The 10 Best Truck Engines ( EVER)!

[@snidelywhiplash285]

In my years of driving- the 12.7 liter 60 Series engine is my favorite. I spent many years sitting behind (and over top of) them. I was never the first to the top of hill with a Detroit... but they were very reliable engines. The fuel economy was excellent, parts readily available and you could always find someone to work on them. Horsepower is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills.

[@kirkkrieger9360]

Series 60 Detroit, 3406B Caterpillar, and a 6NZ block C15 Caterpillar. You can keep all the rest of them.

[@kc9ctc]

I’ve worked as a Cat dealer mechanic for 30 years and the 3406 was one of the best engines Cat ever built...

[@rambladesmanmoe6291]

Yes sir. The 1693 was a beast. I started my apprenticeship with Caterpillar (Peterson Tractor) in 78 and there were plenty of them still on the road. In my opinion it was the 3406B. That engine dominated the truck market in the eighties and nineties. It broke my heart when CAT stopped putting engines in trucks.

[@SmartTrucking]

Mine too!

[@christopherb.f.shorescarol3178]

I prefer a 99’ N14 Red Top Cummins. Very reliable motor. I got over 2 million miles on mine and she’s a great motor.

[@g41thomas]

60 series detroit is my absolute favorite

[@ant0n0vich]

Just bought my 1st truck - 2007 International 9400i. I know International has probably the worst reputation these days, but this older model is actually pretty damn solid. It has a Cat C15. So I'm glad to see it mentioned here by someone who's been in trucking way longer than me. 1.25m miles, no rebuild, still running strong.

[@matthewhansen5008]

That is a good fleet truck. Figure it has the C15 Accert engine with twin turbos. Very reliable engines. Now the C15 Accert Regen engine will bankrupt you.

[@TruckerMan850]

I love this guy trucking stories, They're the best and reminds me of my Dad trucking stories...RIP pops

[@davidwatt7919]

I've driven CAT 3406/C15, Cummings 350/ N14/M11/ISX and Detroit S60's 11.1/12.7/14.0 and my overall best is the Detroits series 60 when it comes to efficiency, maintenance and durability. I've told guys if tuned properly you can get CAT power and still maintain efficiency, I've owned the 12.7 and currently the 14L and wouldn't trade for the world (Detroit S60 to life)

[@redbluesome2829]

I earned my CDL with the Detroit Series 60, and its what I have in my own truck. Hard to argue with something that simply works.

[@avega2792]

The old Detroit 2 stroke engines will be forever engrained in my head. I grew up with those 2 stroke Detroits in Crown school busses and my favorite part of field trips was listening to those engines scream! When I became a driver I fell in love with the CAT 3406B! When I quit my company job to be an OO I downgraded to a truck with a newer Detroit and hated the lack of power compared to the 3406B.

[@tbillington5064]

We have a 3406 550 1850 yellow motor.engine has 4 +million miles on it.it is in a 379 which I bought new..same block same crank. Overhauled twice,I have been in this industry for 47 years! That truck and that engine put me on the map period

[@rvdelivery]

I agree. I have three Detroit 60s on the road today. Today, nothing beats them.

[@SmartTrucking]

Really good engines. Time tested.

[@TheRoadhammer379]

I agree, all 3 of my gliders are 12.7 Detroits. All tuned for 600hp/1850tq. Diesel Freak tunes are the way to go.

[@stevenfoust1979]

I have drove a truck most of my life but now with health issues can't pass the medical exam so my wife says be happy with retirement but watching your videos takes me back to west coast runs. Thanks for videos.

[@kirostar12]

I've been driving almost any engine out there and Volvo D12 is my favorite. The best reliable engine ever! More than 1m miles and never replaced a single injector yet.

[@ballincobalt4184]

Don’t go to a d13 you’ll be changing injectors often

[@truckandtractorgarage740]

I'm surprised that the 6-71 and the 8v71 Detroit diesel's didn't make the list. They were pretty reliable engines and weren't that expensive to work on. The 6-71 was used in trucks for 50 years!

[@midevolgamingvortex8844]

Wasnt around for long but the Cummins Signature 600 is a beast of a motor, C15 and C16s, N14, 3408.

