Breakdowns And Engine Overhauls

Your worst nightmare can be a breakdown and the only alternative is an engine overhaul.

Hey Joe, welcome to Trucking Truth!

This would be true for an Owner/Operator. Fortunately, the company driver will just be issued a different truck and be back on the road the next day. What is your point sir? Surely with a first post worded like this, you must have something else you are wanting to share with us. Curious minds are eager to see where this is going.

Hopefully a story of why to never lease?

In the meantime…………..

I talked to an O/O at a truck stop recently. He has an older, but obviously well cared for tractor. He said he just got his engine (Cat or Cummins, I can’t remember which.) rebuilt to the tune of $40,000. But he got about 2,000,000 miles out of that engine before the crankshaft & bearing went out.

In the meantime…………..

I talked to an O/O at a truck stop recently. He has an older, but obviously well cared for tractor. He said he just got his engine (Cat or Cummins, I can’t remember which.) rebuilt to the tune of $40,000. But he got about 2,000,000 miles out of that engine before the crankshaft & bearing went out.

Big Trucks = Big Bucks $$$. 40 Grand is nothing uncommon for a major engine renovation or replacement. "The heavier it is, the more it's going to cost", is how I look at it. Labor alone will start out costing at least $120 to $200 per hour.

I have an ISX Cummins and according to my mechanic a in-frame is in the neighborhood of 30k. I think the Cat Platinum out of frame is about 40k.

That's when being able to do your own in frame overhauls saves you big bucks!! I see ISX 15 full kits, with NEW head add in new injectors and misc. all for just under $10,000.....The older NH/NT 855 series engine kits are about half the cost in parts. Finally after many years lugging em around, I tossed out all (4) of my cummins factory engine manuals (was formally a Cummins certified engine builder back in the days)