Never really had these issues until I had almost 1 million miles on them. My 500hp, 1850tq 6NZ made it to almost 1 million miles before the head gasket went. I had an MXS C15 Acert tuned by PDI that was around 700 hp at the flywheel make it to just over 960,000 miles before the head gasket went on that. The spacer plate gasket was seeping a little for a number of months on the Acert, but it wasn't dripping oil on the ground or anything before overhaul. This was all pulling tri axle hopper bottom trailers grossing 94,000 to over 100,000 lbs. Oil changes at around 10,000 miles. 15w40 Rotella, no additives.
I’m bidding on a 2003 pete 379 sleeper with 3406e , blowing white smoke. Assuming it’s the HG and hopefully not needing new liners and counterbores. I’m buying the truck to use as my RV puller. I’m a diy diesel nut. Self taught. I’ve rebuilt smaller Cummins (isb 5.9s/6.7s/ duramax 6.6s, 7.6 dt466, 3126 baby cats), want to thank you for the great videos and information you provide!
Love your presentation and no nonsense, easy to understand style. You have the voice tone and pace down perfectly and your knowledge is impressive. I personally prefer linger videos- but that's not a critique. Thanks for taking the time to do these.
Wow, scary stuff! I've been blessed over my career...only had two C-15 6NZ's in my life...changed the oil every 10-12k miles and substituted a gallon of Lucas Oil treatment. After an oil service, the technician would remark at how clean the dipstick would look....ran Overheads at CAT, both got great gas mileage (6.5-8mpg, depending on load and terrain), and both had over 1.2M before eventually selling them. Worst mistake I ever made..but blessed I never experienced these issues represented in the video. Thank you for sharing! 👍
@@dimab8753 Every 50K miles....I had an old CAT and just starting out in Trucking...couldn't afford a major issue, so I spent on maintenance incrementally. You could tell the difference...ran quieter, cooler, got better mileage....guess I was on of the fortunate ones...
I owned two E-Models...a 95 rated at 475 and the last a 2000 rated at 550, other than sensor issues with the 95 and one structure oil leak they were bullet proof. 👍
Driven properly they are. I have had 2 cats a 3406A and 3406B put over 2 million miles on each without much trouble. The B had deck problems when I bought it. Fixed it and never looked at it again. The A had the steel fire rings so no deck problems. Keep them above 1200 rpms and you should never have a deck head gasket problem
A well presented video. I had a 5EK in a '96 Marmon. Trouble spots included the following: 1. Major oil leak when the oil pan cracked at the transition between the front half and the front wall of the deep sump. This was concealed by the sound damping shield, which was subsequently discarded when Cat did the warranty work on the pan. A noticeable increase in cab noise with the shield removed. 2. Protective sleeve on the front engine harness wore through where it was routed around a sharp edge of the head casting above the air compressor. I had taken it in several times for intermittent fault codes, and finally discovered the damage to the harness on the side of the road. Warranty repaired. 3. Major turbo failure when an insulator sleeve inside one exhaust port fractured. This resulted from the sharp edge of the counterbore on the manifold mating side of the head casting wearing a notch into the formed radius of the sleeve. A couple of the other sleeves were similarly affected, and near failure themselves. Fortunately, this occurred around 30 days before my warranty expired. The $15k repair bill would've sunk me! While this engine was a fairly reliable workhorse, mostly hauling heavy loads in the Pacific Northwest, I was always a little nervous about its copious blow-by. It kept the chassis well-oiled and free of rust. Fortunately I was not visited by any of the demons in your video! Thanks for the detailed insights.
Due to the environmental activist (Climate SCAM) - they banned them. Eventually those are banned to and what would you know diesel is banned. Oh wait, it will be electric, good luck as the mining required is banned so guess what they are now banned and the 1940's power grid is *decrepit* and 'brown outs' are now the new normal. In California they are not fixing 'gas' powered plants and stated 'outages' will be the new normal. Don't believe it, the way California goes the rest of the Nation goes.
Great video as always... My 3406E 1LW still strong after 1.1 million miles Oil cooler,turbo and few leaks but still pulling like a train... I try to learn from you and I do everything I can on my truck to save some money... I did the overhead by my self just by watching your videos... Thanks from Costa Rica
I have a 1lw also and just rebuilt it but do you have the side mount breather tube? Mine still has some blowby after rebuild and I think it might be because of that side mount breather. It's supposed to be a valve cover breather.
@@timj3587 Yeah I still got that breather but the blowby is not that bad just barely u can see it... I want to swap to the valve cover one too... Look for c&jdieselreapair on TIKTOK and adtruckingrepair too the are pretty good mechanics in North Dakota Good luck my friend
Right on Professor once again word's all Cat owners SHOULD KNOW even of u don't twist ur on bolts this information is priceless as to keep from being ripped off @ repair shop .Nice work Josh really appreciate the time / effort u put into these videos .
I was assigned a 95 FLD-120 with 300,000 miles on it in 98 with a 3406E 425 horse Cat. I have no idea what repairs were done on this engine before then. All I know is that I drove this tractor until 2010. It never left me on the side of the road ever. The company retired this tractor out from under me with 1,045,000 miles on it when a rocker arm broke. I'd be happily driving that old Freightshaker today if they'd fixed it.
Best engines ever. !! Issues yes but effective, efficient, reliable,fuel efficient,. Loved them. That's my opinion. Looked these knew engines In heavy trucks lucky to get 600-700,000 MLS. Out of them n that don't count for all the down time in between due to emission crap. Love your videos. Keep it up.!!
