Cat 3126

[lanier1]

I have been keeping up with the saga of kempergramps and others on the forums with this motor and decided to find out some info for myself.

I talked to the parts guy at the Cat dealer in Oxford,Al and was told if a complete assembly were available for my application it would be about $13,000. Thats everything on the motor but the starter according to him. If a complete assembly were not available I could go with a short block and heads. He would not quote exact figures without my truck serial numbers but when I suggested eight to ten grand he said it would not be that much. He did say with a catastrophic failure the cores would not be worth as much and can affect the pricing.

These figures back up what my local mechanic had told me.

Apparently Cat put these motors in everything from boats to trucks to generators.

My next move is to go talk to the service guys in person and get some exact prices. I will update when I get them.

 

[davekc]

Your mechanic is correct. The condition of the block would be the biggest issue. If that is in decent shape, you can have the engine pulled and sleeved. You loose alittle displacement but it is more economical verses a whole engine replacement. We have had very good luck with these engines. Two years ago we sold one with almost a million miles on it. This year we sold a reefer truck with 650,000 and a KW with just under 800,000. Both ran decent when we sold them.









Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[lanier1]

The guy at Cat was referring to the core charge and not using the same original block.

I'm glad to hear of the longevity you've experienced. Mine is running fine at the moment with 610,000 and I really hope it will stay together for two more years. I drive 62-64 mph, idle as little as possible and I have a 9 speed trans. I hope it will make the difference but am trying to prepare for the worst if need be.

 

[riverrat2000]

Davekc, 3216 is a dry sleeve motor ie throwaway engine and when a valve lets loose it usuall takes the head and block with it

 

[davekc]

It is a dry sleeve that can have sleeves put in depending on the block condition. Had one done by Ring Power Cat in Jacksonville, FL several years ago. You are correct in that a valve problem may trash the whole engine. Wise advice is to have a valve adjustment and inspection every year.
Alot of these engine in a marine application are done this way.








Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[riverrat2000]

you are right they can bore out a cylinder and slip a sleeve into it in fact ringpower in lake city Fl. did just that I was down 5 weeks, and that was the engine that didn't last a week after that, I and several friends in expediting have had the same problem with that engine and I have heard of a number of other folks that have had problems with that engine, and as far as maintenance I done everything and more Cat told me to do including adjusting the valves every 75,000 miles if I ever got that many out of them before they blew up experience, not just mine tell me that, that engine is nothing but an expensive pice of junk. As far as ring power goes I have heard that the one in Jacksonville is a good shop but the one in lake city is terrible, they even put the clutch in backwards and if it wasn't for the shop next door [nextrans] and a great transmission man there that I consulted, i would have ended up having to pay for that screwup too he caught what they did ringpower wouldn't own up too their screwup until I finally had to hire an attorney to point out their errors.

 

[lanier1]

I agree that this motor is not the ideal engine for our business and was probobly never intended to be used the way we use it but there are an awful lot of them out there making money. Just like anything else alot has to do with how they are driven and used daily. I know most are mated with a 6 speed trans. and I imagine alot of them have had multiple drivers with a multitude of different habits.

When the time comes my intention is to go with a new reman short block. I have no interest in sleeveing my motor. In the mean time I will continue to nurse this one from point to point.

 

[greg334]

I think the 3126 was never intended to be a long life motor. The one's that I have seen in motor homes seem not to last either.

As for sleeving the cylinders, it depends on the skill of the person doig the work. I have had older (antique) engines sleeved but the guy doing the work did nothing but sleeves and told me that just because it is sleeved does not mean it will last.

 

[davekc]

I have had no experience with Lake City. The one Jacksonville did was completed in a week and a half. Motor went another 225,000 at the time we sold it. It was still running well, but not sure how long it lasted after that? I don't think they are as good as a class 8 engine, but after owning 12 of them, we never had alot of problems and got as many miles out of them as our eights. Maybe just good luck? Sprinkle pixie dust on the engine and it will last forever.
We currently have one more left that is a 05 with 400,000 on it. So far so good.
I do agree with Gregg in one aspect. The person doing the sleeving has alot to do with the longevity of the rebuild. That engine threw a bearing at 750,000 so we did the whole rebuild. Turned out pretty good all things considered.









Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

 

[kempers_gramp]

>I talked to the parts guy at the Cat dealer in Oxford,Al and
>was told if a complete assembly were available for my
>application it would be about $13,000. Thats everything on
>the motor but the starter according to him. If a complete
>assembly were not available I could go with a short block
>and heads. He would not quote exact figures without my truck
>serial numbers but when I suggested eight to ten grand he
>said it would not be that much. He did say with a
>catastrophic failure the cores would not be worth as much
>and can affect the pricing.

You are right! An engine assembly would be about $13,000.00.
With the original diagnostics, R&R, and other misc. charges. Like the 10% they charge you for "shop supplies", the adjusting this and the tweaking that. Plus the time you spend in the shop after getting back on the road, to fix all the misc. stuff that the original mechanic missed or didn't set up right. You are looking at about $20,000.00. Plus core charges...($3000.00) Plus time lost........ummmmmm.........comes to a cool $30,000.00 or so.

But Wait!!!!! There's more............
You went over on your cell minutes trying to get all the estimates for everything and call this shop and that guy and anybody else that knows everything about anything,(like one of the mods of EO........just kidding). So a month down the line you see an additional $300.00 in phone charges. Your hotels, motels, meals, and booze to drown your sorrow of the whole saga. $2000.00. That's considering you don't drink too much! While your truck sat at the shop someone stole the new $400.00 flat screen TV. The $1000.00 GPS. The $200.00 video game system. $200.00 in DVD's. A $600.00 laptop. Another $200.00 in CD's, and a couple hundred bucks worth of misc. tools and other stuff you had stashed in the cab. All of your clothes, tools, pallet jack. And let's not forget they broke the window to get in. So that at Freightliner is $350.00 plus installation.......

Your truck is now PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!

Just so you know I took all of my "crap" out of my truck and broke the window myself so someone wouldn't have to.

 

[silverdollar]

You could have left the window rolled down.

 

[kempers_gramp]

Didn't want the seat to get wet!

K_G

 

[lanier1]

Talked to Cat in Oxford, Al. today and heres what they said. They have complete assemblies, long blocks and short blocks available right now. Complete assembly price is $12,439.79, long block is 7596.38 and short block is 4243.38. After figuring what a Huey pump, turbo and injectors would add to the long block price there is no doubt that complete assembly is the way to go. I was told the labor would be $2500 or less and would take the better part of a week to do. Add sales tax to the engine cost and 2% shop supplies and enviro fee and you have the total. I figure $16,000 at the most. It comes with 2 year warranty. I don't know if this is the route I will take or not but thought it was time to start investigating. My choices, as I see them, are to do preemptive work to avoid untimely catastrophic breakdown and commit to driving the truck at least 3 more years, trade the truck or run it until it gives up.