[@burkevinell]

Cummins N14 Celect Plus 525hp. Even Cummins reps say it was the best motor Cummins ever built.

[@sdudley11]

total agree the cummins N14 celect plus was the best motor cummins ever built, my dad had one when i was growing up that thing was a beast it took everything he gave it and some. he finnaly had to rebuilt the engine when it got 1.2 million miles on it was starting to burn oil to this day he still drive it and wouldnt trust any other engine out there in reliablity

[@MrNastytrucker44]

My n14 2,000,000+ still going

[@McClellan71]

@@MrNastytrucker44 I'm at 1.1 million..

[@michaelvrooman5681]

The biggest problems I've seen with the N-14 was the accessory drive seal and some had problems with the oil pump shaft moving when they got over 800, 000 miles. Other than that i consider those N-14 cummins to be one of the very best out there

[@TheRoadhammer379]

KTA600!

[@joeyc_yeet6207]

I absolutely love his stories

[@whotf888]

Who doesn't? Old school guys tend to have the best stories, because of less resctrictions, I guess.

[@Bendigo1]

3406 was a great engine, despite the small issues. If taken care of they would run forever and pull like crazy. I drove a t800 with 3406E put 500,000 miles on it, after someone else put 400,000miles on it. Someone else has put another 500,000 on it and it is still running great. Only one in-frame and a few minor things ever done on it. The engine will probably out lats the truck the way it is going.

[@GAME-pg8zt]

I got a 2006 freightliner classic with Detroit 60 series pushing 550hp and I love it...have owned it for 3 years and no problems...

[@SmartTrucking]

Good to hear!

[@DeiselDemon]

My favorite still is the 92 series Detroits.... off the line grabbing gears like Mario Andretti! So much fun to drive....6v and 8v were the ones I played with the most, but the 6-71 was fun too. 60 series and 3406e are up there too and the N-14. Mack 350 was a beast. No power in the one I had (cam snapped, never was the same after) but couldn't kill it no matter what!

[@RCRWJR]

I dont know much about big rig engines but love trucks since I was a boy looks like the top from comments are : (1)Cummins N-14 (2) Cat 3406 (3) Cummins 400 big cam

[@Littlejoeeee]

Love the 60 series The truck i learn on was a 98 freightliner classic .. that thing would pull on any truck on the hills 🚛 .. it had a great eaton 13 speed ... only bad thing was the mpg 😂 ... it lasted about a million miles .. then rebuild the engine ... everything else was stock .. it lasted about half of million more.. diffs and trans never changed 👍👍👍👍

[@jholzer1989]

N14 Cummins. 60 series Detroit, 6NZ Caterpillar are definitely the top 3 pre-emissions engines to come out in the last 20 years. The newer ISX Cummins is a great engine once it's deleted. Next do a video on the worst engines. I'm sure the Maxxforce would be near the top.

[@TheColbles2009]

jholzer1989 I drove a maxxforce for a day and it was burning oil 😂

[@McClellan71]

Maxforce is actually good motor if it's deleted. It's the emissions that fail. It's actually a collaboration between Caterpillar and International

[@michaelvrooman5681]

The mercedes MBE was one of the worst i've ever seen

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I like the older 60s. Maybe not the most powerful of the lot, but simple and pretty reliable. Maybe not a winner of any particular category, but a good underdog gettin it done in the background.

[@nicke1903]

I know on fire truck Side of things it's hard to beat the DD15 or ISX Cummins. We had a 4x4 FL80 with a Mercedes Diesel and it had 0 Balls, we have a International 4X4 now it's literally new so not enough time on it to break it yet but with the Emisions and all the Idling a Fire Truck does it's just not ideal at all.

[@ohcamsrazor1966]

In Australia, the series 60 is very good. But the DD15 is giving lots of trouble. Engine harness, rocker box leaks, holes in pistons, cracked exhaust manifolds.

[@timinla64]

Drove a 3406b for years and still think it’s the best overall engine I’ve ever driven. Always had good luck with the series 60, also. My last truck had the 485 hp X-15 and it was ok but nothing special. Still love the 425 with the 15 speed!!

[@keving8026]

Yes, the Mack engines are great! The E6-300/350 are my favorite

[@riteshpahladsingh3819]

Detroit Diesel 2 strokes are the best in my opinion. Swapped a 8v92 in a 1994 DAF CF75 logging truck. That thing is insane.

