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Old 07-23-2014, 12:15 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
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3126 in frame overhaul

Hey all I just bought a skooile with a 3126 CAT .... On the way home the wrist pin in cylinder 2 broke .... Mechanic is telling me new engine ... A buddy and I have decided to do an in-frame over haul ... Anyone have any experience ? Any tips you can give me ? We decided to cut out the heat shield in the back so that we can access the top of the engine from inside the bus ... Making it easier to work ... I found overhaul kits for about 1500 for 1 piece pistons and about 2000 for 2 piece .... I figured its worth the investment to redo all the cylinders at this time ... PLEASE HELP with any advise ... Thanks

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Old 02-22-2015, 02:30 PM   #2
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Cat engine work

Look around and find a International 466 used from a wreck for $2500..
Install this engine for many smiles. Engines are easily interchanged as many engines are available....Frank
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Old 02-22-2015, 05:32 PM   #3
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Frank-ID is right on! If you can't find a DT466 at least look for a Cummins 8.3L inline 6. Cats are spendy, finicky, and don't seem to have a long life, much less 9 lives.
If you insist on rebuilding your Cat engine, you really should have the HUEI pump and injectors done as well ($1,800-$2,000) if they have not been done, otherwise figure on doing the rebuild again before long!
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Old 02-22-2015, 07:15 PM   #4
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The 3406/3408's had a good track record, but those are from days long ago. They were pretty pricey to maintain then too.
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Old 02-06-2016, 01:14 PM   #5
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I was told by someone here to stay away from DD engine, didn't take much to realize I should stay away from MB engine at all cost. Fortunately, with CAT engine, you're not as blinded as getting into Mercedes engine. As stated, it's not the durability of the motor, but finding the part. CAT owner won't be faced with such difficulties finding right parts, some advertise genuine CAT C7 oil filter as low as $3.
I found some useful internet place, where people have interesting and active discussion on this particular engine. The moderator seem to be very resourceful, possibly working for CAT, but I can never tell. He mentioned that CAT's authorized service dealer is offering in-frame overhaul at $3000 or $6000 for complete overhaul, a steal if you don't want to grease your hands, but it won't apply to your need. If you're interested I'll post the link.
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Old 02-09-2016, 09:15 AM   #6
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You'll have to see if there is damage to the block. If there is, an inframe rebuild isn't going to happen. The 3126 doesn't have liners so if there is a nick or chunk(most likely is if the wrist pin broke) then the engine is toast. I like the mechanical 466, they're simple and reliable.
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Old 02-09-2016, 08:49 PM   #7
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I would scrap the bus and start over.

As others have said, if it was a wrist pin and it did any internal damage you are looking at another engine.

You can purchase another complete bus with good running gear for a lot less than another Cat engine.

In frames can be done. But by the time you have purchased the internal kit(s) and a set of new/rebuilt injectors and pump you will have more into it than what another bus would cost.
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Old 02-10-2016, 08:31 AM   #8
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About a year ago I saw a freshly rebuilt 3126b in Iowa at some kind of diesel shop for $4100. If that sounds reasonable (did to me) I can dig through my papers and see if I can find them again.


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Old 02-10-2016, 08:44 AM   #9
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Cat 3126 Engine Assembly For Sale | VanderHaags.com
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Old 02-10-2016, 10:24 AM   #10
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Hey guys. . This thread has some useful info in it and all, but the original post about a broken wrist pin dates back to July of 2014. I'm hoping rhickman has figured it out since then.
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Old 02-10-2016, 10:33 AM   #11
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I blame frank-id :P
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Old 02-10-2016, 10:36 AM   #12
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haha.. well, to be fair to Frank, it looks like Kwang-Yi was the one who most recently resurrected this thread from the dead.
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Old 02-10-2016, 10:46 AM   #13
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Oh jesus, I didn't even look at it before I posted . Bumping old threads is one of my biggest pet peeves. I vote we blame frank as well
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Old 02-10-2016, 10:47 AM   #14
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Oh yeah. It's not 2015 any more. That's what I get for hiding out in a shop space for 10 months.
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Old 03-02-2016, 10:36 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dburt View Post
Cats are spendy, finicky, and don't seem to have a long life, much less 9 lives.
I am throwing the flag on the field on this one...

My 3126 B had almost 900,000 miles on it before I replaced it. ECM said it had over 2,000,000 idle hours alone.

Rebuild versus buying a good used motor is tit for tat. If you do 1 cylinder, you may as well do all while you have it apart. (Do you change brakes on one side of your vehicle at a time??? ;) )

Buy a rebuild kit for your injectors while you have them pulled too.

I had a #3 cylinder malfunction, scratched the sleeve due to no fuel being injected, replaced the motor with a 300 HP 3126B, originally it was a 250 HP. To replace a sleeve was about 2/3 the cost of a new motor, and now I have the old one to rebuild for a spare. (You can always sell it later for a profit!)

-Doc

And I was replying to a post of the post of the post!
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Old 03-05-2016, 02:43 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Docsgsxr View Post
I am throwing the flag on the field on this one...

My 3126 B had almost 900,000 miles on it before I replaced it. ECM said it had over 2,000,000 idle hours alone.

Rebuild versus buying a good used motor is tit for tat. If you do 1 cylinder, you may as well do all while you have it apart. (Do you change brakes on one side of your vehicle at a time??? ;) )

Buy a rebuild kit for your injectors while you have them pulled too.

I had a #3 cylinder malfunction, scratched the sleeve due to no fuel being injected, replaced the motor with a 300 HP 3126B, originally it was a 250 HP. To replace a sleeve was about 2/3 the cost of a new motor, and now I have the old one to rebuild for a spare. (You can always sell it later for a profit!)

-Doc

And I was replying to a post of the post of the post!
OOPS... just reread this, not 900,000 lol dumb fat fingers, closer to 400,000 miles!
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:04 PM   #17
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Well, you were close.
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:05 PM   #18
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Awww, I was really hoping you meant 900k.
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:28 PM   #19
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I'm sure it would have went further, however, the #3 injector quit working due to the wiring getting brittle.

No fuel means it scarred the sleeve and allowed a large amount of blow by. The mechanic said cheaper for me to replace the motor than just rebuild 1. So now I have 2 motors. I am picking up my hog next weekend and finally getting back to work on it!
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