to get a used glider with low miles that happens to have an '07 Acert. Currently I'm driving a 97 Detroit 12.7. I'm going to stick with it.
They hate it because the cat acerts it’s dominance
Doge Is mlg ok that was pretty good
That got a laugh from me
Haha. Acerts it’s dominance with its legs in the air maybe
Man thank you that was a lesson i need for my c15 now i beter understand my engine and how it works all around GREAT JOB love video keep up uploading videos 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 and one more 🌟
I run a mxs 550 50 psi boost easy I.v.as. deleted awesome engine pulls awesome and gets mid 6s for fuel mileage love it
How was yours deleted?
@@TheLeftRbabieskillers probably ecm reprogram. Its the only way to truly delete them
@@TheLeftRbabieskillers a tune and backing off the iva s or swapping to a 70 pin ecm
So when you delete the DPF, and flash the ECM does that mean the ARD head is basically non functional.
@@Addddam21 if the flash that is loaded deletes the ard head yes
Doing a C18 in a compactor for NRS/EGR cooler failure resulting in hydrolock.
The new C9.3B does away with EGR, but uses more DEF.
In the machines, they have the ARD hammered out pretty well
What do you think of the C7.1?
@@5.43v not my favorite, but they seem to do well enough. Better than the C6.6 did, especially early on. Still issues with injectors, and to a lesser extent pumps.
Have seen a few hit 15k hours in excavators, but that's not terribly common.
High pressure turbo on the twins likes to blow its seals.
The non-EGR engines use much more DEF, but produce far less problems overall. Am I right here?
Man i knew some of this stuff about the Cat systems but this shit is ridiculous. ive worked for cummins for 16 years and although our system is far from perfect its much less complicated then this stuff. Good video man. Im always up for learning something new, even if its on an engine i wont ever touch.
I have a KCB in an 06 Wanderlodge. It is pre emissions and was probably built in 04 or 05. In a 50K pound bus it performs really well but is a little thirsty. I have a friend that is a CAT certified mechanic that works at the local CAT shop. She said that they were pretty much bullet proof, just keep up with the maintenance. I'll never wear it out. It will last longer than I will. My son can play with it when I am dead and gone if he wishes.
This is really great info, taking notes is making it grueling but I'm learning alot
I ran a c12 and a c13. The difference was night and day between the two. The c13 had way more torque. It pulled way better on hills. I personally liked the alert engines.
Honestly, the ARD head and that system in theory was a really good idea. Compared to how everyone else did it, injecting extra fuel into the cylinders, which always leads to some fuel dilution, possibly cylinder wall wash, and high heat in the cylinders. Doing it after the engine basically avoids all of that. Avoiding EGR for as long as they could, and then when they finally did, deciding to pull EG after the DPF was also a great idea. Gotta give cat engineers credit for all that. Not sure why they couldn’t improve the ARD head and make them reliable though. Wish they wouldn’t have stopped producing truck engines.
this video is phenomenal!! thanks so much for what you do man
The amount of bs I get for loving my ‘06 Pete acert the way it is and not “you need to single that POS and flash it” is insane…
I drive a 2005 peterbilt c15 acert
Josh, I’d love to see you tackle a really older engine(3408) on the road one.. Did they ever make a engine break for that model?
No they didn’t make a genuine engine “brake” as in Jacobs Brake, but the 3408 in highway trucks had the CAT Brakesaver which is a hydraulic retarder bolted to the back of the flywheel housing. It uses engine oil with a seperate oil pump and huge oil cooler. It weighs a lot and cost a lot when new.
gm16v149 cheers and thanks..
@@gm16v149 i used to run with a guy who had a 3408. When he went around you ( any time he wanted) it sounded like a freight train just passed you. Lol.
A Jake brake on a 3408 would have been a plumbers night mare.
What is amazing about a 3408, it has a sixty degree vee instead of a ninety. Made the engine narrower to fit in a smaller frame. Yet a little taller. So they redesigned the crankshaft to achieve this.
Get an old PC 3408 and start it up in the winter time.
Back in the DAY i had a Cat 1693 pre cup. If I am not mistaken i think it had dual over head cams. When it was idling it rattled like it was coming apart. Lol
Very well explained! Thank you!!
Gotta watch this one again. A lot of good info there
Love the C15 acert the sound of it sounds mean even with out straight pipes
Well spoke and very informative..I learned a lot about Caterpillar truck engines
I've been running my /05 WS with a 475hp ACERT C15, it's been a hell of allot better than any DPF engine. Although I have replaced 2 VVAs and just got a 385-3 code the IVA. but it's still running and hasn't derated the power.
I have been a cat fitter for 40 years in Australia I’ve seen lots of changers Over the times. Biggest change I noticed is the quality of the fitters. You should run classes ole mate.
All they needed was independent VVT for both intake and exhaust sides like the one used on every modern gasoline fed four banger nowadays, DPF, DEF and maybe a small[quick spool, off idle high boost] and a big[high HP top end] turbos in series.
OR one super expensive and complicated VGT turbo to keep parts count down.