[@markvoos6774]

Mack E7, 60 series Detroit and the old two stroke Detroits, big cam Cummins, iron lung Cummins

[@Alex462047]

International truckie here. In NZ, the C-12 was the undisputed "king of the hill" (C-15 as well, but that is a big engine for NZ). C-13/C-16 didn't get the love for reliability reasons. Haven't been there for 10 years, so don't know how the 60 series DD motors have taken. Japanese gear has always had a following because of it's reliability, and continues to do so. In Australia, the 3408 is a road train engine and, together with the Mack e9 motor, is still in use. C-15s are rare birds these days on the east coast, there are more DD-15s flying around these days than anything else. Paccar (DAF) motors are a hit-n-miss affair. The 510hp units keep dropping the cylinder linings on number 6 cylinder, rapidly and catastrophically over-pressurising the cooling system and blowing hoses in random places. Cummins ISX/Signature/e5 are a bit of a mixed bag. The series 2 twin cam wasn't bad, but the rest of them get niggles. The turbos reliably fail after a period of time, their shafts are only about 6mm thick at the typical point of failure. As in NZ, Japanese gear has it's fans. In Russia, 60 series DD is the American motor of choice. Out of the Europeans, Volvo is the most reliable, Scania runs second to them and the new MB Actros with it's Daimler straight six is said to be fairly good too. Out of the local engines, the KamAZ 740 motor is probably the most numerous, but has weak big ends. The YaMZ 236/238 engines are hands-down probably the most reliable of the Soviet/Russian line-up, though they are quite thirsty. YaMZ also produces a copy of a Renault motor under license, which is used by Belarusian truck maker MAZ, but they have been problematic with emissions gear (I don't know what it is with Russian manufacturers and electrics). Keep 'er shiny side up!

[@graystone5.3]

My favorites are the series 60 Detroit’s, 3406b cats, 6-71 Detroit’s, 8v92 Detroit’s, and 12v71 Detroit. Sure those 2 stroke Detroit’s don’t have an abundance of power, but they are reliable as heck. They also sound great, especially with straight pipes.

[@RD2564]

Great story about the Lettuce King and the Detroit 60 Series, outstanding.

[@SmartTrucking]

Thank you!

[@thomasgoller7621]

I started my driving career in 08 so I never got to drive a truck with a CAT engine but I have drove 3 with 60 series Detroits. When I went solo with Swift in Early 09 my assigned truck was a 2008 Frieghtliner Columbia with a Detroit 60 and a 10 speed Eaton Fuller. Later took a local job for a company running end dump trailers and they put me in a 2000 Frieghtliner Classic then later a 2006 Classic both with the Detroit 60. Very reliable engines.

[@bob75819]

im a detroit guy. ive had several trucks but i value the 60 series and particularly the 14 L.. right now im running a 6nz and even though it has tons of power i would still trade it for the fuel economy and reliability of a detroit

[@jordanpotter2587]

I worked at Detroit reman in Emporia Kansas the place actually closed down this year , they had a really high turnover rate but I can tell you they really put a lot of effort into maintaining quality

[@reggierendert6494]

I saw a video someone put up of touring the Detroit factory, very impressive indeed.

[@fostermervin1]

What can I do to get more power out of my 12.7

[@jimdissinger1524]

I have never clicked on a video so fast! Learned to drive with a 300 Mack, spot on with the whole list. I also loved the E9 Mack V8 but they leaked oil like a sieve!

[@jessicadavis4405]

The Mack E7 series is one of the best not widely known engines and certainly a favorite.

[@msd3848]

Mercedes Actros Year:2004 Transmission: single clutch manual Horse power: 440 Cylinder: 6 The engine and transmission are so reliable. It has 1 Milion Miles. And still running like a clock.

[@whotf888]

Jeez mate. I know a guy, who's running in the Eastern European countries. He drives for a fleet, and he has one of the oldest trucks in the fleet. It has an V8 (from 2003, if I remember well), 480 hp. That motor has about 2.6 million kms, they only had to replace a clutch, because of regular town/ city drives.

