DIESEL IN COOLANT C7 CATERPILLAR " I have a BEEF "

[jett01]

Hello . recently i had a caterpillar 950 H that went in to a reputable Caterpillar Shop to have work done . They replaced all 6 injectors , orings etc and also a new fuel regulator . The machine came back to us after this work with a hefty bill . We ran the machine for approx 6 hours and a heater hose blew or what seemed to be a rotten heater hose . Fixed that thinking just a minor set back. couple more hours the water pump started leaking really bad . Hauled the machine home and installed a rebuilt water pump from Caterpillar with exchange Core . All seemed good again until the machine developed a leak from the overflow hose of the coolant tank. Thinking very strange i proceeded to take the cap off and inspect... not knowing it was pressured with diesel fuel.( and a face full of diesel spray to boot) . My BEEF is why did they NOT change the injector cups . I guess we do not know yet if this is the problem but my Son who is taking his red seal heavy duty mechanics said that this is likely the problem and should not have been overlooked and the cups should have been changed . Caterpillar service said also that the injector cups are likely the problem here .
My problem here is #1 i am going to be stuffed with another hefty bill for repair from Caterpillar . # 2 I feel the diesel fuel has compromised every ORING in the engine now that coolant travels . My google search says diesel fuel and rubber are not fully compatible . Feed back appreciated please .

 

[big ben]

What was the original problem ? Why did they do 6 injectors ? Did it go to Cat cause you had fuel in the coolant ?

 

[crane operator]

Kind of surprising you didn't smell the fuel when you changed heater hose/water pump/overflow hose.

I had a 3126 with fuel pressure in the coolant system from injector sleeves. We replaced the sleeves, and I haven't had any trouble with other seals in the engine.

 

[Coaldust]

They didn’t change the sleeves or change the rotten hoses, or leaking water pump or perform any other deferred maintenance because the invoice would have been astronomical.

Same old story. Touch one thing and a cascade of other failures will often occur. Now, that the engine is back to rated power with the new injectors, the extra cylinder pressure finds the next weak point.

Where to stop? Just as well put a reman head on it, change the cam followers because they are next to fail. Perform all the TSB’s that didn’t get done.

Nothing but pain & heartache once the hood opens. Broken dreams, disappointment and dread. Buckets of cash, broken relationships. Engine work is dreadful.

Bust your butt for the customer. Skip your daughter’s piano recital to work until 1am, because that yellow iron has to roll in the morning. Shop Forman calls at 3am when you finally get to sleep because he was too drunk to see your text message indicating the machine was ready.

Sometimes it’s just easier to eat peanut butter and sleep in the service truck for a couple hours instead of driving one hour to get home.

Except, you can’t drive home because the new GM says you can’t park your service truck at home, so you drive 1/2 past your home, just to smear grease all over your pickup seat and drive 1/2 back to your home that you passed 45 minutes ago.

 

[jett01]

diesel fuel in crankcase . #1 cylinder not firing , failed , very worn, broken fuel regulator

 

[jett01]

Kind of surprising you didn't smell the fuel when you changed heater hose/water pump/overflow hose.

I had a 3126 with fuel pressure in the coolant system from injector sleeves. We replaced the sleeves, and I haven't had any trouble with other seals in the engine.

i guess i should ask the employee who fixed the hose to go get his sense of smell checked/ fixed . i know he has a condition where he cant smell . anyways i will get it figured out .... thanks guys

 

[Welder Dave]

Despite the cost, I think a good shop would notice or know other things that should be checked or just done since they're in it already.

 

[Jonas302]

I think a sit down with the service manager would be in order I have never had injectors done without there being a discussion on cost and pros and cons of replacing the cups yes it adds cost but it should have been an informed decision

Water pump failure may or may not be related to fuel in the coolant but sure didnt help it any

 

[Acoals]

Nothing but pain & heartache once the hood opens. Broken dreams, disappointment and dread. Buckets of cash, broken relationships. Engine work is dreadful.

Big Iron life right there . . .

 

[Acoals]

just done since they're in it already.

But when the customer gets his invoice and it is $8,000 higher than expected he is going to come on here and want advice, and you are going to tell him to get a lawyer because a good shop would never just do a thing without approval.

Suladas and "Truck heating up", anybody?

 

[Johhnycanuck]

Another possibility is that the injector cup seals were fine until either the hose blew off or the water pump failed, when it was overheated and they were cooked. From my experience thats usually when they fail. Just something to keep in mind if youre going to go in there guns blazing

 

[Welder Dave]

No. A competent shop should inform the customer of what should be done and the reasons why. If the customer declines it's on them. As far as Suladas, he got $500 for the truck and $2000 for the box. If everything he said was true and the shop tore his truck apart without a signed work order, a letter from a lawyer would have been appropriate and maybe something could have been worked out. A letter from a lawyer doesn't have to be threatening. It can simply ask for clarification. If the shop did nothing wrong they simply reply as they would have nothing to worry about. Would you let a shop tear your machine completely apart without your consent?
Remember the infamous D6C loss of oil pressure thread. I was the one pushing Steve to not let the Cat dealer take advantage of him. In the end Cat corporate got involved and straightened things out to Steve's satisfaction. At one point they wanted to keep the dozer and make Steve pay a large repair bill. I'm glad I helped Steve from getting royally screwed.