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Central Iowa | Looking at buying a 1996 Freightliner with a 3176 Cat. Is it a good engine ? What are the Pros and Cons?
Thanks! |
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| I had one would, there are worse ones out there but also a lot better choices also, I had to put in new injectors, head gasket and I think it may have had a cracked head when I got rid of it as it was putting fuel in the radiator. Dennis SEND |
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| Had one in a 1991 KW T-450, never had any problems with it. |
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Soutwest Ks. | I haven't heard much good about that motor. You might be lucky and have a good one, but there would be better choices for engines. |
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Iowa | Well, that should be a 3176B model; with serial number prefix of "9CK"
IF I was to buy a 3176 engine, then that serial number prefix, is what I would look for; BUT I much rather have a C-12 [if looking for a smaller engine].
Short comings of 3176B models are:
oil leaks= front cam cover gasket can be a big leaker(must pull cam and front cover)
oil seepage= Aluminum spacer deck under cylinder head.
noisy air compressor drive= wear in splines of air compressor and gear in front cover(annoying mostly)
water pump weep hole can plug= put coolant in oil, IF water pump seal fails
Cam followers (mostly injector cam followers) can have a bushing failure and ruin the cam(somewhat of a big job)
If the front support bracket, on the upper, left side comes loose(supports front cover) and is neglected, then the front cover can break and cause oil leaks. Its repair is almost the same as a ruined cam.
Head gasket can seep coolant into oil pan, but many improvement have been made over the years, too.
These engines, do run copper sleeves, in the cylinder head(that the injectors seat against), and they can loose their "seal" against the cylinder head and allow fuel into the cooling system, too.
Pros:
Good to Great fuel economy
Lightweight
Remember, I work in a "hospital type" enviroment, So I only see problems, there are many engines out there running day in and day out, too.
Less than two years ago, I rebuilt two 3176B(9CK prefix); each with around 965,000 miles and the fleet owner was extremely happy with them= why he choose to rebuilt them and keep those trucks. |
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Southern IL Randolph County | We have the 3176 in 93 model 112 Freightliner. Have had it for 10 years and have put only around 3000 miles or better a year on it. We had to replace the main front engine mount when we first bought it, which was completely broke. This in turn put things a little out of whack on the front of the engine and has caused some minor oil leakage around the power steering area. Otherwise we have had good luck, but as I say our mileage has been very limited. Power wise I would have prefered the 3406, but I was a real greenhorn when it come to knowing about trucks. I will be more selective the next time around. Mine has a 10 speed, which with tall gears is a little underpowered on longer highway pulls. Been good to me though through the years. |
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Sort of Central to North Central Iowa | We have a 3176 in a '91 IH 8100 with a 9 speed. Good mileage, underpowered, had to replace the hand primer pump check valves, and Ziegler's were the only shop we could find with the breakout box to access the ECM. All said, been good for us, as long as you have enough gears or can live with limited power. |
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North Central Texas | Don't know anything about the 3176. However we have a 96 Volvo with a 3406B set at 380 Hp was origionally 350 with a Super 10 Speed. That is a very good engine and had no problems. The power is a little short and we asked about turning the fuel up and were advised not to go any higher as we would develop problems in the engine and power train. It is a very nice smaller truck but don't think I would want anything smaller. JMO |
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ncks | Is there many differences in a 3176 and a c-12? I'm currently puttin a new cam in a c-12 the cam follower bushings on the injector on #6 crapped out and ruined the cam lobe. |
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Brazilton KS | If they are the same generation engine, basically the only difference is the displacement. C-12 would be a 3196 in equipment. |
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Iowa |
Lots of differences on the "Semi-truck" 3176 CAT engines verses C-12.
Different:
block, crank, geartrain, cam assembly, front cover assembly, electronics and sensors, transfer pump, water pump, coolant by-pass tube, oil cooler assembly, water passage to oil cooler, fuel rail assembly with check valve verses older spring-loaded relief valve.
This is just what comes to mind, quickly.
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Brazilton KS | Sounds like you are comparing a early '90s 3176 to a late '90s C-12. I specified that they were similar if of the same series. If you look at the same model year, and stay pre-"tier", what is the difference then? |
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Iowa | On the "truck side" 3176B model(with alum. spacer), just quit(=stop production), then C-10 and C-12 were introduced(= no more 3176s in trucks for new production). I pretty much have to compare different years. This is why I stated "Semi-truck 3176"
Now, I don't know about comparing a AG 3176 model to a truck C-10 or C-12; There could be lots of similar items, I don't have any AG engine background, So I can't even guess about those. |
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Is Cat 3176 a good older engine?
