QuestionThank you for your response. I have had the ATA pressure tested recently. It has a small leak/crack, but not enough to warrant replacement or cause power loss. The cost of the part is $1,000 which I don't have. The turbo boost is also ok. As for Caterpiller;I have tried to make a complaint to their HQ in Peoria,IL. I ended up with one of their so-called 'higher ups'. I am one small, insignificant owner fighting against a large Cat franchise here. Who do you think Caterpiller sided with? I'm not too terribly upset. Having formerly owned 2 other semis, I am all too familiar with the ploys of most dealerships. In the past, I have caught many who will sabbotage a truck while in their facility in order to receive more work. I'm not merely an hysterical person, I have documented all these incidents in my own private files.
We had the clutch replaced last weekend, which seems to have helped somewhat. Apparently, this too was bad when we purchased the truck. We've been adding ceotane boosters to the fuel. This has been helping. The smoking & mileage have improved. My personal guess at this point is that some of the problems were only results of a dirty engine. The fuel sending unit was out when we got it & the valve on the right side tank broke resulting in the truck running out of fuel 3-4 times. I'm sure the 'gunk' in the bottom of the tanks didn't help any getting into the lines. These two problems were fixed while at the Cat dealer. Also, the truck sat for over a year before we bought it(the owner started it up frequently, but didn't drive it. Do you believe that it's possible our problems may have only been the result of a dirty, 'gunked-up' engine?
Once more, thank you for responding.
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
We own a 1987 Marmon truck with a 425Cat;mileage 634,000 original. In Nov,last year(2003), it began losing power, consuming excessive fuel, and smoking. When it is cold-started, huge amounts of white smoke come billowing out & the engine misses until warmed up. After it is warm, the engine sounds good. However, it has black smoke emitted while driving.
We refinanced our home to get the cash to fix it. Thinking we were doing the right thing, the truck was taken to a Caterpiller dealer. They charged us an enormous amount! Supposedly the air-fuel ratio control diaphram was blown & rebuilt. Then, they rebuilt the timing advance. We were told the operation was road tested & was ok. No diagnostic was run or graph was shown to us. There was absolutely no change in the engine when it was picked up. It has been taken to other dealers(who in my opinion are ALL thieves), and we've been told any number of expensive jobs. These dealers will say it only takes an hour to diagnose, then when its there, tell me it'll take much longer. I've been told everything from a complete overhaul to fuel injector pumps, fuel pump, cam & cam pump. I don't for a minute believe it needs an overhaul with this mileage. The former owner(original owner) took excellent care of the truck. I've been ripped off constantly(for other repairs) and cannot afford to keep throwing money away without results. The truck is now getting approx. 2mpg of fuel. Can you help? Thanks!
Answer -
I apologize for not answering your question sooner. I'd also like to apologize for the way you've been treated at Caterpillar dealerships in the past. Early model B engines are sometimes known to white smoke and run rough when they are first cranked. The black smoke is a sign that the engine is getting too much fuel and not enough air. It seems that the air/fuel ratio may not be properly adjusted. It could also be that your fuel settings are way off. With 600,000+ miles, part of the power issue could be that the governor flyweights have worn through the thrust washer. This can cause the engine not to receive full fuel and may cause low power. I recommend that you have the air charge cooler pressure tested. If this is cracked, your boost pressure will be low and may cause the black smoke. It should not take more than forty-five minutes to an hour to have this checked. Having the fuel settings checked shouldn't take more than one and one-half hours. After doing these two things, if the truck still has low power, the governor may need to be checked. Our shop charges six hours flat rate for a governor rebuild on a truck. Parts can run anywhere from $200-$300. As far as your previous expense, just having the timing advance and air ratio rebuilt, I don't understand why that would be extremely expensive. If you feel that your Caterpillar dealer treated you unfairly, you can get in touch with your Caterpillar representative, not your dealer rep. These are two completely seperate people. You should be able to get in touch with any Caterpillar dealer or OEM truck dealer and ask for the number of your local Caterpillar rep. I hope this helps. Let me know. Again, I apologize for taking so long in answering.
AnswerAny crack in an air charged cooler will cause power loss. I realize that these are expensive but it needs to be replaced. I recommend the Duralite air charge cooler. This has a seven year/one million mile warranty. Its quality far exceeds any others on the market. The issue of power loss from a gunked up fuel system is questionable. The CAT fuel system is somewhat simple. Just make sure that your fuel quality is good and if you still have a low power issue, I would look at the governor.