I have rebuilt many 3406B,C,E and C15,C16 and I have never seen one leak under the spacer plate gasket ever! But just the other day a buddy of my buys a Pete out of Cali, with a "MBN bridge C15" cat. And there it is, the first ever one I have seen leaking under the spacer plate gasket. Luckily that night @theadeptape loads a video about common problems, and there it is... Thanks Josh for your knowledge and videos! The other thing you could add to the video was exhaust manifold sections on a twin turbo ACCERT. I did a bunch of those. P.S. The C13 motors (after the liner update) are one of the most under rated engines. You can compare them directly to a B model as far as HP and Torque, but sipping on fuel in economy. 👍👍
What kinda of mpg would a c15 and a c13 have in a pete379 single axle day cab, not otr but for farm use? 55-60 top speed. I'm looking at two different trucks. Thanks
@@bradsmith5838 Fuel mileage has more to do with gear ratio, load, terrain and driver's lead foot. More than any engine out there. But you can't go wrong with a single axle Pete with either C15 or C13. I would pick the C13, myself. Plenty of torque, and really reliable. Good luck, let us know what you pick.
I’ve found Loctite 515 or 518 is a good solution for the spacer plate issue, as it is an anaerobic sealant and “bonds” the metal. Rocker shaft and rocker arm problems are compounded by Jake brake use. I don’t have those Jake problems on my 3408 as it has the CAT hydraulic Brakesaver. Heavy, and plenty of pipes and the control valve which make it a bastard to get the oil pan off, but the engine has lasted for tens of thousands of hours.
Make some more V-8 Sound vidyas. That one where you had the camera under the cab looking at the turbo sounds sooooooo deadly with a set of headphones on.
My pops is a mechanic, but he worked more on gas engines, anyhow he used the Aviation i want to say made by Mr. Gasket. Anyway i had to take a head off that he put on, with all the head bolts removed it took a big ass pry bar to get the head to break loose.
This engine was dam good on fuel and still produces adequate power, most of the issues I've seen with these motors is the built on Fridays motors old dogs know what that means😅 love the video good info.
I agree with all you said! Found a set screw from jake housing in oil pan during service on C15. Pulled covers and found jake housing cracked in half right beside bolts like you said. I have a 3406C in 96 Peterbilt now. [For Sale BTW]. I have small oil leaks on pan gasket. Other than that i can't complain much. I floated valves in September 2016, backroads of WV, 9% grade, jakes not working. Didn't realize what happened but it stayed together until February 2017 when valves melted into #3 piston. New head and cylinder pack. No problems since. Thx for the videos
Seems remarkably similar to Cummins (BC 3 & 4)on the gasket/liner issue, though I never had a catstrophic failure. Had bubbling and all, but no real failures.
Its the same problem. Never lug them and you should not have a problem. Cat used to have steel fire rings in the deck that the liners sat on. They didnt have problems with liners dropping until they took the fire rings out.
I had 1.3 mil on my C15 before I inframed it and it could have kept going but I didn't want to push it much harder with our heavy loads of 106,000. After the inframe the metal gasket did start leaking oil and the mechanic had to go back in and permatex it which solved the oil leak all the way around the block. Use to break rocker arms on this MBN but I stopped engine braking above 1800rpm and haven't had a problem since. I have three kenworths all with C15s, two acerts and one single turbo. I'm a diehard cat guy and I've ran them all my life and they're just a damn good engine! TA1693, 3406B,E , C15.
Josh IPD has solved the liner walking issue i have hard running cattle haulers using their new sleeves and pistons over 1 million miles and still going strong and they run fast n hard.enjoy your experience thanks.
Josh Good afternoon Thank You so much for this video It makes a lot of sense. This COVID issue has been painful Your video help me to keep my mind easy on this time Thank You
Awesome video, very informative. I love learning from you and also my small local shop here at home.. small, family run business and the owner has been working on Cat motors for over 30 years now. I can never get enough knowledge and I learn something new every day! Would you ever consider doing a "common failures" video on the C-12? That's what's in my truck. My next truck will have a big Cat, but until then, I love my C-12. Pulls great for what it is and I do the maintenance on it to the best of my abilities, running good oil, overhead adjustment every year, etc., etc. I've heard they like to flatten camshaft lobes if they aren't maintained properly, not sure if that's true or not. Either way, keep on keepin' on man! Thanks again!
Any time I had to put in inserts under the liners, tried to do them all! the stainless steal helps to dissipate the heat between the liner and cylinder block, ever notice it is right where the valves are close to the liners! Their opening and closing heats and cools the liner causing movement of the liner on the cylinder block, very small but over time it adds up! Seen this on all the engines, I use to do the insert jobs in the field and shop for years! Next time you pull the liners compare where the valves are to the wear area! Did the filler band do more harm than good, it moved the coolant down the liner about 3/8 of an inch from the liner flange, just a thought?
Thanks for the video. The explanations and causes along with details that you explain in your vids are spot on. Learned a lot from your vids and have done a lot of work on my 99 3406e 2ws. If it wasn't for your vids, I don't think I would have tried alot of the work I did myself. Thanks again n keep em coming..
Agreed. We replace it everytime we pull the head. Expensive yes. After all, it's not a 318. Again agreed. They break and if you're lucky it makes a hell of a racket til you get to a safe haven. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Nice to meet you finally sir if you actually read this. Oh wait. Head gaskets have got my ass chewed more than once. 2 heads once. I heard, "we'll not do this again" followed by the you ain't watching your gages. Oil temp too
My first CAT experience was with a C15. it was in a 2001 Peterbilt 379 and it had just shy of 1.1 Million miles on the clock. And it was hauling 132,000lbs gross everyday in hot weather. It was a great experience. Never had a problem with it. However I have been hearing about the problems with head gaskets at around 800,000 Miles. I want to buy my own Peterbilt 379 with a C15 or C15 ACERT perhaps, but don't know if I should go with Detroit 60 for reliability. The truck I currently Drive is a 389 with a PACCAR MX13 with about 347,000 miles on it. I have to change the Crankcase Filter on it this week. Last month I dropped a Driveshaft on it. And I had a trans cooling line leak. all within the space of 6 weeks. It hauls heavy also, pulls when she needs to. But I feel I am overworking it. I would expect these kinds of problems to occur a lot later at around 600 -800k miles. I am scratching my head as to which motor to haul with on heavier spec up to 132,000lbs.
