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Messi
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Member
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Member # 6053
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Reged: 03/22/00
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Posts: 54
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Loc: New London, Pa
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CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268135 - 02/16/05 03:47 PM
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Assumming average maintenance, how long is a non-turbo 3208 good for. I think the clock shows 2800 hrs....am I near the end....half way....where? I know these are supposedly the throw away motors.
Thanks much
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LMJD
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Member
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Member # 12336
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Reged: 03/25/01
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Posts: 3158
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Loc: Cody, Wy
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268573 - 02/16/05 07:37 PM
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They called them throwaway engines because they didn't have liners like most diesels. Where I worked we maintained about 30 of them years ago. I'm like Birken, I think they are a good engine. We got real good service out of them and no major chronic problems. The Cat rep came by and gave us a one day school on them and we gathered (from him, that is) that Cat wasn't real proud of them, however, all ours ran forever. We had a small re-ocurring problem with the injection pump, which maybe you're the one who posted about the same problem. I didn't want to post about it because it's been so far back I can't remember exactly what it was for sure. Maybe not starting due to crud and rust on a lever under the pump cover?? They only have two piston rings, but we never found them to be excessive oil burners. Of course the 3208s replaced a whole herd of 6V53 Detroits with Allisons, why in hell wouldn't I like 'em?
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Messi
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Member
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Member # 6053
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Reged: 03/22/00
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Posts: 54
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Loc: New London, Pa
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268628 - 02/16/05 07:58 PM
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'bout how many hours did these things see?
Mine smokes like a brushfire when started cold, but I hear thats normal. White/unburned fuel smoke. No smoke once warm.
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Kanman
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Member
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Member # 52633
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Reged: 12/22/04
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Posts: 427
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Loc: Wichita, Ks.
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268791 - 02/16/05 09:04 PM
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Cummins says at 30000 gallons of fuel rebuild it. 5 GPH = 3000 hours. I would think it would much more depend on the HP the motor is producing. Seems like a high 450 HP motor would peter out long before a 200HP motor would. What application the motor is being used for?
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Kanman
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Member
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Member # 52633
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Reged: 12/22/04
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Posts: 427
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Loc: Wichita, Ks.
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268796 - 02/16/05 09:06 PM
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BTW
You should really ask the guys in the 650/750 forum. They can probably give you a pretty good idea.
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Birken Vogt
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Member # 2535
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Reged: 08/16/99
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Posts: 4431
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Loc: Penn Valley, Ca
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2268951 - 02/16/05 10:09 PM
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I think it depends on the application it's in too. On the mid-size mediums it's OK. When you are hauling a big water truck or something in an L-series it is a bit overburdened.
Birken
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rmr
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Member
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Member # 6805
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Reged: 05/17/00
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Posts: 1217
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Loc: Mt.Vernon, WA, USA
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2269071 - 02/16/05 10:50 PM
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My Dad had a 210 horse 3208 in one of his boats, 20,000 hours, no major work on it, heads never off, 1 inj pump, a few sets of injectors.
It was ran real easy with oil changes every 200 hours. The oil pan
rusted through, big oil leak and he started having problems with things bolted to the engine, water cooled exhuast manifolds, raw water pump, reduction gear, but the basic engine still ran OK when he replaced it.
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LMJD
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Member
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Member # 12336
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Reged: 03/25/01
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Loc: Cody, Wy
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2269652 - 02/17/05 09:59 AM
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Quote:
'bout how many hours did these things see?
They were used five days a week, 99% of the time 8 hours a day. The outfit auctioned them off after about five years.
As a matter of fact these were mid sized mediums, like Birken refers to, dump trucks, 5spds, with 2 spd rear ends.
If you ever replace injectors, take a couple apart and keep the little diamond hard plunger rods and sharpen a couple to a point with a bench grinder, they're the handiest little tool in my toolbox.
Edited by LMJD (02/17/05 10:06 AM)
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Gandalf
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Member # 27108
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Posts: 121
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Loc: San Jose, CA
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Re: CAT 3208 Engine life
#2269963 - 02/17/05 12:59 PM
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I posted a similar question a year or so ago. My question was in regard to a 3208 in a 36 foot lobster boat. Thats a pretty harsh environment for any engine.
10000 hours in a boat is not at all unusual, and a rebuild below that is a disappointment. The 3208 has been one of the standards in the lobster boat for years. I think it's popularity is now fading as newer engines are showing improvements.
Also, I know a man who has the contract mail run from San Jose to Salinas, a distance of about 70 miles. He used to run 2 bobtails with 3208s. When he finally replaced them with a single 53 footer, they each had in excess of 750,000 miles, each with a single rebuild.
Thats about the sum total of my knowledge on the subject.
Ken
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