2000 Freightliner FL70

guest · Jun 12, 2004

Thinking about buying a 2000 Freightliner FL70 with 400K miles,Engine CAT 3126 250Hp with 6 speed autoshift,and 72" Bentz double sleeper.What I would like to know,does these types of engines and transmissions have Horror stories and if it does.Is Cummins a better type of engine.Please help with any info it will be GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU

davekc · Jun 12, 2004

If the cummins is a electronic one, it would be a good engine, and cheap to rebuild if needed. If it is the non- electric, be prepared for some problems. The cummins we had was the latter, and it was plagued with all kinds of problems. I have been running several Cats and have had good luck with them. If looking at a used one, I would suggest to review maintenance records and look to see how often a overhead was performed. Should be done at 150,000 miles. Previous oil samples would be useful as well. Run a block heater to eliminate cold starts in severe weather, and do the overhead and they will last a long time. Overhead is about $200.00 at a dealer. They can be rebuilt but cost is much higher than a cummins.
There are some previous posts on here that you can look at also.
As far as a auto 6 speed, if the unit was serviced regularly should be ok. Check to see if it has a overdrive. If not, you will sacrifice 1 to 2 miles per gallon on fuel economy
Hope that helps as those are my experiences
Davekc

Lawrence · Jun 12, 2004

coqui31903,

We are assuming you have cleared this truck with a carrier before buying. Eh?

Lawrence,
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davekc · Jun 12, 2004

Good point Lawrence. Make sure it meets your companies age requirements, and make sure the box is the right size. Some companies are very strict on this.
On a side note, when refering to box size, I was not only counting the length, but the hieght, width, and back door dimensions.
I as well was assuming all was cleared. You know what they say about the word ASSUME:7

guest · Jun 12, 2004

what would one expect to pay for a truck like this with 400K on it?

davekc · Jun 12, 2004

somewhere between 25,000 and 30,000 Just a rough estimate because the truck he is referring to is lacking alot of information that would determine a price. Some of the obvious would be, general condition, what has recently been replaced, condition of tires, is there a generator,reefer, aluminum wheels or steel, what is in the sleeper(fridge,tv,micro), just to name a few. All or some of those items will effect the price accordingly.

guest · Jun 13, 2004

Thanx for your info, it helped.

tazman · Jun 14, 2004

I have a 1998 unit sitting at a used dealer lot with a 250HP Cummins and a 9-speed trans....
They are looking for $20k.... 270k miles

Is probably too old to put on the road for an expeditor.....

Frank in Pa.

"The Beast in the East"

P.S. - You stole my image ( just kidding )