c/diesel-mechanics

Bought a cheap injector puller set, nearly cost me an engine teardown

Last month I grabbed a $45 injector puller kit off the auction site because the shop's Snap-on one was out for repair, and I figured how bad could it be. The slide hammer threads stripped out on the second injector in a 6.7 Cummins, leaving the injector stuck halfway and oil dumping everywhere. Has anyone else had a budget tool fail at the worst moment, or am I just unlucky with that brand?

0 comments

the_river•13d ago

That day in Laredo last summer still haunts me

We spent 11 hours on a 2014 ProStar with a stuck injector cup, and just when we got it free, the customer rolled in with a second truck that had the same exact noise, has anyone else had a run where the same failure shows up twice in one day?

0 comments

umaadams•14d ago

Blown head gasket on I-80 outside Reno, my mistake cost me 900 bucks

Lost coolant on the climb east of Reno last Tuesday and kept pushing it to the next exit. Should've pulled over at the first steam puff, but I was trying to make a delivery deadline. Got to the shop and the coolant test showed combustion gas in the reservoir, so it was a full head gasket job. I replaced it myself in the yard over 3 days with a torque plate borrowed from a buddy. Has anyone else gambled on a short run and paid for it with a bigger repair bill?

0 comments

shane_perry29•21d ago

Air dryers vs. spin-on filters, my 18 month test on an old Peterbilt

I run a 2008 Peterbilt 379 for a small fleet out of Fort Worth, and for a long time I just swapped spin-on dryer cartridges every 30k miles. After 18 months of doing that, I switched to an integrated air dryer with a separate purge valve and started checking the compressor unloader once a month. The difference in moisture buildup in the tanks is night and day, my drain valves barely spit any water now compared to the sludge I used to get. The spin-on filters were catching particles but they weren't doing squat about condensation in the summer heat down here. Took me about 4 hours to redo the plumbing and mount the new unit, plus 80 bucks for the kit. Has anyone else made this swap and noticed their brake valves lasting longer?

1 comments

felixb25•21d ago

The Penske PM trap that cost me a blown head gasket

Last spring I picked up a used Freightliner from a guy outside of Nashville and he swore the oil cooler had been done. Pulled the service records from the local shop and sure enough there was a PM ticket from a chain that rhymes with Penske, but the date was 14 months before I bought it. I trusted it and ran it hard for three months until the coolant started bubbling at a job site. Now I tear every cooler open and check the gasket myself, no matter what the paperwork says. Has anyone else gotten burned by trusting a fleet's PM log instead of popping the cover?

1 comments

evah40•28d ago

That flexplate noise turned out to be a flywheel bolt from a 2008 F-550

Rig came in last Thursday with a knock that sounded like a cracked flexplate, I've seen that plenty of times. Pulled the inspection cover and the bolts were snug, so I dug deeper, turns out the flywheel had a hairline crack around the pilot bearing. Replaced it on Friday and the customer was shocked it wasn't the torque converter, which is what his usual guy kept guessing. What's got me is how many folks skip checking the pilot bearing area first, it's a 30-second look that saves a whole teardown. Anyone else run into this where the obvious culprit is a red herring and it's the cheap part hiding behind it?

1 comments

dylanbell•1mo ago

I'll take a 12-valve over a common rail any day of the week

Been working on both for years at my shop outside Houston. The common rail trucks are faster and quieter but I swear they break down twice as often. Had a 2016 Ram come in last Tuesday with injector issues - $2,800 quote to the guy. Meanwhile my buddy's 1998 12-valve has 400k miles and still runs on the original injection pump. People talk about power numbers but I see more of those high-pressure pumps fail than anything. The simplicity of the mechanical injection system just wins for reliability. Give me a P-pump and a manual trans and I'll outlast any of these new electronic trucks. Has anyone else noticed the repair frequency difference between the two?

c/diesel-mechanics

Bought a cheap injector puller set, nearly cost me an engine teardown

That day in Laredo last summer still haunts me

Blown head gasket on I-80 outside Reno, my mistake cost me 900 bucks

Air dryers vs. spin-on filters, my 18 month test on an old Peterbilt

The Penske PM trap that cost me a blown head gasket

That flexplate noise turned out to be a flywheel bolt from a 2008 F-550

I'll take a 12-valve over a common rail any day of the week

Hot take: Pre-fueling filters aren't worth the hassle for most of us

Check your injector crush washers before you seat them

Almost lost a load last Tuesday because I skimped on a $80 brake line test kit.

Spent $75 on a cheap glow plug puller and it snapped on the third truck

Wasted $180 on a 'pro' diesel coolant flush kit from a random website

Old timer at the shop told me I was ruining injectors by dry-starting engines

Hot take after visiting that big diesel shop in Dallas last month

Roadside job in Bakersfield taught me to always carry a spare serpentine belt

Just realized I've been torquing head bolts the hard way for 3 years

Vent: Just had a fleet truck come in with oil pan full of coolant from a bad EGR cooler install

After 10 years, I finally switched from conventional oil to synthetic in my old Cummins and I was wrong about it being a waste

PSA: Always check your oil cooler lines before a long haul

Put a fresh set of injectors in a 7.3 Powerstroke last Tuesday and got way worse fuel economy than before.

Stop using brake cleaner on injector seals. I keep seeing it.

Pro tip: If you're fighting a water in fuel issue, check the tank pickup screen first

Saw a guy use a Harbor Freight ratchet strap as a timing belt replacement on a 7.3 in a dirt lot off I-40 last Tuesday

Remember when you had to use a torch to break loose rusted bolts?

Water pump went out on a 6.7 Powerstroke near Flagstaff last Tuesday