we are looking at a class 8 truck has all the goodies refer,liftgate,drop axle,apu. but it has 950k on it,it has a c10 cat with a 10speed auto trans and all maintenance records burns no oil and is in service now. with no problems reported by drivers. i have been told and researcheded the c10 cat and have found it is reliable up to 150mil miles before needing rebuild. just asking for some opinions and thoughts.
looking at a class 8 purchase
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idtrans
Expert Expediter
Do what I did I just purchased a fl70 with a 3126 with 875k and I paid $150 for a truck dealer to go through the truck for me. They reported that the truck needs a oil change and air filter and front tires. and that the oil sample they took was very good and the best part the engine when plugged in showed only 385k miles so I was very happy all the way around.
It is well worth the small investment. I almost got screwed with a super nice international in Minneapolis 2003 with 600k super shiny and pretty . after dealer inspected that truck they found a bad fan clutch, bad fan clutch air line, 2 bad abs sensors, oil leak in oil pan, oil leak in dip stick line, and top of box lights had a short circuit. That inspection cost cost $107 and saved me the trip to minne from peoria, il very good and wise investment.
Great luck to you and I hope all works out well for you.
It is well worth the small investment. I almost got screwed with a super nice international in Minneapolis 2003 with 600k super shiny and pretty . after dealer inspected that truck they found a bad fan clutch, bad fan clutch air line, 2 bad abs sensors, oil leak in oil pan, oil leak in dip stick line, and top of box lights had a short circuit. That inspection cost cost $107 and saved me the trip to minne from peoria, il very good and wise investment.
Great luck to you and I hope all works out well for you.
greg334
Veteran Expediter
Here's what you do when looking for a truck on top of an inspection.
Drive the truck. I have learned a lot of potential buyers don't actually drive the truck, if you can't drive the truck - walk.
Get a list of things done to the truck by the dealer. IF it is say a KW, then bring the serial number to any KW dealer and have them print out a work history on the truck. Some times this will tell you a lot about the truck without even digging hard. Every manufacturer dealer can do this.
Get an Oil Analysis done even if the oil has been changed. Drive the truck about 100 miles and pull the oil. I use Blackstone Lab, they are good but there are others too.
Get the ECM dumped and printed out. DO not depend on the tech to tell you anything without that printout in your hand. Make notes on it and look for reoccurring codes in the memory like low voltage or sensor problems (there is a spot in the report that has them). See what the mileage is - it should match the odometer. If it doesn't then the ECM has been changed and that could indicate other issues, like electrical problems. OH and also check the firmware revision number, call Cat or if you are at the dealer, ask them what it should be for the truck.
Get a Dyno done on the truck. This tells you two things, the condition of the engine and the power it produces. The condition of the engine is indicated by what is called blowby, that is the flow of air from the engine at a given speed and load. Each engine has a specific amount of blowby, once it exceeds that amount, it can indicate further investigation or a rebuild - I do a compression test if the blowby is high. The power should be around 70% or better than the rated power.
There is a process called Vis-Check, which is a chassis system test. It checks the brakes and suspension on the truck. It is a good test that tells you what condition your kingpins are in or how well your brakes work.
The C10 is a good engine, I would caution anyone buying one that some service at Cat dealers are not the best and maybe with the case of Cat pulling out of the Road engine market, finding a cat dealer that you can trust may be the biggest challenge for you.
This scares me with a 3126 ...
Drive the truck. I have learned a lot of potential buyers don't actually drive the truck, if you can't drive the truck - walk.
Get a list of things done to the truck by the dealer. IF it is say a KW, then bring the serial number to any KW dealer and have them print out a work history on the truck. Some times this will tell you a lot about the truck without even digging hard. Every manufacturer dealer can do this.
Get an Oil Analysis done even if the oil has been changed. Drive the truck about 100 miles and pull the oil. I use Blackstone Lab, they are good but there are others too.
Get the ECM dumped and printed out. DO not depend on the tech to tell you anything without that printout in your hand. Make notes on it and look for reoccurring codes in the memory like low voltage or sensor problems (there is a spot in the report that has them). See what the mileage is - it should match the odometer. If it doesn't then the ECM has been changed and that could indicate other issues, like electrical problems. OH and also check the firmware revision number, call Cat or if you are at the dealer, ask them what it should be for the truck.
Get a Dyno done on the truck. This tells you two things, the condition of the engine and the power it produces. The condition of the engine is indicated by what is called blowby, that is the flow of air from the engine at a given speed and load. Each engine has a specific amount of blowby, once it exceeds that amount, it can indicate further investigation or a rebuild - I do a compression test if the blowby is high. The power should be around 70% or better than the rated power.
There is a process called Vis-Check, which is a chassis system test. It checks the brakes and suspension on the truck. It is a good test that tells you what condition your kingpins are in or how well your brakes work.
The C10 is a good engine, I would caution anyone buying one that some service at Cat dealers are not the best and maybe with the case of Cat pulling out of the Road engine market, finding a cat dealer that you can trust may be the biggest challenge for you.
This scares me with a 3126 ...