REVIEW: Everything Wrong With A 14.6 CAT 3406b Diesel

What could possibly be wrong with the 14.6 Caterpillar 3406b diesel engine?
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Cat Diesel Engine Explained! Here's everything you want to know about the all mechanical 3406, 3406b & 3406c CAT series diesel engines that led to the C15. #RichReviews #EWWengines
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[@realwildwildwest]

I’ve got one of these beasts in my cabover.. put an updated round port head, got rid of the square tubing manifold, replaced it with an e model manifold and turbo from PDI. Dropped about 200 degrees on my EGTs and has unbelievable spool response. Can’t hardly make it blow smoke now with the pump at about 500 hp

[@yankeeapple5615]

What are you getting for mpg?

[@realwildwildwest]

@@yankeeapple5615 if I drive it really nicely (like there’s an egg under the fuel pedal) I can get 5-5.5 hauling cattle. If you throw nice driving to the wind, it’ll suck right down to 4.5. They’re really sensitive to how you drive them it seems like.

[@briancummings4128]

I had a 1986 Kw W900B model with an Albino 3406 B engine and when I sold it,It had over 4,000,000 miles on it and the last I heard it was still going strong in South America. Origional Crank, Cam and Fuel pump. One of be best Cat Engines ever Made.

[@kendrickdelosreyes5381]

4M??? How many times was it rebuilt?

[@billchasser8978]

I had a Freightliner 12064 kit in the mid ‘80s through the mid 90’s. I put a 3406 DITA (originally a 380 HP)in it from my former Freightliner 9664. I had an out of frame done on it prior to installation in my logger. Early hi compression pistons, pump was turned up, pump timing bumped a couple of degrees, and a 400HP turbo installed. It dyno’ d at 620hp. Peak torque was at 1100 rpm and would hold that rpm pulling grade. The 3406 was a great engine. I had also run 1693 PC 425hp, 3408 DITA @500hp and my toy truck was another ‘85 12064 with a 3412 DITTA with a 6x4 and DT480P Eaton 2 speeds that was my heavy hauler/ logger. We had it detuned to 900hp. All had Cat retarders and the 3400 series engines were also equipped with Jake brakes. The down side to running all that HO with both the Jake’s and retarders is that the hard facing would be worn if the ring and pinions. My longevity fix would be to use 140wt gear oils and two cans of STP (honey) in the diffs. From replacing the R&Ps 2-3Xs a season to one every 3 years. Engine oil analysis every oil change at 3000mi and using a centrifuge and dual oil filters kept the soot contamination to a minimum. Ahh those were the days when smoke roiling from the dual stacks let every driver know you were running a hit truck

[@billchasser8978]

Damn spellcheck!

[@billchasser8978]

I also ran Nalcool additive in the radiators. Don’t use silicone based antifreeze. I made that mistake once and had to replace the entire cooling system when it plugged the radiator.

[@cornelius6304]

@@billchasser8978 you sound like the definition of a man bill chasser

[@user-kn3cy1oz9x]

You changed the oil every 3000 miles? Wow.

[@J.R.in_WV]

How did you manage to mash Jakes work on a 3408???? The 3412 I could see using two complete 3406 setups bud the way they work on those CAT’s with external injector pumps I don’t see any way you could have them work on a 3408 unless you were able to literally cast your own jake housings and machine them yourself….that’s a ton of money and work for a one off… especially considering how crappy the jakes on the mechanical 3406 and the old Mack’s was anyhow. I had an old hand tell me Jacobs never really wanted to mess with those engines because it required an overly complex setup that had to be timed and actuated by a different cylinder than the one it was acting on unlike on a Cummins or Detroit where instead of poppet injectors the injectors were fired off their own rocker and cam lobe and it was super simple to set the engine brake up to trigger off the injector rocker just before it would normally fire and open the exhaust valve early. The Detroit models (53A and 71/92A) were really nice because they used individual master/ drone housings so you could put jakes on any engine of that family regardless of cylinder count or whether it was a single or multiple cylinder block setup.

[@IHSMKBS3]

Dolly Parton addition 😂 I love it Rich. Can’t wait for that semi to be on the road again.

[@PeteDriver530]

back in the late 90's I had a 1995 Freightliner XL Classic with a 3406B, pulled 53 footers all over America with it for almost 3 years. great engine, with an 18 speed RoadRanger, big rears and tall rubber it would run triple digit all night long @ 4 MPG. only problem I had with it was around 525K lost an O-ring on the #1 cylinder liner and all the coolant ended up in the oil pan. local CAT dealer did the inframe, with a few upgrades: newer head, bigger injectors & turbo, some creative tweaking on the pump. it ran strong and reliable until I traded it in

[@jaydowns2376]

I was a heavy equipment operator for many years and wore out several 3406's they will run approximately 12,000 hours with little or no maint. other than oil changes & filters they were on the 623B paddle wheel scrapers. I run them hard for 10 hours a day they used about 12 gals of fuel per hour under max load.

[@shadowwolf8595]

That says enough about the reliability right there. I see more belly scrapers with blown motors than any other equipment.

