Considering a Caterpillar Purchase?

[Storm]

My Cat 3196 is showing all the familiar signs and symptoms of after-cooler failure, most notably excess crankcase pressure (blow-by). The engine is once again spitting lube oil out of the dipstick tube and leaking from the various gaskets, grommets, and seals. The engine has accumulated approximately 3,000 hours since a 2006 overhaul. The impending overhaul would make three overhauls during the past nine years, three replacement cylinder heads and one major repair including camshaft and valve train components.

Cat's so-called "expert" statistician, Dr. Rose Ray, asserts that; based upon six years of warranty records, the latest version after-coolers have a 2% failure rate and 95% have an anticipated operational life of 11,000 hours. 90% have an anticipated operational life of 60,000 hours.

Since probability and statistics were never my forte, maybe Cat's Dr. Ray can share with me the probablity of two latest version aftercoolers on the same engine failing during the past six years, both at approximately 3,000 hours. Despite Cat's claim to the contrary, first hand experience tells me that Cat's newest after-coolers are no better than the originals. More information about defective Caterpillar after-coolers is available at my website:
http://www.catdefect.com-a.googlepages.com/home

Storm

[aprilfool]

storm do you do regular oil analysis with every oil change? we never used to do it but after losing an engine to a aftercooler failure it has saved us alot of bs since!

[Deep C]

Not unique to Cat... Blew up an old cummins 903 at 2400 due to aftercooler. Had a dipstick blow oil on 671's with about the same... Have blowby issues on a 6v92 with 1585 hours showin in the window... Other side is showin 2185 and no issues at all. The 600 hours difference between the two tells me that they replaced one at only 600 hours...

Buddy with C-12 acerts just passed 4000 with no issues... And he runs hard... So its hard to say what or when...

If not cat then who? Whos got a 650-720 horse mill that will stand the test of time? I've seen the qsm11's new in the box with issues...

[Fortunamate]

we have 2500 hours on our cat 3126 300hp and have yet to have any major problems at all so ill let you know but she runs like a champ and is very dependable

[aprilfool]

sad to say they are all junk! we have 3500 hrs on c30 cats and i am sure the minute we are out of wartty they will lay an egg! you start pumping that much hp out of these engines i will promise you they will not last???

[Storm]

I know plenty of satisfied John Deere customers. You can run a Deere all day, everyday, and it still won't quit. Caterpillar has a million excuses why its engines break, ie. exhaust is too low, wrong propeller, back pressure, owner abuse, lack of maintenance, "harsh marine environment." Blah, blah, blah. You stick a John Deere in a boat any which way and it seemingly runs forever. No excuses. John Deere backs up its product and takes care of commercial customers that rely upon their engines for a livelihood. Cat sucks. Since the last rebuild, I've typically run my engine 600 rpm's below WOT throttle because I don't even dare run it at normal cruise RPM anymore. And the engine still won't last more than 3,000 hours. Again, Cat sucks.

Storm

[Questsportfishing]

not the greatest at weight to hp but then again so were the 8-71's .. the cats are just trying to pull way too much hp out of the locks. the service on inner coolers and after coolers is ridicules also now .

[Storm]

As for Cat's oil sample program, I don't trust the technicians at Cat SOS to give me a proper analysis. I sent a sample to Cat eight months after my last engine overhaul and it showed high iron of 142 and high copper of 399.

I'm so fed up with this piece of crap engine I don't care anymore. When I pull the engine this time, I think I'll truck it back to Peoria where it came from and drop it on Cat's front steps. I just want the nightmare of Cat ownership to end.

[Younger]

As for Cat's oil sample program, I don't trust the technicians at Cat SOS to give me a proper analysis. I sent a sample to Cat eight months after my last engine overhaul and it showed high iron of 142 and high copper of 399.

I'm so fed up with this piece of crap engine I don't care anymore. When I pull the engine this time, I think I'll truck it back to Peoria where it came from and drop it on Cat's front steps. I just want the nightmare of Cat ownership to end.

Cat sucks, no doubt. Anyone with any kind of diesel engine should do a regular oil analysis, ESPECIALLY for motors getting close to the end of the warranty period.

[Flatdog]

Ok so Cats suck I've been hearing this from all over the world so what are you going to use Volvo,? Lugger? Cummings? If you were too drop twin 1000hp motors in a 58 ft boat,what would YOU use?