Great information. I realize CAT is your focus - how does the 3406 compare to Cummins equivalent engine? Compare positives and negatives if you would. Appreciate the information - thank you.
Was working at a farm and their C15 Western star just had head gasket done. Another local farmer pulls in with his truck pulls in freaking out with his truck boiling over trying to get some water. Opens the hood and there's a 3406!
We work mostly on local and vocational trucks. The biggest problem we see with them are the liner O-Rings leaking coolant into the oil. Mostly seems to be older but low mileage trucks. How well the coolant has been tested/conditioned is kinda unknown. They are mostly construction trucks, so,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I've been running Cats since 1972. I have never had those problems with all the engines I've owned. I rebuilt them anywhere from 900k to a million three hundred. Never had to cut a block. Have had heads crack using remans tho.
I too have had that liner problem an it got expensive to fix... I couldn't at the time and had the spare parts truck powered by cummins and it was a low miles till accident made it parts. I kinda stayed away from cat because of the repair costs and my own lack of knowledge to fix myself. I saw my head gasket what it looked like and they told me a price to fix..... I ask them how much they would give me for it and we decided they should own it. I missed the torque right away
The greatest engine ever made I hade some 6NZ at 550 HP. My only complaint was camshafts every one of them hade a camshaft go out do to a cam follower failure at one time or another. All fails be for the end of the warranty thankfully. All ran over a million mills. I wish I could by trucks with motor to day.
I remember doing many Cummins 855 in the early 70s shimming counter bores, there were never any valve train probs on that wonderful engine or gasket troubles Never worked on Cat
My fix for the oil leak on the spacer plate was to pressure was it once a week and keep a can of Cat yellow paint handy. Then a lot of prayer when I went through the Bannock scales.
Woo new vid! Could you do another video like this on the C10 and C12? (I can't remember I'm about to go look if you've already done so) even so do another one even if you have lol. I can always count on you to pop up with a new video on a topic that I've recently been wondering about. I've seriously been wondering what the different known problems of each cat engine were. Keep up the good work!
Mr. Adept, what is an estimated cost to replace spacer plate gasket on Cat 3406e model that is leaking. very informative video as usual as we expect from you. Thank you.
Hi Josh. I hope you will continue in your searies of videos for beginners. Since you last video, I have been out on a farm working for a mate to remove and exchange a V8 petrol engine for a 6cylinder perkins in a 1974 C1800 Butterbox International twinn steer tipper which has twinn sticks. It's been great for the confidence. Cheers Adrian. Emerald Queensland Australia
I use cats thinner spacer plate and shoot for 12-13 thousands protrusion. Yes I know........its a sheet of paper extra.....its fine....its all about cylinder seal, why not add a little pressure in the spot that needs it.... I then use coppercoat on both gaskets, takes up 3 thousands and it seals it. New bolts every time. Make sure head is flat. 600hp motors lots of miles no head gasket failures or even leaks for that matter..........haven't had many rocker arm problems, but this fixes two of your issues with a cat. Permanently....
Great video! Could you make one about the C13? That’s what I run in my truck, I like the engine I just can’t get good fuel mileage out of it and it tends to run on the hotter side no matter what I do to it.
Derek, that's not two mufflers. Front thing is a muffler, rear thing is a resonator, to dampen harmonic vibrations. Lots of small touches in this car to keep it quiet and smooth, like constant velocity joints in the driveshaft too, looks like two u-joints back to back with a centering ball joint between them.
Solution 3 - head gasket maker by permatex it’s a copper spray Solution 2 get acer rockers and don’t run your overheads so tight Solution 1 get fire rings machined to the head .. Most machine shops do it.. Your welcome !!
I cannot stand that thin gasket that goes down first even with that aviation gasket material you spread on it I cannot get them things to stop leaking , they don’t pour all but still it drives me nuts to see him seeping after 25,000 miles or so , i’ve had em do it even after having the block machine because the protrusion was so bad that the shims weren’t going to work
breeny Breen holymar is what we use to seal air cooled engine cases together. Good stuff. One trick we also use (maybe not applicable here) is to add a line of dental wax along the edge of the sealing surface. Really makes a huge difference in eliminating the seep. But sounds like your engine is worn out. So what if an engine -worn out and being limped along leaks a little oil?
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge, it’s not very common specially cause you’re young, I’ve ran into so-called master technicians that won’t even tell you the time... I’m having a hard time to understand the protrusion part of the video and since I own a C-15 I’d like to know what I need to do when rebuilding it, if I ever have the guts to do it myself, can you explain it to me please?
The flange of the cylinder liner has to be so high above the spacer plate. Older engines the block was recessed for the liner to set in. Either way if the liner is to low above the spacer plate. The fire ring on the head gasket will not crush out properly and will leak gases. Eventually the gasket will burn the fire ring and start pushing coolant out of the radiator if it fails into a coolant passage. Or it can fail between cylinders and have two cylinders passing compression between the two. And if the front or rear fails it will blow gases out of the engine. Have seen rear blow between bolt holes and burn through the firewall of the cab. If it is to high when you torque the cylinder head down, it will have to much pressure and break the liner flanges. The top of the liner has a raised area then drops back down where the fire ring sets. The raised area is your fire dam. As the engine breaks in carbon will form in the area between the bottom of the head and the fire dam. This will help protect the fire ring of the head gasket as the engine gets older. Since diesel's have so much compression you try to keep the heat directly off the fire ring of the gasket as long as possible. As with anything the gasket will eventually fail over time. As the cylinder fires the liner expands and contracts. The blunt of this happens where the liner and block join, as it is a metal to metal seal. If you turn up the engine you create more heat causing this joint even more problems. Erosion occurs on the block and liner. As the liner is replaceable, no problem. The cylinder block has to be replaced, milled, or counterbored. Since counterbore can be done in the frame, it is the cheapest option.