[@kenberscheit948]

still have 2 3406C models in western star bodies , always start within about 3 revolutions, got my n14 cummins beat anyday of the week . my 6nz cat is a full 25% more fuel effecient then the n14 side by side duty. had some issues with the mechanical pumps ,but then was pulling up to 146000# with a 425 hp motor,was snapping off 3 rear saddle bolts per week, western star says to go back down to 80k loads and it stopped , the motor was putting out enough torque to twist the rearend in the saddle ,stretch the bolts to the point of snapping them . nothing better then the sound of a purring cat

[@calebdean2440]

Kt3406e is probably a good resource to hit up for what actually works to improve a 3406.

[@jakefoskett1604]

Absolutely love that dudes videos. Smart guy

[@davidbeard8803]

@@jakefoskett1604 he's a smart guy but he's said in his own videos the mechanical engines aren't his thing

[@hideowhite]

YEAH ^^

[@cstuart5289]

Worked on tons of these, did alot of heads on them when they were converted to natural gas, most of them were turning small natural gas compressors up in remote parts of Alberta,

[@actionhiro4222]

I have a 3406b with 1.65 million km in a 1995 Ford L9000 Tri-Axle dump Truck. I really love this engine and it's in great shape.

[@actionhiro4222]

BTW - Also have a 3406e in a 1997 Ford L9000.

[@kenmurray4232]

Proper maintenance & they worked well in the day. My Dad had one that outworked my big cam 400 Cummins with the same gearing. Out lasted the Cummins by 250k miles before needing an in frame. You caught all the bad points which weren't many.

[@dieselboybc]

I have a 3406B in my 1994 Western Star tow truck. Fastest truck I own.

[@JOHNKESSLER88]

I rebuilt one of these earlier this year turning a B into and industrial version for a generator set up.The original engine for the generator sat outside and developed rust on the inside and i advised the owner not to run it but we did anyway and it ran for over a year like that until one day it started smoking bad while under load.#2 had dropped 3 valves and it ran half the day under load before #5 spun a bearing and locked it up,it was able to start the next day and hammered like crazy and i told them to shut it down but they're tough engines to go through all of that abuse.We found a "Rebuilt" B engine that i tore down and it was rebuilt but water was getting into the intake because the intercooler was leaking and the shop we got it from said the head was cracked which wasn't true but its all fresh and runs great in that Genset.

[@paulgriffiths8359]

the biggest problem I know of with these in trucks in Australia pulling road trains is big end bearings As Australia is very flat by world standards we really tend to lug or Cats, Cummins and Macks (no lugging a 2 stroke GM) on this heavy work grossing over a 100 tons day in day out The Cats used to and still will throw the big end bearings after many 100's of thousands kilometers doing this type of work, most people found that by installing new bearings in the bottom end at around 500,000 km this made these motors into million mile motors and beyond

[@tyronky]

A friend of mine told me, whenever you buy a truck change the rod and main bearings. Even if the person selling it to you claims they changed them a year ago because as long as the crank and block are good you can fix the motor.

[@stovepipe9er]

It’s true. We did the bottom end bearings on my 1996 3406e, the only thing the engine has needed.

[@wazza33racer]

right on mate.........bearing rolls were essential.

[@aaronhutson2351]

Might look at a Switchblade Turbo for it instead of compounds. Jpaydirt put one on his C-15 acert and is very pleased with it.

[@donc81]

I believe he also replaced the stock turbo on his d9 and maybe another piece of equipment with a switchblade

[@TurboVisBits]

@@donc81 he did, they worked great!

[@moosey1978]

The twins tuned right without Ivas is a force to be reckoned with

[@tommofpv6497]

Came here to say this 👍

[@MrHughk1]

@@tommofpv6497 Me too

[@samwagner31]

They had an old 3406B in my diesel course that I rebuilt the injection pump on. Crazy how detailed that was. Put it on the truck and fired it up, smoked out the whole shop with white smoke. That's when I learned about the importance of making sure that govornor is clocked right.

[@harryharriott5192]

What is the name diesel of your diesel class or school u attend??

[@dantew6708]

@@harryharriott5192 same lol

[@samwagner31]

@@harryharriott5192 it was just my local community college

[@peacewinwar]

Yea I just rebuilt mine and was tripping out cause everytime I set the bull pin it wasn't running right. Ended up being a valve being loose

[@Danger_mouse]

4:53 Rich, we had these Cat engines in underground mining when I started in the 90s. One failed the governor and hung a leg out of both sides of the block 😁👌 The were also a bit under powered, but more importantly, dirty. The soot they pumped out looks 'cool' to some people on the road but when you're stuck underground breathing the same air, it looses the magic 🙂 We replaced the dead engine with a series 60 Detroit and never looked back 👍

[@hansrasch1631]

Underground where?

