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Old 11-22-2017, 02:42 PM   #1
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Opinions on MaxxDT

Hey all, looking at a 2009 bus with a MaxxDt466 engine in it.
I know the preference is to stay away from the newer buses with the emission controls etc, but wondering how much more of a pain they are. I can get a decent deal on this bus with only 80 thousand miles on it, it has me thinking. Are they as reliable etc as the older ones?

thank you!

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Old 11-22-2017, 03:13 PM   #2
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as far as emissions engines go, the Maxxforce DT was one of the better ones, but still it was sibject to damage with stuck EGR, and DPF issues , in general the school bus fleet operators seemed to think it was better for sure than the Maxxforce 7 or Maxxforce 9.. I dont know how it compared to the cummins of the time..

2009 busses are Dubious to me as to why they are being solkd at such a low mileage and young age... did it fail state inspection due to cracked frame, crash damage, etc? or does it possibly have mechanicasl / electrical issues that the school decided were costing them too much to chase down.. so its being sold.. or is it something as simple as the bus has no A/C and new standards mandate A/C.. ive seen several handicap busses in cities sold for this reason..

I would defimnitely want to ask lots of questions and look it over well before buying.. if it is really in good shape and on auction.. its new enough you will be bidding against other schools and churches.. so keep in mind the price may go high
-Christopher
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Old 11-22-2017, 03:17 PM   #3
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thanks for your input. I found the bus at a dealer, so they will stand behind their sale. i will try and find out some more history, i did not know about the AC thing!
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Old 11-22-2017, 03:19 PM   #4
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Maxxforce sucks. Go for something earlier without the expensive headaches.
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Old 11-22-2017, 03:21 PM   #5
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some cities / counties are mandating A/C for handicap busses.. its a fairly recent thing and isnt a set standard for a state or the USA..

having thermoking add A/C to an existing bus can be upwards of 8-10k. so for a bus that is slightly older but not really ready for sale.. (ie 2009) , a district may just decide to buy a new bus..
-Christopher
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Old 11-22-2017, 06:08 PM   #6
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I would never buy a vehicle with that engine.
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Old 11-22-2017, 08:46 PM   #7
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The company I work for buys thousands of I-H straight trucks a year. The Maxxforce DT466 is such a piece of junk, starting in 2016, they are now Cummins powered. It's too bad, they used to be a good engine.
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Old 11-22-2017, 08:50 PM   #8
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I wonder if Cummins will make it through the next "tier" of emissions.
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Old 11-22-2017, 09:56 PM   #9
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The MaxxForce engine was so bad, IH had to abandon it as even the dealers couldn't keep them on the road. It's too bad, the DT466 was such a good engine before that.

There's a reason such a new, low mile bus is so cheap!!!!
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Old 11-22-2017, 10:58 PM   #10
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I drove those junk engine powered buses.... Need I say more?

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Old 11-22-2017, 11:21 PM   #11
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thanks!

lol, awesome- thanks I think I get the gyst.
Am now looking for a pre 2004 DT466, or at minimum a pre 2007 DT466
and NO maxxDT
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Old 11-22-2017, 11:22 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vanisle View Post
Hey all, looking at a 2009 bus with a MaxxDt466 engine in it.
I know the preference is to stay away from the newer buses with the emission controls etc, but wondering how much more of a pain they are. I can get a decent deal on this bus with only 80 thousand miles on it, it has me thinking. Are they as reliable etc as the older ones?

thank you!
lol, awesome- thanks I think I get the gyst.
Am now looking for a pre 2004 DT466, or at minimum a pre 2007 DT466
and NO maxxDT
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Old 11-23-2017, 07:51 AM   #13
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No on the MaxxForce motor. Our bus barn HATES those buses.
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Old 11-23-2017, 07:56 AM   #14
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No on the MaxxForce motor. Our bus barn HATES those buses.
Pretty much everyone seems to. A few dealers seem to like having them as "late model low mile" units for those who don't know any better.
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Old 11-23-2017, 08:04 AM   #15
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Maxxforce DT or Maxxforce (7,9,11).. theres a BIG difference from people ive talked to in the 'DT' vs the numeric ones.. Maxxforce 7 (aka ford 6.4) being the WORST of the worst.. .

Now that said, granted, theres a reasn navistar doesnt make engines anymore at all.. and given the nice even near perfect busses out there that are pre-07/08. id probably be inclined to say buy one of those if you can find one...

also the Pre-Maxxforce engines, navistar gives away the software to read / program the computer.. they dont do that for the Maxxforce stuff..

-Christopher
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Old 11-23-2017, 08:12 AM   #16
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There seem to be a lot of different maxxforce engines out there.. Are they all bad and for what specific reason?

I have a bunch of mercedes OM617 engines. Pretty legendary stuff according to many. If the vacuum pump ball bearing brakes it destroys the timing chain, camshaft and some more.
How can an engine that is designed like that be legendary???

If it runs good, has no blowby, leaks, weird sounds then I would not be to worried about it. To the overall price of a bus conversion a used engine is cheap.

Later J
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Old 11-24-2017, 10:48 AM   #17
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I have a bunch of mercedes OM617 engines. Pretty legendary stuff according to many.

If it runs good, has no blowby, leaks, weird sounds then I would not be to worried about it. To the overall price of a bus conversion a used engine is cheap.

Later J
I loved the 617 I owned in an 83 300TD for many years. Never heard about the failure mode you mentioned while hanging out with other Mercedes passenger diesel folk.

with regards to your point about the cost of a used engine swap, maybe yes maybe no. An unexpected four to eight grand might be enough to sink a project, or a bus you've already moved into.
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Old 11-24-2017, 11:45 AM   #18
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In comparison what is the average cost for an in frame if you break a DT466? Assuming it's hired out.. I have a feeling a great many people here projects would be sunk if a DT needed inframe or a transmission scattered..

Knowledge of how to avoid, prevent and catch a failure early is number 1, and then learning mechanical skills to fix things that can lead up to engine failure. ( fan clutches, coolant and oil leaks, turbo health) etc..
Christopher
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Old 11-24-2017, 12:29 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
In comparison what is the average cost for an in frame if you break a DT466? Assuming it's hired out.. I have a feeling a great many people here projects would be sunk if a DT needed inframe or a transmission scattered..

Knowledge of how to avoid, prevent and catch a failure early is number 1, and then learning mechanical skills to fix things that can lead up to engine failure. ( fan clutches, coolant and oil leaks, turbo health) etc..
Christopher
If its a really worthwhile bus, then an inframe or transmission is just a cost of doing business.
IDK how much labor would be, but the parts are around $1100 or so.
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Old 11-24-2017, 02:34 PM   #20
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dan-fox..google om617 vacuum pump damage... and you can read al about it.

regarding the maxforce thread... to let an otherwise perfect bus go because of the name or brand of engine while that engine is running well at that moment seems to be silly to me.
some people here have strong opinions on cat, or cummin ,i forget.....to expensive or so...in general the big expensive stuff does not break. Some egr stuff causes problems but some easy maintenance /cleaning can all help with that.
I think computerized engines have a way lower chance to have a fatal failure. There are sensors and shutdowns for all kinds of large problems, coolant leaks , oil level, transmission level and although one can experience that as unreliable the reality is that half of the engines on this site that have experienced overheating complication would not have had the problems if they would have been computerized.

So to me , if that maxforce dt466 would have been running good and the price would have been $ 2000 lower then one of the " preferred engines" and all other things being equal the I would have gone with it.

later J
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