Time of overhaul, remember this. Cat offers an OPT rebuild at a authorized dealer. I recommend a CAT dealer to do this. Certain parts must be replaced, some parts are an option to replace. Some items, like cylinder block, crankshaft, do not have to be replaced. If they pass inspection they are covered under the contract. You can get up to a four year warranty on certain items. I would consider this, especially if you drive nationwide.
Cat has their issue's just like all engine manufacturers. The E model was super easy to work on, I miss them. Now I work on mostly paccar mx13 or Cummins
Maybe if guys were using the Jake brakes for what they were originally designed for instead of pounding the piss out of them while running empty or bobtailing, you wouldn't have so many failures. Drive like an ass, pay the price! It was designed to use to slow a heavy rig down and not to hot rod all day. I never liked that floating cylinder liner design in the block. They should have been press fit.
Hi i was wondering if you’ve ever ran in to this? I start truck in the morning when it is cold, it starts out at 600 RPM, than air pressure reaches 60 psi and goes up to 700 and never returns to ideal. I was wondering if a temp sensor controls this or could it be my TPI on the computer it is saying it is at a 3, should that be at 0 at ideal? Thank you for your Chanel it is so useful and really enjoy watching what you do!!
I have a C15, but I can appreciate cummins as well. They have just as much experience as CAT and then some: they're heading forth into this emissions control era and doing their best to preserve what makes trucking great for all of us. They're not going down to 11 liter engines, they've got their 15 liters. They're the only independent engine manufacturer still on the market. And they dominate it. Definitely have respect for our red diesel brother 👍
@@justinmartin8887 Ape acknowledges other brands you would know that if you have been around long enough... so for your narrow minded brain, He is a Cat specialist that is why everything he creates is Cat related.
Tyler Chauvin call me narrow minded if you want. I have been in the heavy truck repair business for 10 years now, and although some of the c15 and 3406 engines are excellent, they are hyped up way more then they should be. Power? Kt cummins takes it home every day. And I’ve seen my fair share of signature series that would pound a c15 in he dirt. Fuel economy and longevity? Detroit 12.7. C15 and 3406 just have a decent combination the three, witch makes them outstanding. These truckers and their cat stuff just gets old. It’s not a miracle, it’s just a hunk of iron
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Never really had these issues until I had almost 1 million miles on them. My 500hp, 1850tq 6NZ made it to almost 1 million miles before the head gasket went. I had an MXS C15 Acert tuned by PDI that was around 700 hp at the flywheel make it to just over 960,000 miles before the head gasket went on that. The spacer plate gasket was seeping a little for a number of months on the Acert, but it wasn't dripping oil on the ground or anything before overhaul. This was all pulling tri axle hopper bottom trailers grossing 94,000 to over 100,000 lbs. Oil changes at around 10,000 miles. 15w40 Rotella, no additives.
I’m bidding on a 2003 pete 379 sleeper with 3406e , blowing white smoke. Assuming it’s the HG and hopefully not needing new liners and counterbores. I’m buying the truck to use as my RV puller. I’m a diy diesel nut. Self taught. I’ve rebuilt smaller Cummins (isb 5.9s/6.7s/ duramax 6.6s, 7.6 dt466, 3126 baby cats), want to thank you for the great videos and information you provide!
Love your presentation and no nonsense, easy to understand style. You have the voice tone and pace down perfectly and your knowledge is impressive. I personally prefer linger videos- but that's not a critique. Thanks for taking the time to do these.
Josh has that good California education. And he speaks very clear
Wow, scary stuff! I've been blessed over my career...only had two C-15 6NZ's in my life...changed the oil every 10-12k miles and substituted a gallon of Lucas Oil treatment. After an oil service, the technician would remark at how clean the dipstick would look....ran Overheads at CAT, both got great gas mileage (6.5-8mpg, depending on load and terrain), and both had over 1.2M before eventually selling them. Worst mistake I ever made..but blessed I never experienced these issues represented in the video. Thank you for sharing! 👍
How often did you run overheads?
@@dimab8753 Every 50K miles....I had an old CAT and just starting out in Trucking...couldn't afford a major issue, so I spent on maintenance incrementally. You could tell the difference...ran quieter, cooler, got better mileage....guess I was on of the fortunate ones...
@@dimab8753 What’s an “overhead”?
@@dbish2049 engine head valves adjustment
@@dimab8753 thanks for the explanation.
I owned two E-Models...a 95 rated at 475 and the last a 2000 rated at 550, other than sensor issues with the 95 and one structure oil leak they were bullet proof. 👍
Driven properly they are. I have had 2 cats a 3406A and 3406B put over 2 million miles on each without much trouble. The B had deck problems when I bought it. Fixed it and never looked at it again. The A had the steel fire rings so no deck problems. Keep them above 1200 rpms and you should never have a deck head gasket problem
🙏🙏
Over 2 million miles on my brother’s 96 379 with a 3406E. Wish he’d kept that truck
Real nice engine in they're time these days you need a 7 to 8 mph wich it's never going to happen with 🐈 unfortunately. It is what it is. 🤷
1200 rpm in driving or ideal
A well presented video.
I had a 5EK in a '96 Marmon. Trouble spots included the following:
1. Major oil leak when the oil pan cracked at the transition between the front half and the front wall of the deep sump. This was concealed by the sound damping shield, which was subsequently discarded when Cat did the warranty work on the pan. A noticeable increase in cab noise with the shield removed.
2. Protective sleeve on the front engine harness wore through where it was routed around a sharp edge of the head casting above the air compressor. I had taken it in several times for intermittent fault codes, and finally discovered the damage to the harness on the side of the road. Warranty repaired.