[@Danger_mouse]

@@hansrasch1631 In Australia. Elphinstone loaders in hard Rock mining

[@tomwinkle5536]

So dd are better off in a big hole in the ground.. good to know

[@omtechxl]

The B was a great engine. A properly tuned 425 was a jewel. Compound turbos? I wouldn't do it, the sound of a B spooling up is magic. Twin turbos on the E engines were problematic to say the least. These were pre-emission engines, yea they smoked if you pinned the foot feed, but were fairly clean with good power when fuel was feathered, and had a reasonable fuel burn. Even in the late 70's and 80's we knew black smoke was unburned fuel, a waste, feather the fuel and it would pay off. Pyro didn't go through the roof either. New emission engines are smoke and mirrors. Not nearly as reliable as old school. Can and will leave you on the side of the road over a wire or sensor. Emission engines are also the dirtiest most worn/dusted engines I've ever torn down, with far too few hours/km to justify overhaul. EGR broke the first rule of mechanics. By recirculating hard sharp carbon rich exhaust into the intake, they broke the first rule of keeping clean air into the engine. It wears itself out prematurely. Costs the owner more money.

[@Idividezero]

When I was driving double belly dumps, my company had a Pete with one of these engines in it. That thing was a beast...it never gave us any trouble, and it almost seemed to like hauling more than 100,000 pounds where the Freightliner (Detroit Series 60) very much was not happy about it. Might have been down to gearing or something else, but it was a good truck.

[@devontrent6986]

Knew a guy that had an '86 Pete he pulled double gravel trailers grossing 140,000. Said he turned it up a little to keep up with 3406E trucks. Never dyno it but guessed to be putting out about 500 hp.

[@olemansailor6519]

I've got a lot of miles on a 3406 "B" model rebuilt to 500hp, 1700ftbs torque. Running legal it would get 7 mpg and never broke down.

[@MichaelStarr--ip6eu]

any advice on how to properly time the B? jsut sawpped out the PEEC injection pump for a fullmechanical pump and have trouble find the correct procedure. (we have the pinning both parts part down, but how do you then adjust the timing?)

[@jackkinney1835]

the first engine I completely rebuilt was a 3406b in school. my teacher told me how to advance the timing advance (believe it also had a later year pump from a previous student) and we pushed 425 hp out of a early 350 hp unit. at the end of the school year we would blow up a engine. that year we had two blow up both where 3406 A models. the first one we where prepping number 5 rod came out right after start up in the shop. the second ran for 45 minutes wide open with cut down main bolts and rod bolts and no coolant we started throwing rocks at the turbo so it would start sucking oil. those engines sure are tough! let me know if I can email the video to you Rich!

[@davidbeard8803]

A low horse high compression Cat might not last long with a newer pump but a turned up 425 will put a big smile on your face and last just fine with a good driver

[@Psycodiver69]

I work for a CAT dealer, just worked on one in a old 950G front loader, 37k hours on it and fires up like a dream but is covered in oil because they like to leak as you said

[@jasonstarnes3838]

I ran a 3406b for years. After its first in frame i ran it 1.3 million miles. Only problem ever was fuel mileage.

[@tomwinkle5536]

1 driver said he was getting 7 mpg with 700hp pdi tune. Sounds too good to be true.

[@PtJudeRI]

Got a pair of the 3406e in my boat. 800hp with larger turbo, cam and intake. 2300+ hours on them, fantastic engines.

[@redmesa2975]

The Jake brakes were weak on them. Just before the B was phased out, the “super Jake” became available. It worked much better than OEM. This is because Cat used a companion cylinders exhaust valve to activate the slave valve. Cummins used the pushrod /injector rocker to activate the slave piston. ( cat injectors are not pushrod activated) The fuel supply hoses to the transfer pump & injection pump were too small. Common upgrade is to go up to a 3/8” hose.

[@petervolk3827]

I'm pretty sure the Cummins ntc 400 855 big cam uses oil pressure to activate the slave piston for the Jake brake.

[@archieharrison9433]

The retarder was wonderful though. No racket and seemed like 50% better than a jake.

[@redmesa2975]

@@petervolk3827 they both use oil pressure. Difference is the Cummins used the injector rocker arm, cat uses an exhaust rocker. The camshaft lobe on the Cummins injector is uniquely shaped. The rocker arm snaps up very quickly, thus giving the Cummins engine brake better responce. The exhaust valve on the cat opens much slower than the Cummins injector, so slowing power is less.

[@logged6607]

@@redmesa2975 you can hear what this guy is talking about if you ever drive these old cats and cummins

[@timcanizares5240]

Super Jake's are hard to come by.... I'm still looking for a set

[@poorfarmer3796]

Have a 3406b. Great motor. One problem I have with it is the timing cover gasket leaks and that is not part of a rebuild kit. Doesn’t sound like a big deal but it was overhauled before I bought it has 200,000 on the rebuild now and it’s $2,000 to replace that gasket. It’s just one of those things that’s really aggravating

[@rebekahfrench5747]

They make silicone in a tube for that exact reason.. degrease it blow it dry and seal it from the outside.. im guessing your talkin about the dribble behind the cover where the block,head n cover meets..😂😂😂

[@poorfarmer3796]

Or I could fix it right and not have a junky ass truck. I try not to have silicone and duct tape all over my equipment. That’s why it goes for a premium when I sell it.

[@RedIron1066]

Love 3406’s of all flavors, but surprised you didn’t mention cold water leaks, cracked heads, or having to cut those damned counterbores!

