,5.9 Cummings complete crate engine.

[fenceman]

Anyone done this.
Engine in question is over 300,000 and only water pump has ever been replaced so I'm wanting as complete as I can get.
.
Any advice on suppliers, warranty, and budget would be much appreciated.

Engine in the truck still runs good but with a few other things to address. I feel I need to consider new engine in the decision to repair or replace.

 

[Till-Hill]

Buddy mine had 686,xxx on his when she quit counting the miles. That was 10 years ago and they still pull trailer with it when needed. Everything on 5.9 can be fixed/replaced. If you know your motor I'd be tempted to overhaul it rather than buy someone else's fixer uper....

 

[jltrent]

I looked at a 2006 Ford 6.0 a few days ago that they had just put a used 12V Cummins in it that came out of an ole school bus. It looked good and sounded good. I think the changeover kit was around $2500. It was one of the older Cummins 5.9 with the one piece valve cover, injector pump like a farm tractor and very simple looking.

 

[Cabo]

My problems have been transfer cases and transmissions rather than engines. I wish everything else was as good as the engines, especially the bodies. Saw this on Craig's List------http://memphis.craigslist.org/pts/5423454632.html

 

[saltbranch]

300k is not something to worry about on a decently maintained 5.9 in my experience. I have ran several 5.9's well into the 600k range hotshotting. Thats pulling a 40' G/N, loading to 15-18k k on top of the trailer and countless hours of idle time sleeping in the trucks etc. Everyone that I have sold was because the rest of the truck was falling apart, not a engine related issue. You can always run a compression check and that will give you piece of mind. Another thing I did was send oil samples in for analysis. FYI, the guy you bought the JD tractor from, the one I delivered....he is a 5.9 guru. He has built some bad to the bone 5.9's and knows them inside/out.

 

[Nesikep]

If it's running good now, don't worry about it.. fix the oil leaks if it has them and whatnot, you can put another 300,000 on it
My dad's has 300,000 miles on it and it runs like a top.. there's lots of people running them hopped up to 400hp and getting long lives out of them.
What year is the truck? 12V or 24V?

JLtrent, the "older" ones would have had 6 individual valve covers (12valves) and the 1 piece valve covers would have been 98.5 and later.

I did a ground up rebuild on mine... I wouldn't rebuild one without doing some extra work to it.. mild head porting and a Colt or Hamilton stage 3 camshaft will really help them when pulling above 2200 RPM, and REALLY makes a difference if you have 4.10 gears in fuel mileage. On mine I put an aftermarket controller for the newer 6.7L cummins VGT turbo, a #10 fuel plate, and some 1998 model year injectors, I'm pushing close to 500 hp, and when you're pulling a load, that's about the limit of the rest of the drivetrain. I'm the local 5.9 guru here it seems, though I lack a little experience on the 24V's, I have one coming into the shop next week to brush up on my skills.

 

[fenceman]

It's a 2005 nesikip, runs fine but seems to be developing a little blowby. Need to do some front end work, new shocks and springs. And Tranny rebuild. 250,000 miles on the auto tranny and it pulls a trailer every day.
What's life expectancy of injectors and injector pump?

 

[True Grit Farms]

The old fashioned mechanical pumps and injectors should be good for 50k+ gallons of fuel. It's all in keeping good clean filters and maintenance. Fenceman, how many times have you changed the fluid and filters in the transmission?

 

[fenceman]

Religiously. The old man taught me maintance is the cheapest insurance a man can buy.
On the work trucks that pull trailers daily I change trans filter fluid inside 35000. oil changes never ever go past 3000 even on the diesels.

 

[HDRider]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but I have to ask is the 5.9 that good, or are these kinds of high miles normal for diesels in general?

That Memphis CL ad sounded pretty good.

 

[True Grit Farms]

The older light duty diesel truck engines from both International and Cummings were 500k+ mile engines. The EPA has screwed that all up now, thanks to the liberal tree huggers. The best thing about the old diesel trucks is they'll burn any kind of oil. I've burnt transmission fluid, cooking, motor, and hydraulic oil in mine.