3. Major turbo failure when an insulator sleeve inside one exhaust port fractured. This resulted from the sharp edge of the counterbore on the manifold mating side of the head casting wearing a notch into the formed radius of the sleeve. A couple of the other sleeves were similarly affected, and near failure themselves. Fortunately, this occurred around 30 days before my warranty expired. The $15k repair bill would've sunk me!
While this engine was a fairly reliable workhorse, mostly hauling heavy loads in the Pacific Northwest, I was always a little nervous about its copious blow-by. It kept the chassis well-oiled and free of rust. Fortunately I was not visited by any of the demons in your video! Thanks for the detailed insights.
Even with these issues, it’s still a crying shame these engines aren’t offered in on Highway trucks anymore..
Due to the environmental activist (Climate SCAM) - they banned them. Eventually those are banned to and what would you know diesel is banned. Oh wait, it will be electric, good luck as the mining required is banned so guess what they are now banned and the 1940's power grid is *decrepit* and 'brown outs' are now the new normal. In California they are not fixing 'gas' powered plants and stated 'outages' will be the new normal. Don't believe it, the way California goes the rest of the Nation goes.
@@mt1885 CUMMINS
@@mt1885 the country no longer jumps when California barks
Your so right
😪
Great video as always...
My 3406E 1LW still strong after 1.1 million miles
Oil cooler,turbo and few leaks but still pulling like a train...
I try to learn from you and I do everything I can on my truck to save some money...
I did the overhead by my self just by watching your videos...
Thanks from Costa Rica
How's your fuel mileage?
@@MrWisdom79 Hi it says 5.2 Mpg
Geography here is very different than in U.S and we travel thru traffic all the time...
@@jcjc2593 thank you.
I have a 1lw also and just rebuilt it but do you have the side mount breather tube? Mine still has some blowby after rebuild and I think it might be because of that side mount breather. It's supposed to be a valve cover breather.
@@timj3587 Yeah I still got that breather but the blowby is not that bad just barely u can see it...
I want to swap to the valve cover one too...
Look for c&jdieselreapair on TIKTOK and adtruckingrepair too the are pretty good mechanics in North Dakota
Good luck my friend
Right on Professor once again word's all Cat owners SHOULD KNOW even of u don't twist ur on bolts this information is priceless as to keep from being ripped off @ repair shop .Nice work Josh really appreciate the time / effort u put into these videos .
Thank you for the kind and encouraging words.
Adept Ape I really appreciate your effort God bless you, I have a c15 generator that just started bringing blue smoke
I was assigned a 95 FLD-120 with 300,000 miles on it in 98 with a 3406E 425 horse Cat. I have no idea what repairs were done on this engine before then. All I know is that I drove this tractor until 2010. It never left me on the side of the road ever. The company retired this tractor out from under me with 1,045,000 miles on it when a rocker arm broke. I'd be happily driving that old Freightshaker today if they'd fixed it.
The Rocker Arm . Like what was mentioned here ? I wonder what else got hurt at the same time ?
Best engines ever. !! Issues yes but effective, efficient, reliable,fuel efficient,. Loved them. That's my opinion. Looked these knew engines
In heavy trucks lucky to get 600-700,000 MLS. Out of them n that don't count for all the down time in between due to emission crap. Love your videos. Keep it up.!!
I have rebuilt many 3406B,C,E and C15,C16 and I have never seen one leak under the spacer plate gasket ever! But just the other day a buddy of my buys a Pete out of Cali, with a "MBN bridge C15" cat. And there it is, the first ever one I have seen leaking under the spacer plate gasket. Luckily that night @theadeptape loads a video about common problems, and there it is... Thanks Josh for your knowledge and videos!
The other thing you could add to the video was exhaust manifold sections on a twin turbo ACCERT. I did a bunch of those.
P.S. The C13 motors (after the liner update) are one of the most under rated engines. You can compare them directly to a B model as far as HP and Torque, but sipping on fuel in economy. 👍👍
What kinda of mpg would a c15 and a c13 have in a pete379 single axle day cab, not otr but for farm use? 55-60 top speed. I'm looking at two different trucks. Thanks
@@bradsmith5838 Fuel mileage has more to do with gear ratio, load, terrain and driver's lead foot. More than any engine out there. But you can't go wrong with a single axle Pete with either C15 or C13. I would pick the C13, myself. Plenty of torque, and really reliable. Good luck, let us know what you pick.
I've owned 1 cat but drove many others. Hands down if taken care of these are my favorite engine.😍😍😍
I’ve found Loctite 515 or 518 is a good solution for the spacer plate issue, as it is an anaerobic sealant and “bonds” the metal. Rocker shaft and rocker arm problems are compounded by Jake brake use. I don’t have those Jake problems on my 3408 as it has the CAT hydraulic Brakesaver. Heavy, and plenty of pipes and the control valve which make it a bastard to get the oil pan off, but the engine has lasted for tens of thousands of hours.
Make some more V-8 Sound vidyas. That one where you had the camera under the cab looking at the turbo sounds sooooooo deadly with a set of headphones on.
My pops is a mechanic, but he worked more on gas engines, anyhow he used the Aviation i want to say made by Mr. Gasket. Anyway i had to take a head off that he put on, with all the head bolts removed it took a big ass pry bar to get the head to break loose.
This engine was dam good on fuel and still produces adequate power, most of the issues I've seen with these motors is the built on Fridays motors old dogs know what that means😅 love the video good info.
I agree with all you said! Found a set screw from jake housing in oil pan during service on C15. Pulled covers and found jake housing cracked in half right beside bolts like you said. I have a 3406C in 96 Peterbilt now. [For Sale BTW]. I have small oil leaks on pan gasket. Other than that i can't complain much. I floated valves in September 2016, backroads of WV, 9% grade, jakes not working. Didn't realize what happened but it stayed together until February 2017 when valves melted into #3 piston. New head and cylinder pack. No problems since. Thx for the videos
Love yer videos...enjoy the technical approach and solid technical information.