[@jarrusjenkins]

Can you get them with a manual? I always thought Mercedes stopped doing them years ago

[@МиколаПолтихин]

True

[@justawhitenigga]

And V8 are good too!

[@spud-from-Nam]

Not a truck driver but I was a truck mechanic for the Cityof Los Angeles for about 10 years working on trucks. I really like your videos. I especially like that you get right to the business of the video and don't waste time . One suggestion, when you give a list of things you like or dislike it would be good if you ranked them fro either best to worst or worst to best.

[@clydeacor1911]

The old Big cam 350 and 400 Cummins were very reliable and super cheap and easy to work on but my favorite engines are the 3406B and 3406E Cat's.

[@tierone4761]

Clyde Acor Good Answer! In 1985-86, I ran a ‘84 Pete 359 with a 3406B with a 13spd. It was a fairly new engine for Cat back then, and it was painted white, not yellow like they are now. It would run with a 400 BC Cummins, but in the hills & mountains the Cat would prevail. Good Day to You!

[@clydeacor1911]

@@tierone4761 ya they did paint them white for a little bit. I have a 1986 359 Pete with a 425B model, last year of the 359 and Corvette dashboard. We also had a 1986 Freightliner with a 350B model Cat that would leave our kenworths that had big cam4 400's at the bottom of the hills!

[@stirlingpickett5253]

Those Big Cams are my favorite I own a 362 Pete with one

[@brianvandorp25]

I bought a brand new 2007 Pete with a 475 Cummins ISX, and once the warranty was off, I did a tune and emissions delete. No more check engine lights, 600 horsepower and 2000 fpt, I still own it, and still love it! Amazing engine break! Just rolled 700000 km on the original brakes hahaha

[@aaroncone6778]

You have your list on engines spot on! I have ran all those engines you have listed, & never had a problem. A couple more strong & durable engines I have ran with no issues, were the Cummins Red Head, Detroit 8V92 silver, and the Mack E-7 400hp. Thanks again, be safe!

[@TheLawman318]

My Uncle had a W900 Kenworth with a 12V71 Detroit. It would pull anything! Loved to hear it run. He had a 13 speed Road Ranger transmission and it would fly! Screaming Jimmy!👌

[@slr379x9]

drive a 14.0L series 60 glider 550hp. Truck goes excellent. It's not quite even with a dd16 as far as pulling but some of them can't pass me. Pretty impressed with it. Best part is it's eld exempt cmon

[@dakotahurt597]

I love my pre emissions cummins signature, it's based a lot off of the n14 and the earlier models, 2000 to 2007 are badass motors that can usually outlast the driver like an n14. I love both

[@truckingotto]

I like Scanias dsc14 from the 3-series. Loads of power, great sound and awesome reliability

[@briandoyle8945]

I have the 3406B Cat in my 88 Frieghtliner. I love the Cat engine. When I bought the truck a year ago, it had sat in a field for almost 8 years. My mechanic put 3 new batteries in it and drove it out of the field.

[@williamjanzen7529]

Cat 3406 b is a great engine and has no electronic components to give you grief .

[@dayanmederos6564]

My brother in law had a FLD with a 3406b.. the truck literally burned on the road.. engine had over 1.8 million miles with no overhold done.. we bought the overhold kit and sold it again .. never use it.. that truck died in the road working strong ! Great engine.

[@aaronsanborn4291]

3400 Series are great motors. I've had really good experiences running the C12 & C15 Cats as well

[@joshpitts7256]

👍

[@6killer426]

William Janzen 3406B is a great engine, the best in my opinion. I love mechanical engines. 3406B best heavy truck engine. B-Series Cummins with p-pump best light duty truck engine. 300 hp Mack is also a great little engine, I used to drive an R-model Mack equipped with one.

[@louiszierlein5814]

I drove the old 350 and big cam 400 for years....still love them. Then I bought a 2000 International with a 60 series Detroit. I don't know how it was set up, but I could run with just about anything out there and still averaged over 8 mpg. All I ever did was change the oil and one alternator. I don't know how long it would have run, because I came off the road and sold it a few years ago. I drove almost everything ever made over the years, and the 60 series is still my favorite.

[@apuuvah]

"Keep the rubber side down" is solid advice. Would be cool to see a similar video here in the good 'ol continent. Wonder how Mercedes, MAN, Scania and Volvo would stack up.

