I will haul back on one statement, they were not all replaced as units, but all required major work. We are a fleet of 40 trucks, its not uncommon to buy half a dozen trucks a year. We dont need heavyweight sterlings with a C-10 or C-12 for delivering gravel. So we made the decision to buy topkicks. We bought 6 the first year and 2 the next, and the 3116/3126 is the only engine available in a 300. We didnt have many problems till the second year except for one engine. It would burn 5 gallons of oil between changes (6000 miles). Cat took it and replaced injectors, and said it would be fine, it wasnt. Kept burning oil. So they took it 3 monthes later and did and out of frame on it(1). The next one was pulling hard up two click hill,famous around here, if you can make it up without shifting, you got a hella truck. And it took to clattering, dropped the valve, broke the piston cracked the head broke the liner(2). Sitting outside the scalehouse idling, driver inside wating to be dispatched.Blew the oil line off turbo and ran itself dry(3). It had happened before on the highway, and the driver shut her down. Cat fixed it the first time. Next one SOS came back with high silicon in the oil twice in a row, dealer took it in for an examination, block deck was cracked(4). Coolant going down but not in oil. puddle under truck when parked on weekends. Our mechanic couldnt find anything simple, so sent it to cat, cracked clean around a frost plug, but the truck hadnt seen a winter yet(5). SOS came back with high aluminum in the oil three times. dropped the pan, bad bearings,turned the crank,new bearings, flushed block(6). Truck hauling a tag with a 320LC on it, coming across the 104, takes to hammering. pulls over shuts it off.Spun #6 rod(7). And another one dropped and exhaust valve comin up from the valley hauling topsoil and a tag with a D5.(8) This is one of cats worst engines in my huble opinion, maybe were just haveing bad luck. We have a 3406B 425 with 3.2 million on the block. been majored a couple times. We have owned 3306's 3304's 3406's 3408's,C-10's, C12's a C-16, old low speed D318, D326 and D342s Heck even a V8 D13000 in an old shovel. And we have never seen problems like with these 3116/3126. And those havent spoiled our relations with cat at all. We have 5 980Gs, a 988G, 8 769Ds, a 972, a 980C, an it38G, a 375L and cat gear older than both of us combined, and they still go. The technical communicator ensures that we are having bad luck, and two brand hammering new topkicks with 3126Es arrived in our yard last week. Gonna try them again and see whats changed. With any luck they last till 300,000 and well sell them.