Thanks for your knowledge adept ape hopefully one day i can have that experience and knowledge on my belt. thanks again
Seems remarkably similar to Cummins (BC 3 & 4)on the gasket/liner issue, though I never had a catstrophic failure. Had bubbling and all, but no real failures.
Its the same problem. Never lug them and you should not have a problem. Cat used to have steel fire rings in the deck that the liners sat on. They didnt have problems with liners dropping until they took the fire rings out.
I had 1.3 mil on my C15 before I inframed it and it could have kept going but I didn't want to push it much harder with our heavy loads of 106,000. After the inframe the metal gasket did start leaking oil and the mechanic had to go back in and permatex it which solved the oil leak all the way around the block. Use to break rocker arms on this MBN but I stopped engine braking above 1800rpm and haven't had a problem since. I have three kenworths all with C15s, two acerts and one single turbo. I'm a diehard cat guy and I've ran them all my life and they're just a damn good engine! TA1693, 3406B,E , C15.
Wow. I never engine brake over 15-1600. Maybe that’s because I’m never that heavy or in mountains. Thanks for heads up
Me too. No engine break above 1,600. Shouldn’t have problem
What’s an inframe?
Josh IPD has solved the liner walking issue i have hard running cattle haulers using their new sleeves and pistons over 1 million miles and still going strong and they run fast n hard.enjoy your experience thanks.
Same oil leak with my c-15
How many miles on your c15? Are they really reliable engines? I'm contemplating getting one. I hope to hear from you soon.
@@truckersherm7249 this guy has a video on them I think
@@zachsteele6964 Thanks.
Your a good teacher, thanks for sharing your knowledge
you have so much knowledge, wow
Josh
Good afternoon
Thank You so much for this video
It makes a lot of sense.
This COVID issue has been painful
Your video help me to keep my mind easy on this time
Thank You
I feel bad I didn't make it longer then. Glad you liked it.
I’m Dealing with the liner issue & bubbling pressure gasses in coolant right now as we speak
😪 one liner coolant seal oil rings
Or head gasket 😪
Awesome video, very informative. I love learning from you and also my small local shop here at home.. small, family run business and the owner has been working on Cat motors for over 30 years now. I can never get enough knowledge and I learn something new every day! Would you ever consider doing a "common failures" video on the C-12? That's what's in my truck. My next truck will have a big Cat, but until then, I love my C-12. Pulls great for what it is and I do the maintenance on it to the best of my abilities, running good oil, overhead adjustment every year, etc., etc. I've heard they like to flatten camshaft lobes if they aren't maintained properly, not sure if that's true or not. Either way, keep on keepin' on man! Thanks again!
Any time I had to put in inserts under the liners, tried to do them all! the stainless steal helps to dissipate the heat between the liner and cylinder block, ever notice it is right where the valves are close to the liners! Their opening and closing heats and cools the liner causing movement of the liner on the cylinder block, very small but over time it adds up! Seen this on all the engines, I use to do the insert jobs in the field and shop for years! Next time you pull the liners compare where the valves are to the wear area! Did the filler band do more harm than good, it moved the coolant down the liner about 3/8 of an inch from the liner flange, just a thought?
Your video is a blessing to my carrier
Thanks for the video. The explanations and causes along with details that you explain in your vids are spot on. Learned a lot from your vids and have done a lot of work on my 99 3406e 2ws. If it wasn't for your vids, I don't think I would have tried alot of the work I did myself. Thanks again n keep em coming..
Agreed. We replace it everytime we pull the head. Expensive yes. After all, it's not a 318. Again agreed. They break and if you're lucky it makes a hell of a racket til you get to a safe haven. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Nice to meet you finally sir if you actually read this. Oh wait. Head gaskets have got my ass chewed more than once. 2 heads once. I heard, "we'll not do this again" followed by the you ain't watching your gages. Oil temp too
My first CAT experience was with a C15. it was in a 2001 Peterbilt 379 and it had just shy of 1.1 Million miles on the clock. And it was hauling 132,000lbs gross everyday in hot weather. It was a great experience. Never had a problem with it. However I have been hearing about the problems with head gaskets at around 800,000 Miles.
I want to buy my own Peterbilt 379 with a C15 or C15 ACERT perhaps, but don't know if I should go with Detroit 60 for reliability.
The truck I currently Drive is a 389 with a PACCAR MX13 with about 347,000 miles on it. I have to change the Crankcase Filter on it this week. Last month I dropped a Driveshaft on it. And I had a trans cooling line leak. all within the space of 6 weeks. It hauls heavy also, pulls when she needs to. But I feel I am overworking it. I would expect these kinds of problems to occur a lot later at around 600 -800k miles.
I am scratching my head as to which motor to haul with on heavier spec up to 132,000lbs.
Always very interesting Josh thanks for sharing 👍🇦🇺👀
You have knowledge and thank you sharing with us.you are a great man 👍
Hi Bilal, are you working for BanglaCat?
Driving a 2000 long nose pete just under 53000 hours on an all original c15 just started to have the head gasket issue awesome engine
Thank you for sharing !!!
Hi, good video like always good job, sad not see in the new trucks any more, thank you...
Great information. I realize CAT is your focus - how does the 3406 compare to Cummins equivalent engine? Compare positives and negatives if you would. Appreciate the information - thank you.
Very informative. Thanks Josh.
Your bad ass thanks for take my time for us!
Was working at a farm and their C15 Western star just had head gasket done. Another local farmer pulls in with his truck pulls in freaking out with his truck boiling over trying to get some water. Opens the hood and there's a 3406!
