Truck Repair: General 3406 A information, nozzle tips, caterpillar dealer

Question
I have an 82 KW COE with a CAT engine marked 3406 SBA.

What is the optimum RPM range for this engine.  How far can I lug it down before shifting.  How high can I rev it.

At 1750 RPMs it can really buck and kick under light acceleration. Is this a problem?

Answer
The best running RPM range is 1600 to 1700. I would recomend
down shifting at 1300 to 1200. Top RPM should be no more than 1800 to 2100 depending on performance specs. If I had the engine serial # I could look up performance specs. The
rough running problem could be a timing advance issue. It could also be the nozzle tips are weak and not atomizing the fuel properly. If the engine is bucking hard I would have it checked due to it being hard on the drive line. I would talk to your local Caterpillar Dealer or truck dealer.
Not many technicians under the age of 35 have worked on the 3406A cat engines. The fuel systems and timing advance are different from the 3406B engines.
Hope this helps.
Kevin