[@morgansword]

When I worked for TNT construction, Hank sent three dump trucks out to us and his best friend was a driver but wanted the automatic... the other two were thirteen speeds in these L9000 Ford heavy service rigs. We were on a island building roads an it was one of the very best camps I built from ground up. One rig was the detroit and it was always down for small repairs on something as these were rigs that came from a job that ran hard an put to bed wet. I must of used more rod welding boxes up as the detroit was a fast little rig and don't remember but think it was the V6-92 silver engine. The cummins was a big cam four hundred B series and just plain dependable... I did put a twenty button in the pump n it got all the horses it needed. I kinda fell in love with those little fords that were used out there with dirty fuel, bad weather, terrible drivers and the clutches were almost a guarantee to be torn out in two months which is the fastest I've ever seen two women tear shit up. The cat engine was the most dependable but kinda under horsed for that automatic really pulled pony's out of the shop. I did turn its fuel up an then it kept up really well.

[@MurphyTheBandChild]

I'm sure any problems you have with this engine can be solved by using genuine CAT filters, as we all know the 3406 is the perfect diesel engine.

[@joshfeller5060]

lol joking ? or 4 real

[@johngnipper8768]

Fabulous good engine!

[@rsmith8646]

N14

[@cliffordlutkenhaus6915]

I have a 7fb series engine, I replaced the stock turbo with a waste gate c15 turbo, you will have to bend the return oil line just a little bit to make it fit but you will get quicker spool up resulting in less black smoke and approx 15 more lbs of boost!! Your torque range will go from 1750 to 2100 !!

[@MattSchmader]

Great video, I got 4 of these as generators on the ship I work on. Only problem I’ve ever ran into was the new guy claiming he could rebuild the injection pump which we all found out was a lie.

[@electric7487]

_"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people [have too many] doubts, while the stupid ones [have too much] confidence."_ - Charles Bukowski

[@failranch9542]

Good video. Thanks DeBoss. Just one thing to point out though, there’s no way that an 855 inch Cummins only weighs 1410 lbs. That must be its weight in kg.

[@dangerrangerlstc]

Look out for the C12 engine too. Still tons of power, great sound, and better mileage. Under rated engine in my opinion.

[@timcanizares5240]

Yes sir... I like my big cats, but a friend of mine had a c-12 with all the Pittsburgh power goodies and that little mofo would bite the ass of my C-16.... and my truck was no slouch either..... and I have been told a C13 without the twins is a vicious little kitty too

[@wazza33racer]

the C-12 had a LOT of problems. Early versions had incorrect turbo.........multiple failed crank angle sensors. People in Australia universally learned to hate those engines.

[@walterbrown4278]

I agree with you. Great engine. Best electronic engine next to 3406e. I would take a c12 over any other. Owner of many of them. Good engine. Like all they would make the 900k range before needing work

[@rivervalleyfarm482]

The mechanical 3406 lived on into the early 2000's in equipment. D8R dozers 16H graders articulated truck and smaller scrapers used them. Extremely good engines. They will blow head gaskets, but so do all spacer plate engines. Rather than run a compound turbo setup, I would look at a switchblade turbo, or more likely a wastegate turbo from a 550 H.P. 5EK or 6NZ engine. Gives the old girls a wake up call. I have seen these push over 650 to the wheels and not fall apart. Yes the life is shortened but no catastrophic failures.

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Thanks for that, I will look into it for sure!

[@mikesmathers5752]

@@DEBOSSGARAGE I was going to mention the SwitchBlade turbo too... Glad someone else brought it up. @JPayDirt runs them in one of his trucks and several pieces of equipment.

[@johngnipper8768]

They only blow head gaskets if the liner projection is low , that is if it has a steel spacer plate . The older engines had alyminum plates

[@albertfetch3503]

3406b continued on until the earliest 2003 16H graders. For some reason, October 2002 was when everything had to meet the next teir of emissions. Seems to me that the D8R inherited the 3406E shortly before that. But most off-highway stuff retained mechanical until that time. Then the new emissions got the “Global” tag.

[@tomwinkle5536]

@@johngnipper8768 I think blown head gaskets is why they got rid of the aluminum. It compressed too much. Now I think getting them too hot is more of an issue. Some guys replace gaskets without checking deck.

[@ironman3406]

The 3406 was in a ton of stuff - we had them in our 16G graders, 621B scrapers, and D8N dozers, plus in a ton of trucks. Very robust engine and very reliable in the off highway construction industry. I really wanted to try and cram one into my IH R190 but there just ain’t enough room, so I think I’ll have to settle for a 3306 instead.

[@Porty1119]

I accidentally-on-purpose ended up with a 3304PCTA at an auction. Got it as part of a 50kW diesel genset for $1800, still haven't gotten around to doing anything with it.

[@davelevesque9077]

Last summer, I was in a loader 980 with that engine and still runs great

[@philipchesley9615]

@Ironman3406 Yo! I'm currently in a '02 357 and sporting a C12 with NEW cam & lifters. I was told it's a NO GO for a 3406 swap......(heavy sobbing here)....but can I upgrade? The 12 liter kicks butt right now but you never know right? (70K 16whl dump with LoLo) Cheers!

[@ironman3406]

@@philipchesley9615 well the trouble with going to a 3406 is that all the gauges in the truck communicate through the ECM on the engine. A 3406 has no ECM, not saying it can’t be done anything is possible but would be a lot of work. That being said I’m pretty sure you could get a 6NZ C15 in a 357 around that time, that would be an easier upgrade I think, but would still require some work and fit up.

