I have a 1995 Pete transport with a Cat 3406E 5EK. It is tired. We either need to rebuilt or replace it. I can have a rebuild done between $12-$20k which includes the rear main work that needs done. I have found several places that can sell me a rebuilt engine in that same price range and my mechanic can put it in. I think the seal replacement makes the complete rebuilt swap a little more palatable. Does anyone have experience with: North American Diesel Industreis--Turlock, CA National Diesel--Tampa, FL Mid America Diesel--Holly, MI Great Lakes Diesel Engines, Lackawanna, NY Or does anyone have another suggestion for me?
What is your truck worth to you ? ........if its just a casually used truck once a week or month, then maybe look at a good used one out of a wrecking yard ...... but if its a rig that you need (prime income) then don't fool around and get an exchange rebuild with a year or 2 warranty from Cat directly as you say, for about the same coin. Its a crap shoot especially when you see trucks of that vintage in great shape for the same money as it takes to rebuild. Good-Luck ! ...... let us know what you do ......
it gets used a lot. it isn't a money maker but it gets the excavators to the job site--so it is pretty important. i wasn't going to get a cat rebuild i was going to use one of these other shops.
The guys @ Great Lakes Diesel are top notch from what I hear, never had anything done there though.............. jr
Give your local Cat dealer a call. Sometimes they have good deals on slow moving engines. There is also the option of getting a long block and having your mech swap over the accessories and stuff. Just find out how complete the long block is, some are very basic while others are almost a complete engine.
stay away from great lakes diesel! NOT a reputable shop.
Really? Not what I heard ................
I personally know of 2 guys that got stroked by great lakes and have heard of alot more. Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I think we are leaning towards having the Cat dealer overhaul. It will be about $20,000 with the rear main and clutch. This will also give us a 4 year unlimited miles warranty.
Stay away from Great Lakes. Forget you ever heard their name. Read this: http://www.thedieselgarage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90522&highlight=great+lakes
ok, i think we are settled with the info on Great Lakes. Anyone dealt with the other guys?
Stick with your "Leaning Thought " .... I promise you you won't regret it ...... cheaper is not always the best, especially when you're gonna have to depend on this rig and ~$20,000 isn't chump change ......Warranty is very important ..... just remember, the money you're spending who's going to back it up if a glitch shows up ...... cheers ....
The 3406 is a very simple motor, I would have thought it well worth the effort of doing an inframe refurb on it, the rear seal is straight forward to swap out, it is a Hydro-dynamic seal that comes with its own bit of tin to run on but they are easy to fit, all the crank bearings are easy enough to replace, the usual fault with them is the fuel side.
The truck goes into Butler Cat on Monday. It should be ready to go by Thursday. Fresh overhaul, new pumps, new injectors, new rear main, and new clutch. I haven't decided on the oil cooler yet. It is the Cat Platinum kit. There will be a 4 year unlimited mile warranty on all parts installed and free towing if i do the oil cooler. It is supposed to be $20k but i bet it ends up at $22k.
I had some guy how claims he is with a company called "IMT" email be from another board and told me to stay away from Mid America Diesel. He said that they do a 100% cosmetic overhaul. He went on and on about how bad they are. In the end i almost felt like he was a shill for Cat.
Rshackleford, I am from the U.K. and feel that the $ price you have been quoted to be nothing short of a scandle, I often see massive price charges put against simple repairs done in the U.S. and cannot understand why, in the U.K. this simple job would cost about a 1/2 of what you are about to pay out for, the dearest item is the new clutch, thinking its a 2" centre Dana Spicer twin plate unit, my heart goes out to you having to pay through the nose like this, I bought some new injector nozzles today off my usual supplier for about £18 a cylinder, it would seem someone is getting rich fast on your patch. tucked up tctractors
£17 is only $27! For a 3406e injector? Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
chevota84, I never said the nozzles were for a 3406, they were for a 3306pc engine, but I bet its a good bit less that lots of your outlets would ask??? I do a good bit of work on the 3406 type engines and have found very good suppiers of parts for them, the 4 year thing I find hard to swallow, as the standard CAT thing is 12 months, so 4 years in the U.K. is at best a myth, I cannot think of any offers of 4 year waranty in Europe coming from CAT???, not even a brand new engine gets this, lets hope its not a dream. tctractors
Don't know your location but, Tontitown, Arkansas has an old Truck shop run by two old men that are considered the very best Cat people on the planet. They stay very busy because they stand behind their work. I do not know the shop name ( I can take you to it) but, if you are interested I could get it for you. They are very honest and will not skin your wallet. R
This could be an interesting repair,the 4 year warranty on all parts fitted could be a worthless thing to have, no one would warranty a clutch for such a time, the rear seal needs new crank bearings to keep things running sweet and central, the pump and injectors from CAT bought over the counter only carry 12 months warranty if you are Lucky, but with the $20'000 price I think they could throw a few bits at it over 4 years and still have a few coins left in the till, I often cannot understand the massive difference between the U.K.and Europe and the U.S.