[@tba3900]

I have a lot of Cummins powered trucks in-fact all are Cummins, the N14 444 was a sweetheart but the N14 525 is another level , ISX and X15 are legends , but the original Signature600 pre EGR was my favourite. I still run the signatures as well as the newer engines , but there is something about them that’s makes them special.

[@markknowles8159]

I agree with all your choices DAVE. The Series 60 Detroit was the best at the end of my career-that’s what’s in the Day Cab behind me in the picture. The days of Great Diesel Truck Engines is OVER thanks to the greens.

[@buildingracingvideos4714]

I can't speak on reliability because I only used the truck for 2 years, but the cummins signature 600 I drove was a monster. Always ran at a minimum of 70 thousand lbs and with a 13 speed the only thing it couldn't pass was a fuel station. Liked it more than the 3406's I was used to at the time. Don't know what issues it had after those 2 years but it never gave me any grief

[@SmartTrucking]

Good to hear!

[@kcgibbs]

Great truck engine in class 7 and lower trucks was the IH DT466. Hugely popular, reliable, inexpensive to work on.

[@mahart40]

Kirk Gibbs the shop I work at has 2 customers with dt466 engines in their box trucks One guy has had no trouble at all except for a new set of injectors The other guy has to plug the motor in every day even during the summer and in the winter he has to use an ether injector to start it and he has had injectors replaced along with 2 turbos with a year and a half

[@snidelywhiplash285]

The 466 was a solid engine.

[@TerryByrdJr]

The older ones are 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼 especially the ones in the old square hood 4700 trucks

[@mechanic3371]

No power but they’re are bulletproof.

[@mechanic3371]

Love mine

[@kwwells9900]

237 mack ,300 mack, shiny 290, 350 come apart, 318 Detroit 1st one to the hill last one up, & I like 60 series

[@johncline8416]

Any of the old NTC Cummins Engines. Work Horses.

[@georgewright5631]

WoW im surprised , I thought Cummings was going to make the list. Okay I like the dd15 as well, great video.

[@adambergold4900]

I prefer the older cat and Cummins engines with good power. My all time favorite is the 3406e when they’re turned by someone who knows what they’re doing. A couple of jobs ago I was running logs for an ex-cattle hauler who had 3 3406e 1 c15 6nz and an n14 select plus. 2 of the 3406e trucks were at 650hp and the third 3406e was 750hp. The c15 was also at 650 and the n14 was stock since that was the spare. They seemed to hold up good at 650 with a decent driver in them and the 750 was a total animal but seemed to lose a lot of engine life over the 650. At 650 he claimed his records showed between 700 and 800 thousand miles between rebuilds but the 750 seemed to only get around 600k. All turned up by the same guy. We could haul around 32 ton like a freight hauler at legal weight and that was an awesome feeling. Now I’m back hauling logs in a truck with the isx Cummins at 550 inbred hp and really miss the big power when pulling hills on the road. Especially the back roads that we get on. Plus the older turned up trucks doing the same work we got between 5-6 mpg versus 3.9-4.5 with the inbred emissions motor that’s supposed be so much more fuel efficient

[@xrigtrk]

I hauled lucky boy lettuce, in a cornbinder with a 425 kitty.

[@bezerkura6e715]

Still drive a old econodyne Mack roll off with the 300. I'd have to agree as far as a work horse in the construction trades, Mack definitely is the measuring stick.

[@Truckerdaddy]

Anything 2006 and older yes, 2007 and newer are all Volvo engines.

[@RODBRANTMEIER]

I've had great success with both my my trucks with the Cummins N14 select plus engines. On my current 2000 w900 I went one million and did the bottom half and at 1.6 million, I did the bottom and the top. While it was apart the mechanic showed me the 6 sleeves and they were virtually in perfect condition with no pits, corrosion or wear. He was shocked as a 30 year cummins tech. He asked me what I do for maintenance. I just told him I do oil changes between 12-15k and I check the coolant nitrate readings religiously. He said, "well, that's the secret, keeping the nitrates perfect so there's no concentrated glycol corrosion possible on the sleeves. I've got 685k currently on the inframe and my oil analysis numbers are still great. I love the n14 because it's relatively efficient, very dependable and super cheap to rebuild.