[@philipchesley9615]

@@ironman3406 Thanks! I'll put that in my notes Cheers!

[@sd07dmm]

It’s a common engine in smaller fishing boats in the UK . I’ve heard some fishermen say CAT means costly and troublesome .

[@TheREALLibertyOrDeath]

They all are costly nowadays

[@willk9028]

Our Peterbuilt pump truck has one of these, used to be a road tractor, has over 1.5 million miles and still runs like a top

[@emmanuelpaul6903]

I am currently in trade school and have used a 3406b to learn a lot this year, from my little experience in diesel I love that engine

[@scottskidmore2305]

These were king when trucking was fun

[@nl1cat]

And the cavitation liner trouble , especially when they neglected to change the coolant filter now and then..

[@roadrunner681]

3406e was the best engine that was ever made, i would put them up against anything in its class. i pull overweight loads all day long stop and go and mine doesnt skip a beat

[@niminamino]

320kw gensets commercial fishing boat, long block replacement at 35000 hours, another threw a rod through the side of the block, front and rear main seals leaked just by lookin at it, but reliably worked and did what was asked of them, often more too. If interested two mechanical cat 3512s deep pans for main engines, 1200 rpm, 180 gallons of oil per change, 3406 was around 13 gallons.

[@Goostradamus81]

Use these on the Canadian Coast Guard ship MV Gordon Reid as ships generators. There's 3 of them. A sea water/cooling water heat exchanger was cobbled together for all 3. Constant 1800 RPM 60hz 480V. Had High temp, low lube oil pressure and over speed shut downs. Kept at 60 deg C at all times with Jacket water heaters when off line. I believe these were detuned as well, as to extend lifespan

[@dangerrangerlstc]

Peterbilt tech here. I think the early C15 engines, which have a cam-in-head, shared the same block as the 3406B. The boss for the cam was still there, just not machined. There is an air-fuel-ratio valve on the back of the injection pump too that you have to watch out for. Ran off boost pressure and adjusted fuel pressure accordingly.

[@johngoldsmith6629]

The AFRC did not adjust fuel pressure. It held the rack back until sufficient boost was available for a clean burn. If you set it rich, more black smoke faster acceleration. lean more sluggish less smoke. The FRC comes roughly two ways. Around 1988 or so and back, cocks with boost. 1989 and up cocks with oil psi. The valve determines which style you have. You cannot tell them apart. So it is possible to have either one now a days.

[@possleaholsteinspossbrofar8429]

Had one in my 88 freightliner cabover. Went 2.5 million km before it gave up.

[@j.d.saccociates3313]

There's a pair of 3406c in a boat that I've got something to do with, and yeah when the boat was purchased they were rated at 540 or something like that, although they needed to be de-rated to meet transport Canada regs... Despite operating at that rating for 15 years. They're sitting at 485 now, 60 foot boat, displaces about 40t and she'll do about 20kt if you get your knuckles on the dash The cooling I'd a bit more efficient on a marine engine so they can wring more power from them. Some engines even get seawater aftercoolers

[@connorgreene2731]

My father has one in his commercial fishing boat about 50ft long and built back in 95 we’ve never had a problem with the motor at all put around 27000 hours on it before rebuilding it last summer and putting right back into the boat. One odd thing to note and I’m not sure if it is only on the marine side but the motor was de-rated from 350hp to 250hp by a dealership when it was installed. Still a great engine

[@peacewinwar]

I have one for my commercial vessel and I've kept mine at 350

[@billglassmen9275]

I'm glad I found this channel. I'm the owner of an 06 Super duty 6.0. Bullet Proofed with stock heads, injectors and turbo. I have a couple of things left to do, cab mount replacements, rear sliding window. I starting a LB7 build, motor was ran hot, water in the oil. Also, changing a 5.7 Hemi in a 16 model truck. Depending on what I find with the engine that is smoking I've been thinking about putting it in my 2000 Dakota that has 3.9 currently. I'm sure I will find a lot of answers through your channel.

[@evil_me]

Being that it's a very similar displacement at the 14l Detroit, a K31/S400 80mm (S410/S430 as a new model for the same size) compound setup should work just as well as on the Detroit.

[@tomwinkle5536]

Cat power rocks! Why bring in the negative vibes talking dd. Need a freightshaker with that dd..lol

[@keithcook8173]

The fuel injection pump weight carrier was updated adding stops to prevent the weights from coming too far out. The updated weight carrier part number is 8n2511.

[@curm1778]

I'm a Neonatal ICU RN (Medical Transport). I do not need to know any of this. BUT, the mark of a great teacher is that they can make ANYTHING interesting. For some reason I now want to adjust my life to have this motor in it. Some shop teacher somewhere is collecting all of these "Everything Wrong With" videos and making them required material for their class. What a great series.

[@shadowwolf8595]

I am sitting in a 91 379 Pete with an 89 kct 3406b watching this. A turbo and turning the fuel screws out a bit will get you reliable 550hp. Atleast according to a few drivers and several shops I've talked to.

[@ram_diesel_power6039]

So one thing to say about cat parts is that damn they are expensive. Ever since they stopped making on road motors the prices skyrocketed. Something to think about compared to Cummins or Detroit. Good video.