We work mostly on local and vocational trucks. The biggest problem we see with them are the liner O-Rings leaking coolant into the oil. Mostly seems to be older but low mileage trucks. How well the coolant has been tested/conditioned is kinda unknown. They are mostly construction trucks, so,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I've been running Cats since 1972. I have never had those problems with all the engines I've owned. I rebuilt them anywhere from 900k to a million three hundred. Never had to cut a block. Have had heads crack using remans tho.
They are available we just put two into kits. Ordered directly from Butler
I too have had that liner problem an it got expensive to fix... I couldn't at the time and had the spare parts truck powered by cummins and it was a low miles till accident made it parts. I kinda stayed away from cat because of the repair costs and my own lack of knowledge to fix myself. I saw my head gasket what it looked like and they told me a price to fix..... I ask them how much they would give me for it and we decided they should own it. I missed the torque right away
If the shop wants to buy your ride.
Always. Be. Skeptical.
The greatest engine ever made I hade some 6NZ at 550 HP. My only complaint was camshafts every one of them hade a camshaft go out do to a cam follower failure at one time or another. All fails be for the end of the warranty thankfully. All ran over a million mills. I wish I could by trucks with motor to day.
Cat has a fix for the spacer plate oil leak, it comes in the head gasket set now. Had mine fixed.
This good information! But where is the fix ? or do we just use another engine??
I remember doing many Cummins 855 in the early 70s shimming counter bores, there were never any valve train probs on that wonderful engine or gasket troubles Never worked on Cat
Good job bro your every video is usefull In my work ❤️ please make electrical work of generator in new video please with programming
My fix for the oil leak on the spacer plate was to pressure was it once a week and keep a can of Cat yellow paint handy. Then a lot of prayer when I went through the Bannock scales.
This reminds me of the 02 land Rover discovery that was put into production with known slipping cylinder sleeves.
Great video. Thank you for your info.
Woo new vid! Could you do another video like this on the C10 and C12? (I can't remember I'm about to go look if you've already done so) even so do another one even if you have lol. I can always count on you to pop up with a new video on a topic that I've recently been wondering about. I've seriously been wondering what the different known problems of each cat engine were. Keep up the good work!
Well this video is doing very well on views so I might have to make this a series. Thanks for the informative comment.
@@AdeptApe Definitely man, keep it up you have great content
Great video thank you
I cant even Fathom the knowledge it takes to DIAGNOSE much less BUILD these motors..GREAT VIDEOS..LONG LIVE DIESEL!!!
Ok. Thanks once again for your videos. I'm kinda confused with Problem#1 and #3. So they must go together right? A gasket and the plate gasket.
This is a useful RUclips video. Not just a silly blog like most new videos are
Silly blogs with obnoxious 'music'.
Great video, all the problems you talk about only happen with truck engines, is your shop many trucks??
Thank you
Mr. Adept, what is an estimated cost to replace spacer plate gasket on Cat 3406e model that is leaking. very informative video as usual as we expect from you. Thank you.
Hi Josh. I hope you will continue in your searies of videos for beginners. Since you last video, I have been out on a farm working for a mate to remove and exchange a V8 petrol engine for a 6cylinder perkins in a 1974 C1800 Butterbox International twinn steer tipper which has twinn sticks. It's been great for the confidence. Cheers Adrian. Emerald Queensland Australia
I use cats thinner spacer plate and shoot for 12-13 thousands protrusion. Yes I know........its a sheet of paper extra.....its fine....its all about cylinder seal, why not add a little pressure in the spot that needs it.... I then use coppercoat on both gaskets, takes up 3 thousands and it seals it. New bolts every time. Make sure head is flat. 600hp motors lots of miles no head gasket failures or even leaks for that matter..........haven't had many rocker arm problems, but this fixes two of your issues with a cat. Permanently....
Another great video.. thanks!
Great video! Could you make one about the C13? That’s what I run in my truck, I like the engine I just can’t get good fuel mileage out of it and it tends to run on the hotter side no matter what I do to it.
what truck is it in?
Alex Moloney 2007 T800
@@cottonwood3592 lol.
get a ecm tune?
My Pete 385 gets about 5.5mpg but it runs around 200-210 during the heat of the day but at night it runs around 180.
The issues i had with them, were broken exhaust studs, broken injector rockers, cam, hand pump, injector barrells. In the early 2000s.
Thanks again
Derek, that's not two mufflers. Front thing is a muffler, rear thing is a resonator, to dampen harmonic vibrations. Lots of small touches in this car to keep it quiet and smooth, like constant velocity joints in the driveshaft too, looks like two u-joints back to back with a centering ball joint between them.
I drive a trusty ole 96 Pete with the 3406E block set at 600 h.p. a sweet baby !!!!
A Cat c15 acert;
I have a question for ya.
What would replacing the front cover & plate Gasket cost & usual # of hrs to do job be?
Another great video! Looking forward to class #3 of Diesel 101.
Number 3 has been out for a month, but had gotten very little views unfortunately.
@@AdeptApe Oops, My mistake, I meant number 4. I watched #3. Thank you!
Worked for Cat Reman almost 20 years now. You know your shit buddy
Solution 3 - head gasket maker by permatex it’s a copper spray
Solution 2 get acer rockers and don’t run your overheads so tight
Solution 1 get fire rings machined to the head .. Most machine shops do it..
Your welcome !!
The fire ring is machined into the head and the block so it won't work on a C15 CAT
Thank you very much, for all this information!!!
Hey I saw you on America's most wanted ...
@@GlenbricksCrew jajajajajaja
I cannot stand that thin gasket that goes down first even with that aviation gasket material you spread on it I cannot get them things to stop leaking , they don’t pour all but still it drives me nuts to see him seeping after 25,000 miles or so , i’ve had em do it even after having the block machine because the protrusion was so bad that the shims weren’t going to work
Go get some copper gasket maker and spray the gasket and the block it’s by permatex and it comes in a spray can ... problem solved !!
