Hi all, Assuming all goes well tomorrow, I'm buying a truck that has a Caterpillar 3406E in it. Anything in particular I should look out for? The shop is supposed to ensure that either no engine password is set or, if there is one, tell me what it is. How can I verify that? I've also asked them to disable the idle shutoff timer and the speed governor. Any other parameters I should get them to set while we're in there? Is there a list of ECM parameters somewhere? Thanks!

if it was me i would look for the age of the truck. if you could get a older truck (pre 01) you can get a truck that gets super mileage this is before epa change class 8 trucks. im not sure the year exactly but its around that time and i never had a cat that made good mile after about then. why a cat? i dont like the way a detroit pulls but i never had a truck get 8mpg but a detroit. that one i got 1.1 mil out of the first engine.

The truck is a 1997 Peterbilt 379-127. So this particular 3406E is pre-02 emissions and pre-ACERT.

In other words, it's one of the good 3460Es.

yep, do you know someone at a cat house?

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pm me, if your ever in my side of the state and need a tow i would give you a real deal and set you up with someone to help you out with repairs i have a super wrecker.

Don't know anyone at a Caterpillar dealer. But if you do, I *am* going through Jacksonville on the way back home from Indiana with the truck. (I don't feel like paying the tolls on the turnpike.)

I drove it today, by the way. If negotiations go well, it should be mine tomorrow.

cool deal hope all goes well get some pics on here and
like to see pics of your super wrecker

dead cat c-15

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nice wrecker looks good

it dies on the road every two months. but thanks. it has 75,000 miles on it. the wrecker body is so nice but the 18 speed cat combo is the dumbest thing we ever did. 5960 bucks a month. lots of down time. shoulda gota cummins!

That sucks about it dies every two months, and a hole bunch of gears,its hard to have a dead truck with a big truck payment i worked on cat motors alot so if you have any question i might be able to help yeah

thanks but we have over 300 truck numbers here. its just a sorry engine. we have mounted fork lifts, cranes from 15 to 75 ton hydro. 300 flat beds 4 landols (thats one in the pic) three lowboys two hydro and one mech. one roll back, and one three axle wrecker. im just under the impression the last good cat was the 3406 and even then when you look at the last 20 years of service and fuel mileage the only thing cat made that was a real killer was a add campaign. (if its not a cat its a dog) all and all they dont last as long, they dont get the mpg, and the parts are 30% higher. we wanted the wrecker in a pacar and thats what it had in it. if we had it to do again it would have been a glider with no power and we could have put a kta cummins or a 12v92tt detroit

wow your booming then i see what you saying, i like cat (to work on) but as for driving im the last to know, my first motor i love is the detriot 60 ddec4 before the egr crap and the big cam cummins and N 14 but i will work on all whats the bigest issue with your 3406

3406 ? i would say mileage. but the big wrecker has a c-15 and that has been the ecm and it lets the rockers go and tosses them out the valve cover. like i said its a shame. the truck is real nice. the wrecker body has so much power. the wenches never stall. the stinger never says no. the c-15 just sucks. it has a 475 that feels like a turd anyway. power comes in slow. not at all like a bigcam. feels like a golf cart with a dead batt

ha ha yeah i here you there thats what i ment was the c15 them rockers do like to rock out a little too much, been there done many, thats to bad about the motor that is a nice kw

see thats the thing. this was not the first year for the 15 so why didnt they fix it? why did they sell it like it was knowing they would come apart? THIS TRUCK HAS 75K ON IT! its still smells new. you know what im saying? a 12v92tt would have been my choice but live and learn. besides i dont think it would fit under that silly little hood