[@tomwinkle5536]

I am a firm believer in after market parts. Cat only parts is impossible. I have an a/m head and turbo and no problems. Ag kits are good too for overhaul. A lot cheaper.

[@orlowski2018]

My grandfather has a 1993 Peterbilt 379 with a 3406B. Even with the mufflers, that truck roars with beauty.

[@surethatsok]

That would be a short list, I think. Favorite truck engine ever. That sweet whine near idle is like music to my ears.

[@ronnieblack7900]

The 3406 B was also. Bad to blow a barrel in the pump and lock it wide open i owned a 1992 in a Pete and had this happen. I was able to stop it with out hurting it . i did turn it up and was able to run it with a full load at 126 MP with a 336 rear gear and a 15 speed turn a round. Trans . its a dam good motor . i got almost 800 thoundsand miles before inframe. Running across country . good luck and look forward seeing what u put it in . Ron.

[@Patrick-xd8jv]

I worked at a Pete dealership in the mid 80’s. The 3406b was by far the best engine in its time. It got better fuel economy than the big cam engines and the 8v92. They lasted longer, far less maintenance than either the Cummins or Detroit. The only negative was the engine brake didn’t have as much braking as a Cummins

[@minnesotatomcat]

Great video as usual brother, no need to apologize to the haters out there who disagree with you. Everyone can have their opinion and I value the opinions of guys like u that have been there and done that over the opinions of most of the commenters out there who have likely never got their hands dirty on anything more than an oil change. Keep up the good work 👍

[@boB7710II]

My last employer had one in a 1989 freightliner fld120. He used it to pull around a 300 Komatsu. God bless you!😂

[@darrylvandewalle5405]

Grew up in an 89 KW with a 425 HP 3406 truck had over a million and it leaked EVERYWHERE. Never stopped ticking and could pull anything, smoked like a freight train and sounded amazing. I miss the 3406s

[@abbyskip6105]

Got a 3406B Marine (serie 4TB00... 240KW/322HP) built-in around 1985, still in use as the main engine. Really reliable for everyday use.

[@jamesfinn4547]

I run a 3406B cat in my 1985 K100. Was originally 310hp and rebuilt as 400hp years ago. I have used it everyday for 6 years and been great. I wont have computers so fits me perfectly.

[@J.R.in_WV]

I’ve always said they painted cats yellow because you’ll be seeing red when you find out how much green you have to fork over when they break. The 3406A/B was about the least fleet (and budget) friendly mechanical engine you could get back in the day, pretty much exclusively an owner operator or high profit (mayflower movers, etc.) fleet engine thanks to the parts being 2-3x as expensive as Cummins and Detroit and the complicated design of the engine itself using a single, extremely heavy head and a deck plate below the head, also the extreme importance of getting liner protrusion right EVERY time you had them apart. With An 855 Cummins having 3 heads 2 fairly burly men could lift a head off and change a jug in the field, and the detroits were even easier yet to do a rebuild in the mud and parts commonality in the 71 and 92’s meant you could pay the same price for pistons, liners, bearings etc. on a 475 horse 12v71 as a 238 horse 6v71, even the heads off a 6v71 fit a v-12. There’s a good reason so math fleet trucks had green and tan engines in them back in the 70’s, and it’s the same reason why that’s all I’ll buy.

[@maxsav007]

Good stuff

[@rivervalleyfarm482]

At least you can get parts for it. Quite a bit of older Cummins engines are not supported well.

[@NakedDave100]

There are alot of people with all Cat and making alot of money, so all your doing is running your mouth with your wallet!!!

[@netrioter]

I used to make intake,exhaust,cooling and flywheel covers for the 34/35 series engines in Indiana in the late 90s. We used to tack weld and grind porosity in every single part...and not preheat the cast iron. They suck...sorry

[@privateparty4900]

My dad drove about a million miles on a couple 3406s... For me, it's the only engine that belongs under a long hood.

[@theprairietinkerer]

WOOT! 2:25. awesome to see a local guy on the channel. It would be interesting to see RIch do one of these videos on the Ford 300ci straight six. Besides the trucks, it powered many an equipment.

[@johngoldsmith6629]

The aluminum spacer plate was a bad ideal Cat had. The 3406 92U, now called A model all had steel. The early 3406 B's had steel plate and when every one was forced to remove asbestos out of the gaskets. The aluminum plate came out around that time frame if I recall. As the gasket no longer contained asbestos and with the aluminum plate caused numerous problems. The VTU has several updates, depends on what serial number you have. The flyweight carrier in the governor can be updated to a new one. With the new flyweight carrier the weight coming out of the inner housing will no longer happen. Also the flyweight and race can be changed to better ones. The fuel transfer pump had lots of valve problems until they got a design that holds up. The orings on the fuel pump also has been updated and stopped a lot of those leaks. However if you go get parts over the counter, the parts people only knows what is located in SIS and they will sell you inferior parts. The parts book has not been updated to reflect the better seals. If you order gasket kits, they have been updated, most of the time. Best to find a older tech who has around this time frame.

[@kansaman1]

The 2 power generation plants on the USCGC Eagle are 3406s, Laverne and Shirley.