 

[Nesikep]

I think the 2005 was the common rail 5.9.. basically the same engine but a VERY high pressure pump.. I don't think they like running on anything except diesel, and DO NOT run them out of fuel, and make sure you have a good primary fuel pump to supply them with enough pressure of cool diesel so they don't heat up.

My buddy's truck had 1.2 million kms (750,000 miles), many of which were on logging roads and it was never opened up.. it was removed due to oil leaks and the turbo died on it... I'm going to be tearing it apart in the next year, and probably a set of rings is all it needs, will be replacing bearings too as a matter of course, but his oil pressure is fine and there was no knocking.

Yes, the 5.9 was an excellent engine, and as much as i don't like any V8 diesel, the 7.3 ford was a long lasting engine as well... the 6.0, despite it's horrid reputation, can be made to last fairly well too or so I hear.

It sounds like most of your problems aren't related to the engine, so I don't see the point in a new engine right now.. As long as it's running well I wouldn't worry about a little blowby... There are some modifications to vent the blowby and bypass the oil catch can to prevent it from getting your rad oily (I know this is the case on 1998-2002 models, dont' know about the later ones)

 

[fenceman]

Thanks

I really wasn't considering doing anything to the engine at this time. But since engine, turbo, injection pump and injectors are all original.
I,m weighing the budget of possibilities against buying a new truck. Doing the labor my self, could a complete longblock with pump ,turbo and injectors be done for 12,000?

 

[Kingfisher]

I would call somebody like Green Leaf and price a used motor w a warranty. From a "I need a dependable truck to run my business" Id call my accountant about investing in a new truck. No way id put 12k in a worn out Dodge.

 

[fenceman]

I would call somebody like Green Leaf and price a used motor w a warranty. From a "I need a dependable truck to run my business" Id call my accountant about investing in a new truck. No way id put 12k in a worn out Dodge.

I can deduct repairs all in one year. Not so with a new vehicle. 12000 ain't much compared to a new 3500 4x4. Especially when its going get beat to he'll it's first week.
Who's Greenleaf are they local

 

[Kingfisher]

Yea but you still have to spend that 12k! Green Leaf is big salvage/recycle co owned by Ford. They are in Ft worth and other cities.

 

[fenceman]

Yea but you still have to spend that 12k! Green Leaf is big salvage/recycle co owned by Ford. They are in Ft worth and other cities.

I don't believe I'd spend that on a salvaged engine. Already got one of those.

 

[Nesikep]

I'd work on everything else first.. all that will cause more problems than a little blowby.

Around here I can get a decent used Cummins 12V engine for $1500-3000, Auto tranny is about the same price.

When I built my new engine, I got lucky and found a completely sleeved block, new pistons, new head, crank, etc but missing all the peripherals for $1500, I splurged and put an aftermarket cam ($700), head studs ($600), of course all new OEM gaskets and oil pump ($1000) and bearings ($200)... I still want to do the injectors, but all said and done I'm into it for $5000 and I have a mill that's probably making 4-500HP... A good turbo will be about $1000 for a new one, you can probably just throw new bearings and seals in yours for a lot less money, perhaps get a larger compressor wheel installed.. I'd recommend a 60mm compressor for a good compromise between response and good towing capability.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but I have to ask is the 5.9 that good, or are these kinds of high miles normal for diesels in general?

That Memphis CL ad sounded pretty good.

That kind of miles WAS normal for light duty Diesel engines before the EPA screwed them up and people started believing that they had to have 400 plus hp and be as quick as a sports car in a 9000lb truck. Now not so much. The new engines themselves might last till a million miles, but chances are that you will have to replace a couple of $10k plus fuel systems in that time.

 

[saltbranch]

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but I have to ask is the 5.9 that good, or are these kinds of high miles normal for diesels in general?

That Memphis CL ad sounded pretty good.

That kind of miles WAS normal for light duty Diesel engines before the EPA screwed them up and people started believing that they had to have 400 plus hp and be as quick as a sports car in a 9000lb truck. Now not so much. The new engines themselves might last till a million miles, but chances are that you will have to replace a couple of $10k plus fuel systems in that time.

Ditto.....that's a large part of the reason I went to gas on my new F-250, that and the 10k up charge to the 6.7 . I can replace the complete motor for around 6k if need be. I should be able to 250-300k out of it and get another new one], or at least in theory.