I called Tractor and Equipment of Billings, Peterbilt of Billings, and Motorpower of Billings and all were in the same price range. These wetter all authorised Cat service centers. The four year warranty ishonest but i am sure will require oil samples. You can look up the platinum kit on Cat's web site to see what parts i am getting.
As rshackleford replied, the quote is an honest one. I would check the fine print regarding the clutch as it may not be covered, however the 2" Dana Spicer unit should easily give you 4 years of trouble free service. Others are available at half the cost but I have found them to last half as long. Caterpillar has always been more expensive then their competitors in N. America. I am told that excessive price increases in the heavy truck market in recent years are a result of U.S. emissions standards???????????? and CAT's introduction of the ACERT engine series. CAT has been slow in response to the excessive warranty and quality control issues that have become the namesake of these engines. This forced dealers to respond as they quickly became burried in warranty work which CAT was slow to pay for. Not 100% sure if this is true but it seems to explain why in these parts most CAT authorized repair shops other than the dealers have stopped doing any warranty repairs or stopped doing any CAT engine repair whatsoever. One more word of caution. If you have reprogramed your ECM for more power some states require repair facilities to reprogram or remove and replace them, which of course you will be charged for!!!! California comes to mind.
The local cat dealer is simply overwhelmed by emissions warranty issues. My engine is older than that though.
I run early E models as well, been very happy with both. Have had C models with no major problems as well. Both great engines, shame they were discontinued due to government mandated EXCESSIVE emission requirements. I understand early ISX Cummins have there own issues as well.
The 3406 motor is still sold in the U.K. with a Perkins name to it, the C series engines are not common power units Europe wide and only realy get a look in with 1 truck builder,the breakers yards have plenty of these C series engines for sale?? Foden a name from the past used to fit as an option CAT motors, the best of the bunch was the 3406B rated at 450 hp, it was common to see on the backs of the cabs " 450 horses driven by a Donkey" I know in the U.S. the 3406 was often tricked up to poke out around 800hp, U.K. wise I think it was never taken past 650hp on a road going truck, the black smoke issue was to easy for our road inspectors and police to pick up on, no one in the U.K. would warranty any clutch for 2 years never mind 4 years, the 2" Dana clutch thing was my choice as a strong unit it might not be the clutch fitted??? I would love to know what you get for 20 large in the US it must be a new engine.
Look up the platinum kit on the cat website.
Just a thought. What will the Cat Dealer quote you for a complete Reman engine as opposed to rebuilding yours ..? That way your truck gets turned round a lot faster.
reman was $24k plus labor and clutch. my bill on the rebuilt is up to $24k with seals, hoses, clutch, labor, ect.
Obviously, some of the comments posted here are troubling because they simply don't paint the proper picture of what Great Lakes Diesel is about. It should also be pointed out that of my endless line of customers, only one seems to complain. It started as a misunderstanding and has blown into a series of threads questioning my integrity, professionalism and workmanship, so much that I feel the need to defend my name. Did this customer have a turbo failure in Arizona? Yes, but I exhausted every possibility of making things right and nothing seemed to be good enough. The customer complained of how the truck ran and the black smoke, etc. After setting him up for 800 hp, I test drove the vehicle at the right RPM and it performed remarkably. I also switched turbos for him on three occasions to keep him happy, all at my cost, along the way renting him a car so he could go home. I then switched turbos again, once again at my own expense. It became clear to me--and is also clear from the comments from other drivers--that this customer doesn't yet have the skills to handle a vehicle like this properly. His second truck is still in my yard, and I haven't charged him a penny for storage. He's welcome to pick it up at any time, and I will give him a 5EK running engine for free, or build him a new 3406C engine. I'm an honest, professional business owner who runs a well-respected business, one that's been built on the principles, professionalism and know-how I've gained through decades in this industry. I invite any critics or prospective customers to visit my website, www.GreatLakesDieselEngine.net . In response to the comments posted about Great Lakes Diesel, I feel I have done all I can to satisfy this customer, and if there are feelings of ill will, I truly regret it. My record stands for itself, and every customer I've had--many of them professional drivers who have navigated this country's highways for decade after decade, will attest to the kind of honesty, integrity and work that define my business.
there was also complaints from a man in new Zealand that purchased some injectors from you that he had nothing but trouble with.
That was one of the guys I was talking about. Didn't he get burned for like 12k dualie? Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
I do remember it was a very ridiculous number. 12K might be close. and these are just 2 of the tales of great lakes diesel that i know off hand.
Either way. I used Butler Cat in Bismarck and was extremely happy with their service. I am also happy to have the four year unlimited mile warranty although the truck will probably never see over 20,000 miles per year.
cat is your best bet