Re: OT Cat engines

Posted by Jay (ND) on April 18, 2005 at 19:59:54 from (66.231.127.9):

In Reply to: OT Cat engines posted by JPatton on April 18, 2005 at 19:45:35:

I've had 2 topkicks, and by coincidence, a 3208 and a 3116. Loved them both. The 3208 is considered a throw away engine, at least it was in tractors. It was a good engine for me though, it would use 2 quarts of oil in 4000 miles. When I sold it the truck had 100000 miles on it. The purchaser went through the lower end on it as a maintenance precaution and has been running it no problems since - that was 12 years ago. The 8 cylinder engine had plenty of power, but wasn't real peppy. I averaged about 7.5 mpg with that one. My only complaint was the injectors. The pencil type injectors would get dirty easily.

My current topkick has a 3116 in it. That 6 cylinder is a great engine. It's quick and responsive. With 180,000 on it, the only thing besides routine maintenance I've done is repair my intake heater. I change at 4000 miles and it doesn't use a drop. The oil analysis sheets come back great every time. I get 10 mpg with this one - on a road trip I get 11.

As far as the topkicks themselves go - they are ok. Probably not as heavy duty as some, but they are fairly reliable and they ride good. If you travel a lot of gravel (and put on quite a few miles), I would recommend pulling the rear wheels every year pulling the calipers off the disc brakes, cleaning and lube them (I've had best luck with Permatex anti-seize). This isn't just a GM problem, it's across the board on trucks driven in dirty environments with rear disc brakes.

Follow Ups:

• Re: OT Cat engines JPatton 20:07:06 04/18/05 (4)
  • Re: OT Cat engines Jay (ND) 06:10:59 04/19/05 (0)
  • Re: OT Cat engines Bob 20:31:23 04/18/05 (2)
    • Re: OT Cat engines JPatton 20:42:22 04/18/05 (1)
      • Re: OT Cat engines Bob/Ont 05:46:17 04/19/05 (0)

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