[@johnwilliams4545]

Having driven trucks with these engines when they were new, they were they best mechanical engine. Though I drove more 855 Cummins and I loved the 2 stroke GM's these were the engine to have. All that changed with the Series 60 Detroit of course, the original couple of variants of that engine being the best in my career.

[@Jennifer-007]

This is exactly why I love your channels thank you

[@omittuch1]

I'm a marine diesel mechanic. We rebuild probably 5 3406Bs every year. For some reason we never have head gasket issues. We do see lots of leaking liner o-rings and water damage.

[@peacewinwar]

I still run this motor in my commercial vessel. Biggest issue I've had is that these motor of course are over 20 years old. The injector pump is gonna need service. Ive done my own service on injector pumps and also every once in awhile check your backlash on the valves had one go loose on me after 18 years and made the timing off. Still love this engine and will run it all day over any other diesels

[@rebekahfrench5747]

Drop a litre of engine oil in ya fuel tank before filling. will help keep the fuel pump alive and lube injectors as the fuel we get these days has no guts ,meaning oil content.. notice how it evaporates when spilt..

[@peacewinwar]

@@rebekahfrench5747 i get what your saying. I run marine diesel in my cat and the biggest issue is finding water in my diesel tanks. I run 3 300 gallon tanks on my vessel and where I get diesel from has a water issue in there diesel storage tank. I run 2 water separators but I can running 6 to 7 hours in the water and have issues with too much water running through the separators. Ive rebuilt my injector pump due to water messing up the injector pump not to many times has it ran unlubricated. Probably just a marine issue I guess

[@rebekahfrench5747]

@@peacewinwar water aint the best lube.. have had same issues with mates v12 man..

[@sharonfieber6458]

Fleet had 3406A from 1981 with 380, Cat dealer engine tweeks done. Using 5 and 4 with 46 rearend. Plus Jake brakes mixed with turbo spool up sound "music."

[@jimbojimson]

I have a lot to learn. I have years of experience building gasoline racing engines, and there's no mystery when it comes to what needs replaced and why to make for a reliable engine at extreme power levels. I'm an absolute newbie when it comes to diesels, though, and I'm looking to become an owner operator so I'd like to build a reasonably powerful engine that's equally reliable in over the road use. Most likely going to start with a 3406 but I'm open to other options. 600 horsepower would be okay, but I would prefer closer to 800.

[@xth3clapx606]

Idk all the info of how it was done, but I used to run a site truck that had a 3406B in it with the compound setup from a early 2000's c13. Thing was a monster to run around in. Spooled very low end and very quick to build boost. Turbos supplied plenty of CFM to keep the egt at a safe level even on big hill climbs. If you want I can try and get ahold of the guy that did the swap and see what all you'd need to run the setup

[@DEBOSSGARAGE]

Absolutely, send an email to [e-mail]. Thanks!

[@jamier4792]

I've worked on and driven a few acert c15's that had a single turbo conversation. I was impressed on how fast the boost came up, very little to no lag compared to the factory twins. Also didn't smoke either. They were a borg Warner turbo, but I think they might have a billet wheel installed. I can't say for sure where they came from, I'm guessing Pdi since they had Pdi exhaust manifolds. Single is the way to go, if you can, so much easier to work on.

[@kylegentile2007]

Single swapped c15s spool slower than compounds. The single had to have been tuned to run correctly with the swap so either way it would spool quick because of the extra fuel. But a tuned c15 with the compounds far outperforms a single turbo.

[@craigquann]

Not long gone. I have a 89 Pete 357 dump truck at work with a 3406B. And that old diesel runs like a champ. Smokes a little on cold starts and has a few little oil leaks. But works hard and pulls strong. Dunno how many miles as it's not the original engine or original dash in the old girl

[@edantonuk690]

We have a ltls 9000 3406b great engine very little trouble with regular maintenance ran it for 18 years living in the snow belt the cab rusted away still ran an drove fine

[@705speednstyle4]

Love these videos since it exposes the flaws you've personally experienced working on them

[@beruas.o6661]

Please, do a video on the 4.5 Cummins, it is like the new 4bt, but it derivates from a 6.7, I don't see many people talking about it, so it might be a great video idea ;)

[@cossak.G.nederlander]

Place I worked used them for camp generators with 200L of oil sump underneath and 200 hour Baldwin fuel and oil filter changes. Not a lick of trouble. As soon as the C15's came out -- nothing but trouble including terrible fuel economy and a 2-week+ wait for Finning to come with a laptop. When I started I put them on Rotella which at times even came from Walmart for the best price in the middle of no place Northern BC and AB. External Racor water filter was the only add-on.

[@evansonmbugua8454]

This is among the best and the most detailed videos on a CAT

[@evanjordan7734]

My fuel truck at work runs that engine, we hardly ever have issue with that old beast!

[@Numer1Polak]

Have owned 3406 and 855 cummins and played with hp on both. Both awesome motors with comparable longetivity. Due to the way the fuel systems work the cats have better torque curves and down low grunt while the 855 is peaky (I set them to govern out at 2300). But what puts the 855 at a performance disadvantage is also its biggest positive. Its stupid cheap to do any work on em. You can damn near rebuilt three of them for the cost of one cat, and you can pull off the heads by hand to do the inframe lol.

