Pulled a set of 6.0 injectors a few years back and one of the new O-rings grabbed so bad I had to hammer the injector out. Reworked it and got a new seal kit. Buddy told me that brake cleaner swells viton O-rings like crazy. Switched to just lubing with diesel oil before install and haven't had one stick since. Anyone else run into this?
I wasted $45 on one of those in-line cleaning kits last month and it did nothing but clog my filter on a '06 Cummins, has anyone else had better luck with a specific brand or method?
I was cleaning up after number 500 on a 6.7 Powerstroke last Thursday. Did the math on my old logbook and realized that's over 15 years of cranking bolts and chasing oil leaks. My back hurts all the time now (no surprise there) and my knuckles look like hamburger. But seeing that number made me feel something I wasn't expecting. Anyone else ever stop and count up how many motors they've actually cracked open?
I was in El Paso last month visiting my cousin and he dragged me to this little diesel shop called Rojas Diesel Repair. I figured it would be some back alley operation, you know? But the owner let me watch him clean injectors using some ultrasonic setup (not the cheap ones you see on Amazon either). He showed me the before and after on a Cummins injector and I swear the improvement on spray pattern was night and day. I always thought those ultrasonic cleaners were just a gimmick for home use, but seeing it done right in a real shop with the right solution and cycle times totally flipped my opinion. Has anyone else seen a pro setup like that change your mind on something you thought was BS?
I had this old 5.9 Cummins that had a injector stuck good. I figured I'd save some cash and grabbed a $30 puller off Amazon. Big mistake. That thing bent like a wet noodle after two hits with the slide hammer. I ended up borrowing my buddy's Snap-On puller and it popped that injector out in like 3 seconds flat. The cheap one just couldn't get the grip right and flexed all over. The Snap-On had a better jaw design that clamped tighter and didn't slip. Cost me an extra hour of messing around though. Has anyone else run into a tool that just falls apart when you need it most?
I was doing a rebuild on a 5.9 Cummins last month and a retired guy came by the shop and told me I was cranking those bolts way too tight with a cheater bar, said I was gonna warp the deck. He was right, that engine developed a coolant leak after 50 miles and I had to pull the head back off and replace the gasket. Has anyone else had to eat crow on a torque spec they thought they knew?
I was working on a 12-valve Cummins swap at a shop outside Portland about a month ago. This guy named Jerry, must have been 70 years old, walked over and watched me struggle with a stuck injector for 10 minutes. He didn't say a word, just pulled out a worn-down flathead screwdriver and tapped the cup a certain way that broke it free. Then he said "you gotta work with the metal, not against it." Has anyone else had a random older mechanic drop some simple tip that saved you hours?
Swapped a set of Bosch injectors into my old Freightliner last year and they just crossed 800 hours with zero issues - used to replace them every 400-500. What's the best luck you've had with a specific brand on high-mileage engines?
I dropped just under 900 bucks on a used Snap-on scanner last year for my shop. It diagnosed a ghost issue on a 2018 Freightliner that was stalling at random. saved me maybe two days of guessing. But a week later I tried using it on a 2020 International and it just gave me a code that was wrong. I got led down a rabbit hole and wasted a full afternoon replacing parts that didn't need it. So now I wonder if spending that much was worth it or if I should have just gotten a cheaper generic tool. Has anyone else had a high end tool burn them on a newer model?
Guy at the local diesel shop told me he's been wrenching for 20 years and just tightens head bolts by feel. I've always followed the spec - I snapped a bolt on a 6.7 Powerstroke last year doing it by feel. Is he full of it or am I overthinking this?
I put one of those aftermarket delete controllers on my 2016 F250 last weekend, and after about 50 miles the truck went into limp mode and threw a P2002 code... Started smelling something burning too. Has anyone else had these things fry their DPF differential pressure sensor?
Was doing a routine overhead on an '02 Freightliner and found the #4 ring land split clean in two. Anyone else seen these late model Series 60s start doing this more often?
Overheard a guy at the parts counter say the thermostat gasket can swell if you use the wrong coolant. Swapped mine out with a new one last Wednesday and the temp gauge has been dead center ever since. Anyone else had this happen with a certain brand of coolant?
I figured out I could rebuild six injectors for what one new one costs, $240 at the shop down on Main. Saw a YouTube video from a guy in Texas that broke down the whole process, ever tried it yourself?
Ngl I spent 8 months running Cat injectors in my 3406E and swapped to Cummins CELEA injectors last Tuesday. The Cat ones just don't hold up past 300k miles without losing pressure. After the swap I gained 2 MPG on my Pete hauling logs out of Eugene. The CELEA injectors also cut my idle smoke by half. Has anyone else tested this swap on a 3406E without changing the ECM calibration?
I was cleaning out the shop last week and stumbled across a master cylinder I pulled off a Freightliner back in '87, still sitting in a dusty box. That thing was all metal and rebuildable, not like the plastic junk we get now from the parts houses where you just throw the whole unit away. Does anyone else save old parts just to remember how much simpler this trade used to be?
Thought I had a low compression issue on a 7.3 Powerstroke, chasing IPR duty cycles and buzz tests for 3 hours. Turned out to be a tiny pinhole in a return line spitting fuel at the connector. Anybody else waste a whole afternoon on a $6 piece of hose?
My '02 Cummins started running rough last week, so I pulled the injectors. One was shot, bad enough to make it idle like a tractor. I was set on buying new ones at $400 each, but the local shop I trust said to go with rebuilt for $180 each. They promised they flow-test them and replace the tips... but I keep thinking about that one guy on here who said rebuilt ruined his motor after 2,000 miles. Has anyone else tried rebuilt vs. new on a high-mileage truck? Did yours hold up or did you regret it?
We got a fleet of old Cummins ISX motors at our shop outside Nashville. Last month I spent 4 hours rebuilding a set of injectors for a 2013 Pete 386, only to have one fail the pop test on the bench. I swore off rebuilding after that and told my boss we should just buy reman sets instead. But the shop foreman says rebuilding is cheaper if you know what you're doing and have the right tools. What do you guys do when a set of injectors needs attention, tear em down or swap em out? I'm leaning toward reman after that wasted day but I'm open to hearing the other side.
I was chasing head gasket leaks for three months on a 6.7 Cummins, and the cheap Harbor Freight wrench was off by 25 ft-lbs at 200. The Snap-on was pricey at $400, but after one job the coolant stayin' in the block. Anyone else seen big swings between budget and pro torque tools on their builds?
I drove 4 hours to Lubbock last Tuesday to do a head gasket swap on a Freightliner and realized I left my torque wrench at the shop. Had to borrow one from a local guy and it wasn't even close to calibrated right. Cost me an extra 3 hours of work and a lot of cussing. Anyone else had a tool screw up their whole day like that?
He showed me data on a 3406B where mixing a single new with five old ones actually held better flow balance because the ECM could compensate easier. Has anyone else run into this or am I just late to the party?
I followed his advice for years until a line cracked on a 6.0 Powerstroke last winter, cost me $400 and a full weekend to fix, what do you guys use for torque spec on those old Navistar lines?