Cat vs Cummins
WE are considering trading our 36' gas coach for a diesel pusher. I've been trying to educate myself before getting too deep as this represents a major investment for us common working class people. ...
Forum Discussion
I have had both and the 3126-E Cat engine through 70K miles has been a very good engine. Get 8-9 mpg.
And the person that wrote that Cat engines give lots of problems does not know what he is talking about. You can go through the archives in this forum and the only problem with the rear radiator coaches was the slobber tube that did not have the extension and was getting oil on the radiator which needed cleaning, but if the extension was on like it was on mine you would never get a drop of oil from the slobber tube. Fact if you added the proper amount of oil instead of over filling, you would never have a problem with oil coming out of the breather tube.
Now back to the archives in this forum and you will find all kinds of problems with the ISB Cummins which was blowing holes on the side of the blocks. Blocks that were manufactured in south america. Also the ISL engines had problems with wrist pins that were not machined right and were causing engine failures. Cummins did install a light on the dash that would tell you when the engine was about to blow up.
I also worked with massive Caterpillar engines on locomotives and they are hard to beat.
Reason why Caterpillar and Mercedes got out of the RV business was because the emissions by the federal government was too strict and it was not worth it to the company since they already had plenty of other projects in the construction business.
But both engines will last you a life time If you take care of them. Cummins seems to have finally straightened up their act and are NOW producing some good dependable engines. But they had lots of problems a few years ago.
Wolfe10 had some very good links on the problems Cummins had with the wrist pin situation on another thread.
And the person that wrote that Cat engines give lots of problems does not know what he is talking about. You can go through the archives in this forum and the only problem with the rear radiator coaches was the slobber tube that did not have the extension and was getting oil on the radiator which needed cleaning, but if the extension was on like it was on mine you would never get a drop of oil from the slobber tube. Fact if you added the proper amount of oil instead of over filling, you would never have a problem with oil coming out of the breather tube.
Now back to the archives in this forum and you will find all kinds of problems with the ISB Cummins which was blowing holes on the side of the blocks. Blocks that were manufactured in south america. Also the ISL engines had problems with wrist pins that were not machined right and were causing engine failures. Cummins did install a light on the dash that would tell you when the engine was about to blow up.
I also worked with massive Caterpillar engines on locomotives and they are hard to beat.
Reason why Caterpillar and Mercedes got out of the RV business was because the emissions by the federal government was too strict and it was not worth it to the company since they already had plenty of other projects in the construction business.
But both engines will last you a life time If you take care of them. Cummins seems to have finally straightened up their act and are NOW producing some good dependable engines. But they had lots of problems a few years ago.
Wolfe10 had some very good links on the problems Cummins had with the wrist pin situation on another thread.