[@johngabriele6532]

??? Is the heads on the cat the one you needed a special tool to get them off ???

[@Numer1Polak]

@@johngabriele6532 No its just a very heavy single head that needs a forklift and some finesse on tight engine bays. While the 855 uses 3 separate ones that you can heave off by hand if your strong enuff.

[@hardwurkindaddy]

Glad to know this. Going to go see a 1994 FLD120 with the 3406B and rto 13 spd behind it. Was rebuilt by cat (I'm told) 400,000 miles ago while it was in a county plow truck. A year later they scrapped the plow for rust issues and the gentleman bought it for basically scrap value. He planted the engine in his fld and ran it for several years before retirement. It's been sitting since 2019 though, and I'm now worried about those governors... the price is right even if I have to dig into the fuel system.

[@Mr11massa]

I’m not even remotely interested in Diesel engines but, your videos on these are awesome! Always intriguing!

[@beautooth4124]

Add acert turbo to an older cat 6nz. Seem to get better fuel mileage and good Around boost with low Egts.

[@Darth-Nihilus1]

My fire department had an 855 small cam but the truck around it broke. I loved that turbo on it, our pumper has an 8v92ta DDEC 2 with 500 horsepower at 1500 ftlb but the pumper is in need our some love and care 😮 the body is rotting and the pump was just rebuilt, runs absolutely great still but our 6v92ta DDEC 2 in our little pumper has some blow by and was lagging on power. I have to really take a look at it. The pumper is a 1987 and idk what the department we got it from did with it. We did have a CAT 3406b DITA 425

[@tomwinkle1597]

I have the 3406e turned up to 550. Pulls great. The ideal setup for a turbo would be the switchblade. A dude with an excavating biz on KZbin did a video about it. Spools fast to start and opens up for the big end. Expensive though.. combos on a cat are a pain in the ass. Great when under warranty.

[@figifister]

I have 1.33 million on the younger brother C15 Acert 15.2 twin turbo. Never had an inframe. Hoping to get to 2 million before I rebuild it.

[@brucearnold6259]

Rod bearings are old school narrow head will crack above 215 degrees for very long they don’t do good in thin air county D346 engine brake was not very strong hard to start in PA cold weather but as you said they were the absolute best choice back in day and still a great engine to run in today’s world if your 80K or less I ran that engine for about 25 years in a couple different Peterbilt’s

[@mattcrowell7945]

Cat used these in there 980 payloaders and d8 dozers in the 90's these would normally run 18,000 to 20,000 hours with out any major problems. Those were more dependable than the newer ones we have now but they were a lot harder on fuel.

[@johnowen6507]

they do leak some, but i wouldn't trade our b models for any other engine of the era. strong running and capable of well over 450 hp reliably if you drive them right.

[@mackenziejones4890]

We had one in a '97 model if you will advance the timing just a little bit and work on the pump air fuel ratio valve to where it just push out a little smoke and hazes your right

[@darrellrodgers2928]

I've never been this early before. Excellent content as usual.

[@drake_24v_hawkins]

I'm sure your wife has never heard that before...

[@Thatlow7.3]

Lmao that’s a good one

[@tinmanstavern]

Not exactly sure where you grabbed your info Rich, but I wanted to say, the c15 was also a 14.6L except for a couple of serial designations where they were 15.2L. The B model along with all other Cat motors have several variations(serial designations). The different designations (9 variations on the 3406B) have their issues. Great video brother, enjoyed it as usual!

[@BigDaddy-jk6yt]

He literally had a chart saying there were 14.6 versions.....

[@tinmanstavern]

@@BigDaddy-jk6yt the line up @ 1:08 Says 15.2L for the c15.

[@thomaskraemer6583]

I have a late model b in my 1990 Pete. I turned it up to about 565 hp. She's still running strong. I pulled 160,000 pound loads with that truck. What a strong motor. You don't need twin turbos. Turn up the pump, and fuel air mixture. Put on a bigger turbo. And don't abuse it. She'll work hard for you. I currently have 540,000 on the motor now. It doesn't pull anything over a 120,000 anymore but absolutely will.

[@camrentobin4989]

I have a 1991 Pete with a 3406b in it who did the work to your I wanna turn mines up some

[@fredrickblanco4798]

These motors didn’t like excessive idling. Seen this happen more than once where the engine would crack a piston/piston skirt. I was told that it was due to a flaw in the oiling system where there wasn’t enough oil splash( for lack of a better term) at idle to keep the skirt cool and if idled excessively the would heat up and eventually crack. Simple fix was to bump the idle enough that the oil pressure would rise and throw more oil on piston skirts. If you got lucky and shut it down right away you could simply install a new pack in the bad hole and be off again, if not a rebuild due to metal in the oil.

[@chedda2871]

Would love to see a video on a 3408, this had wide usage for small plant, we got one at work in a V250B Tyre Handler (Fork but converted aftermarket). Also, if you ever get hold of the newer Mercedes V8 Diesels OM628/629 I find them pretty interesting would like to see how they stack up compared to the Toyota V8 VDJ (Landcruiser) Engine and the Duramax particularly in terms of robustness.