Caterpillar 3196 and C12 Lawsuit Update - March 2009

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Activity from class attorneys has been painfully slow (snail pace) for the last two months.

Cat's attorneys filed approximately 8,000 pages of documents and exibits with the court at the end of December, just before trial was scheduled to begin.

It is my understanding that class attorneys wanted to decipher and digest the new information before pressing ahead. The class representative has promised to update me with news of any recent activity within the next week. Class attorneys need to get a "Men Working" sign so class members can tell the difference between activity and lack of activity.

On a different and more personal note, Caterpillar finally broke the silence and responded to one of the many letters I have written during the past eight years concerning my engine problems.

I sent a seven page letter in February to customer service, Caterpillar Marine Power Systems, and received a one sentence reply which reads, "Due to the pendency of a class action lawsuit involving engines at issue in your letter we cannot, by court order, respond at this time."

One sentence in eight years is a great start. Maybe when the court order gets lifted, Caterpillar will send me a real response. Or, they can send it to my next of kin since I'll probably be dead of old age. Until then, I won't hold my breath.

I continue to hear from individuals about problems associated with Cat 3196 and C12 engines. I would particularly like to hear from anyone experiencing problems with 3196 and C12 engines equipped with the latest version (216-5147, rev. 3) aftercooler.


For more information about the class-action and the aftercooler defect involving Caterpillar 3196 and C12 marine engines, visit my website: http://www.catdefect.com-a.googlepages.com/home

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[go boater]

wow. i just read through your site. you are handling this better than i would. this kind of crap occurs far more often than we know of in many fields.

i'm just picturing my old man with a set of these engines in his pleasure boat thinking... well, it has been a few years since the last overhaul. he'd never even consider searching for the aftercooler defect.

settlements are only there to avoid class-action suits. sorry they didn't step up to the plate for you.

i hear there's a boat out of OCMD called the Pumpin Hard that has had nothing but problems with their ACERT's and have had numerous breakdowns in the first two or three years they've had the boat.

'eff CAT!

[Storm]

wow. i just read through your site. you are handling this better than i would. this kind of crap occurs far more often than we know of in many fields.

i'm just picturing my old man with a set of these engines in his pleasure boat thinking... well, it has been a few years since the last overhaul. he'd never even consider searching for the aftercooler defect.

settlements are only there to avoid class-action suits. sorry they didn't step up to the plate for you.

i hear there's a boat out of OCMD called the Pumpin Hard that has had nothing but problems with their ACERT's and have had numerous breakdowns in the first two or three years they've had the boat.

'eff CAT!

Thanks for the report about my site. After all of about five minutes spent inspecting a new John Deere at a local trade show, it's obvious the Deeres are far superior in design than Caterpillars.

Rumor has it the aftercoolers on Deeres are built by the same manufacturer as Cats. Not sure whether or not this is true. The difference being, Deere aftercoolers are isolated from the engine rather than integrated. Condensation can't drip directly into the intake ports like it can on Cats. Deere aftercoolers are much more accessible, allowing repairs and maintenance to be performed much easier, quicker, cheaper. Cooling water is plumbed to the aftercooler through rubber hose rather than tubing, reducing condensation and vibration issues. While I didn't do a thorough inspection, it appears that the cooling hose is attached to the core outside the aftercooler housing, rather than inside the aftercooler housing - eliminating the possibility of raw water seeping into the housing. This is a problem on Cat engines because the o-ring seals that complete the cooling tube to core connection have a tendency to breach from vibration stress, thermal stress, and possibly from excessive water pump pressure.

At least from the perspective of aftercooler design, it appears engineers at John Deere have developed a far superior product for the marine market than the product Cat is producing and selling to its uneducated or uninformed customers.

Having spent eight years dealing with Cat's inadequately designed product and its tight-lipped customer service department, I won't buy another Caterpillar engine. After ten years of defective aftercoolers, it seems Caterpillar design engineers still don't have a clue. I'm no rocket scientist, yet five minutes spent analyzing a Deere or a Cummins and the solution seems obvious.

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