Conflicting 3126 Cat engine information ???????????????????????

[Cat_man320]

Well , as some of you know I have engine issues with my dump truck . Its a 3126 electronic 250hp with an 8YL serial #. The engine is in a 2001 Sterling .
I have been looking for an 8YL engine here in Newfoundland for the last month with no luck other than finding something with just 190 hp.
I have found a newly rebuilt 300hp 3126 from an FL80 Freightliner with a 6RW serial #.
Some people have told me that the transmission can't take that kind of torque (truck is automatic) , some others have said it will work fine .
Some people said to use my own ECM , others have said I have to use the ECM belong to the engine
being different serial #s and a different arrangement in different trucks , is there anything that would stop me from changing out the external components of the engines . Ie: alt brackets , air brackets , bell housing......the 300 hp is a standard tranny and mine is auto.

So can anybody tell me the truth before I dump a wad of money on an engine that I can or cannot use. There are some very smart people here and probably smarter than the dealer people . Any correct info would be truly appreciated . I am a fairly experienced mechanic owner/operator but have never had any experience with the 3126 or what will fit what .
Thanks again for any replies.

 

[Tinkerer]

I know absolutely nothing about heavy trucks. Because of that I cannot give you any answers to your questions. But, I did a Google search and found re-builders that appear to have what you are looking for. Perhaps the the prices and shipping are more than you are willing to pay. There is used one on Ebay also. Here is a link to it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/3126-Caterpillar-Engine-7AS-8YL-70-Pin-250HP-/230925129276

 

[Nige]

Please PM me with the exact Serial Numbers of the 2 engines and your e-mail addres. I can tell you what are the major internal differences between the them.

Externally you can change things like alternator brackets, engine mounts, intake manifolds, bellhousings, etc, etc, to your hearts content to make the donor engine compatible to your Sterling installation. That will make no difference at all to the guts of the engine.

As an initial comment you should use the ECM that comes with the donor engine. The software programmed in it is what gives it the 300HP. Maybe if you find 300 is too much it MIGHT be possible to use the ECM from your failed engine to "derate" the donor engine to 250HP as an alternative to having the appropriate 250HP software flashed into the ECM that belongs to the donor engine. If the need arises flashing the appropriate 250HP software corresponding to the donor engine "iron" arrangement into the donor engine ECM would still be the preferred option though.

 

[ben46a]

Do you know what model allison transmission you have? The torque ratings between the two engines won't be that far apart. Or, If you don't mind trying out of province, I'd give bill lawrence auto salvage a call in rawdon, nova scotia. They specialize in heavy trucks and I wouldn't surprise me if they had one of the 250 hp versions on hand. Do you have the arrangement number of the two engines? I can check on sisweb what is interchangable or not.

 

[ben46a]

And nige beat me too it lol.

 

[Nige]

Fast fingers dude, fast fingers ...........

 

[Cat_man320]

Just wondering if the computer on the side of my failed engine controls the transmission in any way . I may have an engine 300hp , its a 6WR , my failed engine is an 8YL . the donor engine is a 10 speed . would that make a difference ?

 

[Nige]

Just wondering if the computer on the side of my failed engine controls the transmission in any way..?

Not as far as I'm aware.

 

[overworked]

Auto trans should use its own computer, just have to make shure they comunicate in the same data stream.

 

[takman]

Did you end up going with this engine ?

 

[Cat_man320]

Sorry for not getting back earlier but my computer gave up the ghost and now on new one . Well I checked out the donor 3126 and it sounds good , everything looks like it would fit with no changing as all the externals look to be the same . The only draw back is that the donor engine only got a 40 pin computer and my engine got the 72 pin . the donor engine is 300 hp , mine is 250 hp . Just wondering if I put my computer on the donor engine, will it run ok or are the internals on the donor different than the 250hp . will it hurt the engine like burn a hole in a piston or something . At my wits end with this situation . A beautiful Florida truck in mint condition and really can't find a real decent engine without getting something 1000s of miles away and the shipping almost the cost of the engine .
Anyone know if I can use my own computer without damage . Thanks so much to you guys for all the help so far .

 

[Nige]

Need the Serial Numbers of bpth engines to be sure. The 72-pin ECM on your engine vs the 40-pin ECM on the donor makes your engine newer (generationally-speaking) than the donor. It may not matter to you but I wanted to make you aware of it.

 

[Birken Vogt]

I would be surprised if the auto transmission could not handle the 300 just fine. What is the model number of the auto?

 

[takman]

My uncle has a gmc 8500 with a 300hp , valve let go and made a mess , we ended up getting one out of a freightliner school bus . Replacement engine is 190 hp but appearantly has all the same internals , swapping injectors , turbo and ecm will put him back to the 300 . Oil pans , pickups , fan mounting and maybe a couple of other little things to be swapped as well . May be another option for you .

 

[Cat_man320]

Well , I'm still searching for an excellent 3126 Cat engine . 8YL arrangement with about 250+ hp . There were some issues with the other engines I looked at. I am close to desperate now as my truck has been parked all summer . Just wondering if anybody knows of a very low mileage / low hour 3126. I am not looking for a cheap old engine . Will pay reasonable money for the right engine . Please help if you know of anything .

 

[takman]

The frieghtliner school bus engine worked out good , after installation , it fired right up and the truck has been working since . They have an easy life compared to a dump truck and had about 270k km and can be found fairly easily , just a bit more work prepping it for installation .

 

[Cat_man320]

Thanks for the reply takman . So what you are saying is I can take a 190 hp school bus engine , use my ECM , used my turbo and my injectors and I will have a 250 hp engine for my dump truck ?? I have no problem getting all kinds of 190hp engines but didn't know I could bump it up to 250 hp that easy .

 

[takman]

I had the numbers run by cat and all the internals were the same except for an updated part number for the rings . Pistons , cam , etc were all the same . The earlier rings had issues breaking so rhats likely why the part numbers were superceded , the engine we got , although not run before purchasing , had very little visible signs of blowby , and the price was right so he went for it . We had to swap the oil pan and pickup , mounts , fan , bellhousing adaptor and flywheel , injectors , torbo and ecm .

 

[takman]

He looked at a 175 hp , everything was different , best thing would be to get both serial numbers and from a donor 190 to your 250 and have cat run and compare them .