[@mohssenkh6422]

I have pre emission Cummins ISX, overall not a bad engine although when I bought this had almost a million miles on it. It'll need overhaul pretty soon but I can tell you that I get pretty decent fuel mileage out of it.

[@mvcapitolllc.7894]

from the perspective of an owner operator who works on his own equipment I have found the PACCAR MX-13 to have served us well both as a driver and as the diesel technician who has to maintain/repair them. I sure do like the CAT c-14 and 15 as well as the 3406 however, they cost an arm & leg to own.

[@johnnyesparza680]

I've always been a Detroit fan since I was a kid. Respect for the others who like cat or Cummins. But my favorite is the 8v71 Detroit reliable and loud may not be as fast as the others but gets the job done. I'm driving a 1967 Peterbilt 352st cabover and has a 318 8v71.

[@Diesel_Outlaw]

You talked at the beginning about the 300hp Mack from the 70's in the old DMM trucks. We have a couple that we still drive for agricultural use in MN. They are f'ing tough. We had one of the engines rebuilt finally and now it's good for another million miles or so. They just take a lick'n and keep on a tick'n. We have what call our "new Mack" which was built in '98 and we like that motor too. It's just as tough as the older ones but has more HP. I think it has 350hp or 375hp. It has an intercooler that the old ones don't have. If you change the oil and filters when you're supposed to, they just go forever before needing anything done to them. And like you said, they start right up in cold weather.

[@racecar_spelled_backwards868]

I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the Detroit 71 and 92 series. A 71 series was a lot like my grandma... noisy as hell, smoked whenever she felt like, drank like it was going out of style, and yes, even leaked a good bit as she got older. But in the end, she would work with me all day long without complaining. How can you not love that?

[@pierovittori1076]

trucker's poetry =)

[@jeherronjr]

I run the C16 Cat in a Freightliner glider,love my truck, it'll pull max weight up Monteagle,Tn. like it's empty. Sad to say that I'm moving into a 2020 Cascadia next week, I know that I'm going to have separation anxiety but,,,,,,, Life rolls on out here. Love your channel, keep the rubber down my friend

[@SmartTrucking]

I know that's going to be a tough move Jerry! I feel your pain!

[@jeherronjr]

@@SmartTrucking would you make the switch if it were your choice because I do have a choice here. New truck is awful pretty, lol

[@connorsmith713]

I currently drive a 99 freightliner classic with a DD60 and an eaton 13 speed hauling water and yeah it's a little underpowered but overall no complaints.

[@TheRoadhammer379]

Get yourself a Diesel Freak tune on the ECM. Best thing I ever did on my gliders, 600hp/1850tq

[@wintonhudelson2252]

Never owned one but loved the 3408 Cats. No one is talking about the 600KTA? Had a couple of friends with them and they had been "Breathed-on", so heaven only knows what they put out. They were doing heavy haul with them. If they could have gotten traction, could have rotated the earth with them!

[@clintdavis3165]

I never liked cat. They just simply thought to highly of themselves and when it came to buy parts, you had to refinance your house to do it. Cummins has always been my favorite. Won't break the bank when its time for repairs. I have always been afraid of Detroit because my experience, if it ain't leaking oil, it's because there ain't no oil in it

[@paullabbe9505]

Owned a 60 series Detroit and a Cat 3406. Both engines were great, just had to lean each engines power sweet spot. Sold each truck around 750k miles.Never touched the power train other than regular service. I did use an APU on each truck.

[@davidsignor7931]

I have worked on all of them and a few extras the N14 has to be the best ever in reliability and not much maintenance worked a KW dealership and can count on 1 hand how many I ever overhauled main problem was injectors and pan gasket sometimes accessory drive or front cover issues never anything major like a cat

[@GraydonShaun]

My Favourite Engine is the C16 620 CAT. I drove a K100 Flat roof once with a B Double Reefer Detroit Series 60 with 13 Speed Eaton and as soon As It hit the uphill it felt like a 200 HP piece of Crap I had to Back up to a flat surface and pulled away in crawler till the road started to flatten out. The next day I drove the same mountain road with an IH 9800 with a Cummins N14 Select Plus (Also one of my favourite engines) with these B Double Reefer and it went over the mountain like nobody's business (South Africa)

[@shawnwisener1384]

I'll add the 3406 B and E model CATs every one ive had has been problem free and super reliable and tons of pulling power. Will also add the N-14 cummins great engine I run one now and it's been very good to me

[@mikebiro3148]

The 3406 e had injector barrel problems, not head gaskets, the injector rockers would also break on those engines. The hand primer pump would also suck air. I used to fix alot of those as a fleet mechanic. Every single one had those issues in our fleet and other fleets. They also dropped valves on some of them. I did like the engines though, the N14 was my favorite back in the day.