@@dulian08
I like to use Hylomar Gasket Compound Aerosol, but copper gasket spray works just as good.
breeny Breen holymar is what we use to seal air cooled engine cases together.
Good stuff.
One trick we also use (maybe not applicable here) is to add a line of dental wax along the edge of the sealing surface.
Really makes a huge difference in eliminating the seep.
But sounds like your engine is worn out.
So what if an engine -worn out and being limped along leaks a little oil?
Keep up the good work bro
I've driven 2 of those and the first time I see is that gasket leak.
Biggest issue with the C-15? Not enough were made, especially prior to 2000.
The rocker shaft wear is a bigger problem in engine brake engines. Construction and gen set engines don't show that much wear.
extremely interesting....many thanks
I think the counter bore is some of the problems my buddies have had. And I’m having that rocker arm issue NOW
Enjoyed that thanks
Also that happen to a friend of mine where the bolt broke ind fell in the engine. $14,000 Rebuild.
Ouch😭
Thankyou
What's the point of a spacer plate? Why not design the block or head with that little extra material?
Thank you for sharing all your knowledge, it’s not very common specially cause you’re young, I’ve ran into so-called master technicians that won’t even tell you the time...
I’m having a hard time to understand the protrusion part of the video and since I own a C-15 I’d like to know what I need to do when rebuilding it, if I ever have the guts to do it myself, can you explain it to me please?
I have a more detailed video on the subject. If you have a specific question you can email me at AdeptApe@yahoo.com
The flange of the cylinder liner has to be so high above the spacer plate. Older engines the block was recessed for the liner to set in. Either way if the liner is to low above the spacer plate. The fire ring on the head gasket will not crush out properly and will leak gases. Eventually the gasket will burn the fire ring and start pushing coolant out of the radiator if it fails into a coolant passage. Or it can fail between cylinders and have two cylinders passing compression between the two. And if the front or rear fails it will blow gases out of the engine. Have seen rear blow between bolt holes and burn through the firewall of the cab. If it is to high when you torque the cylinder head down, it will have to much pressure and break the liner flanges. The top of the liner has a raised area then drops back down where the fire ring sets. The raised area is your fire dam. As the engine breaks in carbon will form in the area between the bottom of the head and the fire dam. This will help protect the fire ring of the head gasket as the engine gets older.
Since diesel's have so much compression you try to keep the heat directly off the fire ring of the gasket as long as possible. As with anything the gasket will eventually fail over time. As the cylinder fires the liner expands and contracts. The blunt of this happens where the liner and block join, as it is a metal to metal seal. If you turn up the engine you create more heat causing this joint even more problems. Erosion occurs on the block and liner. As the liner is replaceable, no problem. The cylinder block has to be replaced, milled, or counterbored. Since counterbore can be done in the frame, it is the cheapest option.
Time of overhaul, remember this. Cat offers an OPT rebuild at a authorized dealer. I recommend a CAT dealer to do this.
Certain parts must be replaced, some parts are an option to replace. Some items, like cylinder block, crankshaft, do not have to be replaced. If they pass inspection they are covered under the contract. You can get up to a four year warranty on certain items. I would consider this, especially if you drive nationwide.
Excellent
Cat has their issue's just like all engine manufacturers. The E model was super easy to work on, I miss them. Now I work on mostly paccar mx13 or Cummins
My father bought a 2011 Kw T-700 with Paccar Mx-13 500k and now it’s has 1 300 k and is still running really good ,good engine !!
Maybe if guys were using the Jake brakes for what they were originally designed for instead of pounding the piss out of them while running empty or bobtailing, you wouldn't have so many failures. Drive like an ass, pay the price!
It was designed to use to slow a heavy rig down and not to hot rod all day. I never liked that floating cylinder liner design in the block. They should have been press fit.
Couldn't you use the copper head gasket spray on like what you use on old flat heads
Good information.. Im a 60 Series guy 😁
Yeah it’s not to much fun when that head gasket goes. Has mine go and boy was it blown.
Also another issue with that engine. The coolant sensor by the back of the water pump. Diverter valve on ACERT engines.
Great videos.!
Good info. Are the c10 any good?
Hi i was wondering if you’ve ever ran in to this? I start truck in the morning when it is cold, it starts out at 600 RPM, than air pressure reaches 60 psi and goes up to 700 and never returns to ideal. I was wondering if a temp sensor controls this or could it be my TPI on the computer it is saying it is at a 3, should that be at 0 at ideal? Thank you for your Chanel it is so useful and really enjoy watching what you do!!
N14 well over One million and still pulling 80000 pounds across the US
They don’t want to hear about the other silent million mile warriors. The only engine that counts to narrow minded cat fans is caterpillars
I have a C15, but I can appreciate cummins as well. They have just as much experience as CAT and then some: they're heading forth into this emissions control era and doing their best to preserve what makes trucking great for all of us. They're not going down to 11 liter engines, they've got their 15 liters. They're the only independent engine manufacturer still on the market. And they dominate it. Definitely have respect for our red diesel brother 👍
@@justinmartin8887 Ape acknowledges other brands you would know that if you have been around long enough... so for your narrow minded brain, He is a Cat specialist that is why everything he creates is Cat related.
Tyler Chauvin call me narrow minded if you want. I have been in the heavy truck repair business for 10 years now, and although some of the c15 and 3406 engines are excellent, they are hyped up way more then they should be. Power? Kt cummins takes it home every day. And I’ve seen my fair share of signature series that would pound a c15 in he dirt. Fuel economy and longevity? Detroit 12.7. C15 and 3406 just have a decent combination the three, witch makes them outstanding. These truckers and their cat stuff just gets old. It’s not a miracle, it’s just a hunk of iron
Long life to the yellow cat !
I owned 3406E yr1999...i found colant in fuel filter ...what hapening !?