[@kaidebrown8425]

I'm an Australian i had 444 Cummins which did ok for nearly a million. 4 km about 900000 miles. But the best motor ever was my 12.7 liter Detroit that did about 3 .5 million km on one rebuild that was done at 1 .7 million km and was finally replaced with a newer dd4 after 18 years

[@chrisvenaas9839]

I’m a big fan of the c15 cat.. love the torque down low, slide your foot of the clutch and pull! I recently ran a 12.7 Detroit for a friend and was not impressed with the power. Similar hp rating... just a Dog under 1400. I’ll take a 12.1 Volvo over that Detroit any day.

[@bracsim]

What I learned today, buy any truck, trash the new engine and put an old pre-emission engine on it, no more headaches.

[@cataclysmic911]

Detroit Diesel 12V92 with a 18 speed was insane. Fully loaded over 100mph in the desert...back in the day. Boss wanted me to open er up and see what she’ll do. She still had plenty o throttle. Giddy up go. Fav engine I think was Cat 3406B. Pull up the mtns all day long.

[@chuckgilly]

I think he gave the Cat 3406B a bad rap too.

[@JCA-Z]

No doubt them 12v92's could run like an alter boy running from a priest but when you hit any steep grades you were living in 5th or 6th gear.

[@darthhauler9947]

I can top that. Drove a 97 Freightliner once with a Series 60 Detroit. It came stock with a 10 speed direct, but ninth gear dropped a bearing out in California. Didn't have the money to repair it, so I had my brother bring out a 13 speed double overdrive from dad's old Freightliner. Had it installed, drive line shortened and carrier bearing adjusted, and started driving it again Where once I had trouble doing 80 mph, I could now do 85 without splitting my top gear. Just once, I had to know. Dropped off a tall hill, got the call that the road was clear for miles, long and straight road, decided to go for it. Topped the hill at 85, split my gear to run 1500 rpms in the final slot, and stomped on it. Since my truck's speedometer topped out at 85, had no idea how fast I was going but I was passing cars like they were standing still. Topped the other end of the valley and climbed the steep hill fully grossed out without dropping below 85. I know it was stupid, but that was years ago when I was young and dumb.

[@kainhall]

@@JCA-Z classic case of HP sells engines..... torque wins races (pulls tons up hills)??

[@lonewolf6209]

I have a 1992 western star 4900 with a 13 speed and a C15 3606B love this truck this thing well move any thing

[@LamborghiniV12M]

My CM871 (2008) Cummins ISX600 has been a flawless with the EGR delete and running straight pipes..... amazing power, amazing engine brakes!!

[@SmartTrucking]

Good to know!

[@mikelee5275]

Loved this 10 Best truck Engines! My ALL TIME favorite was the 1693 CAT back in the day. Going from a 318 detroit to the 1693 was a dream come true. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Ran with them “BIG AL’s” Those 335 Cummings were bad. The Big Al’s didn’t last long . They were “BAD” but They wouldblow the cranks out the oil pan. then the 335’s would melt down when you turned them up.I guess thats why they put the pyros on them. But the 1693’s were awesome. The only draw back was you couldn’t put a JAKE on the 1693. A BAD draw back! An old time friend of mine put a bulldozer industrial tubo. on his engine. He was the TOP DOG!! When The 60 series Detroit came along it took 1st place. It was bullet proof and had Plenty of power.

[@SmartTrucking]

Good idea with the turbo!!

[@stovepipe9er]

My favourite is the 3406b. Had one swapped into my 79 freightliner cabover.

[@daeshbagcentral5298]

I know you're talking about U.S engines,but the Scania V8 truck engine is such a good motor. I'm not such a fan of the modern Scania cabs,but the engine is a keeper.

[@carlwilliams8354]

We used R Model Mack’s for off-road spotting trucks. We would crank them first and use them to jump all the Detroit powered logging equipment in the winter time. Those old 2 stokes were hard to start in cold weather.

[@donvalharris9819]

I'm a big cam Cummins and Cat man. Got a special place in my heart for the four and a quarter Cat

[@Karlfed1]

My dad ran coils out pittsburgh, and lumber back home. His 1980 359 with Aa 700KTA was his favorite truck

[@niteclydn]

3rd had to have been the 290 Cummins i ran in a Ford Cabover. No matter how cold it was she'd start, and i took TONS of abuse

[@4bfarmsllc262]

They don’t get all the hype that the Cats and Cummins get. I guess the old saying with the two strokes of fill it up with oil and check the fuel still plagues them a bit but the 60 series Detroit has been from what I can tell the most reliable motor since the 90’s. Dads friend had one in a Pete lowboy truck soon after 60 series was introduced and it pulled grades north of Atl. Ga grossing 120,000 lbs without getting below 65 mph. We where impressed! I have always wanted one since then. Last Pete I had housed a ISX 15 and you would starve to death trying to make a living with that truck. 2007!

[@biged7096]

wow, you named all of my favorites except for the KTA 600 Cummings. My father had 4 million with several bottom ends on a 903VT. I thought he was going to cry when they quoted him 20k to rebuild.

[@triptriplett4285]

I have a 13 Cascadia with the DD15, after a PDI tune last year this thing is awesome. We are putting down 600 hp & 2000 lbs of torque it’s all legal & trouble free. 7.0 mpg FYI

[@michaellangdonful]

I like the NTC 350 Cummins as well as the Big Cam 400 Cummins. Also I like the Cat motors. However I’m not a Detroit fan because the earlier ones screamed real loud.

[@ditzy_neko3362]

My dad ran a cabover Pete with a 3406b unitl he retired in 2012. We still have it and it runs. I dont recall it ever having major work done to it.

[@gmpltd114]

Great story Dave! I still like the big ole noisy stinky Detroit 12V71..the jake brake would wake the dead. 👍

[@theoregontruckerT880]

My dad has a 2000 freightliner fld 120 flat top with a 300 inch wheelbase powered by a series 60 Detroit 500 horsepower 1750 foot pounds of torque all factory tuned total stock engine. It wasn’t the fastest truck up hills but it sipped fuel and when he sold it in 2014 it had 1,8xx,xxx miles on it never been opened up ran like a top he only sold it because of California emissions. He sold it to a guy in Klamath falls Oregon that still runs it today pulling an rgn and belly dump it has 2,3xx,xxx miles on it last I talked to the guy and still hasn’t been rebuilt.

[@greglesny2663]

I'm on my 2nd Detroit 60 Series engine first one I sold at 1,950,000 miles the current engine 790,000 miles not the most powerful at 12.7 liter but this thing is bullet proof and with 13 speed trans you can make it work

[@TheRoadhammer379]

Get a good tune, I went with Diesel Freak, 600hp/1850tq, excellent power and reliability

[@wolfhound80]

Over the last 5 years been running freightliner with the DD 15. Nothing but problems with Def systems and coolant lines. Five days in Shrewsbury Mass followed by 3 weeks later 8 days in Tuscaloosa to replace one box. Etc etc etc INCLUDING replacing engine because the plastic housing on the pick up tubes broke and scored the bearing. 4 Freightliners currently Western Star 5700XE don't even get me started on that

[@raymondcanzanese3344]

N-14 Had 2 of them Best Motor ever built to this day Work Horse

[@dennisternent2974]

my 6v92 tta is the most reliable engine i know of. Go out in the morning and turn the key, start her up and away we go. Not the biggest power but getting 8 mpg year round and easy to fix i love it

[@chetgerber6401]

Seriously ? 8mpg? What b-tailing?

[@mikewilliams7993]

3406 Cat & 855 Cummins 1980's Engines, reliable and easy to work on.

[@RandallByrd-oi4fz]

Red top n14 I love it. The 60 series Detroit. C15 cat. Great engines