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OT - Top ten best/worst Diesel engines

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Forum Name: Farm Equipment
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URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=157802
Printed Date: 19 Jun 2025 at 6:13am
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Topic: OT - Top ten best/worst Diesel engines
Posted By: AC7060IL
Subject: OT - Top ten best/worst Diesel engines
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 8:03am
Seeing in another post about an AC 4w-305 transplanted with a Cummins 855, prompted me to checkout that engine’s specs. Anyway, I stumbled onto this link “top 10 best and worst Diesel engines.. I own & operate two of these ten listed. And jogging back in memory, I’ve operated another four of them in rentals in the past. Please give it a read & comment.

https://www.capitalremanexchange.com/best-diesel-engine-list/" rel="nofollow - https://www.capitalremanexchange.com/best-diesel-engine-list/



Replies:
Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 8:54am
I always felt that after many years of the AC 426 spanking the 407 Farmalls in the heavy tractor pulling classes, the IH people redesigned the AC 426 and came up with the IH 400 series, DT414-436-466. Similar to the AC 426 in some respects, but built for the future with HP and displacement increases easily available. I could be wrong...……….


Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 9:14am
interesting read. I guess my semi has the "best diesel engine of all times" in it. 93 freightliner with the 12.7 in it. I certainly do like it. darrel


Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 9:50am
Originally posted by darrel in ND darrel in ND wrote:

interesting read. I guess my semi has the "best diesel engine of all times" in it. 93 freightliner with the 12.7 in it. I certainly do like it. darrel

My 1995 has the 11.1L & it’s been most reliable.


Posted By: Dakota Dave
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 11:17am
farm I harvested at had 3 Volvos with N14 Cummins in them. I preferred those to any of the other trucks. the Mac was my second choice and the IH with a DT466 was my last choice. it was unfortunately the most underpowered truck. Most of the tractors at the farm are Cummins powered I prefer the 855 big cam powered 9270.  it starts well has lots of power and isn't to hard on fuel. The real fuel sippers are the IH 1086s The DT414 just runs and runs. I suppose its because there run lightly loaded but I rarely have to fuel one I'm only pulling a 15' bat wing mowing roadsides but I mow 22 miles of road and barely use any fuel.


Posted By: john(MI)
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 8:25pm
I've got the most worst the author overlooked!  The GM 350 gas converted diesel back bout 84!  Those were the biggest piece of crap anybody ever sold.  GM should have been punished for those engines.


I know, I know, he was talking about real diesels, but he thru out a broad statement when he said"Diesels" and no other guidelines!!LOL


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D14, D17, 5020, 612H, CASE 446


Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 9:09pm
They were punished !!   Ford Navistars and Dodge Cummins totally ruled the world while GM went thru the 350 diesels, the 6.2 ? diesels and finally the 6.5 diesels before they finally bought the DURAMAX, which has been very very good.


Posted By: Mike Kroupa
Date Posted: 02 Feb 2019 at 9:28pm
Easy now I once had one of those GM 5.7 Diesels in a 82 Monte Carlo. Not a powerhouse, but nothing was back then and a good long drive would make mid 20's mpg. My girlfriend then, wife now ,put 100k miles on without any major repairs. Always ran Mobil 1 in it. , Mike


Posted By: AC7060IL
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2019 at 3:35pm
I didn’t realize that JD & GM engineers worked in conjunction on the Detroit 60 series.


Posted By: exSW
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2019 at 4:22pm
The IH 300 and 400 series engines were the last clean sheet design of all the tractor manufacturers. They had the advantage of all the data from a decade of engine development. They should have been the great engine they are.


Posted By: darrel in ND
Date Posted: 03 Feb 2019 at 7:51pm
Originally posted by Mike Kroupa Mike Kroupa wrote:

Easy now I once had one of those GM 5.7 Diesels in a 82 Monte Carlo. Not a powerhouse, but nothing was back then and a good long drive would make mid 20's mpg. My girlfriend then, wife now ,put 100k miles on without any major repairs. Always ran Mobil 1 in it. , Mike


My brother had one of the 5.7 diesels in a chevy 4 door car, an 84 I believe. He had nothing but good to say about it. I had an 85 suburban with a 6.2 diesel. that was a good one in my opinion. darrel


Posted By: JayIN
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2019 at 1:48pm
Dad bought a new Buick Riveria with a 350 diesel.Ran it 6 years. No motor trouble, just tranny. I have a 97 6.5 diesel Chev HD3500.Its no 5.9 Cummins, but it is ok as long as you realize its limitations. The problem with 6.5 is the inj pump and some other heat sensitive components. But the best I ever had was a 89 Dodge 12v Cummins. Had it 7 years. Just got tired of it. Wish I had it back!

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sometimes I walk out to my shop and look around and think "Who's the idiot that owns this place?"


Posted By: Bradleytrench
Date Posted: 04 Feb 2019 at 8:24pm
Consolidated Diesel Company 1980 (CDC) was a joint venture between Cummins and Tenneco. Tenneco bought Case and International. Out of this came the B, C, L series engines.

The B series engine came in 2 different configurations. 4 cylinder 3.9 liter or 6 cylinder 5.9 liter. The 4 cylinder versions were used a lot in Case uniloaders 1840 and 1845. The engine would come naturally aspirated, turboed, or turboed and intercooled.

The B series first came out with a lucas CAV injection system,next was Bosch VE rotary pump injection, then a p7100 pump, VP rotary pump, to common rail.


The C series was a 6 cylinder 8.3 liter. The C went through the same fuel system except the bosch vp 44 injection wasn't used on the C series. They came up with an over complicated CAPS Fuel injection system.

The L series was a 6 cylinder 8.9 liter. The L series was the first to go to roller tappets in a mid range engine. They used a roll pin to hold the tappers from turning in the bores. It was a mistake. Didnt work well. The L series used the same injection system as the C series.

The N series dates all the way back to the 1950s. It was one of the best engine families Cummins ever made. This engine went through several changes. Small cam to big cam for better injection timing control. The Big Cam went through several changes. Im sure you have heard of the big cam III and Big Cam 4. The difference was the cooling system to warm the engine up quicker to reduce emissions. Then they came out with STC (Step timing Control) used oil pressure to advance injection timing at idle. Emissions control. Then came the N14. One of the most solid truck, agriculture, industrial engines ever built.

The reason the N series was scraped in 2002 was the oil system couldnt handle the extreme heat from EGR. plus the engine would of had to.be redesigned for all the EGR plumbing. So if you ard redesigning, might as well build from a fresh slate. Out of this came the X series.

The X series is a 15 liter engine that has gone through several injection systems and piston design due to emissions controls. The first injection was a HPI system and then common rail.

I could talk hours on both injection systems. Maybe another night.

I guess that is why these older tractors and machinery are so intriguing to me, is the simplicity. I cut my teeth wrenching on electronic controlled engines. Spending a weekend working on my wd and 33 corn picker or AII combine is theropy. They are so simple. Bobby Mo


Posted By: exSW
Date Posted: 05 Feb 2019 at 2:27pm
One of my questions has always been,How much did Case influence the design of the B and C series engines?


Posted By: RMD
Date Posted: 06 Feb 2019 at 3:51pm
Worst diesel engine I ever had personally was a 4-cly diesel in a Ford 2000 (old style). I had foul acrid exhaust that I could never find a fix for and gave me constant problems. It seems that the Ford 4-cyl was a great gas engine, but made a terrible diesel. Conversely, the Ford 3-cyl was a great diesel, but not such a great gas engine.

I was the motor office in a construction equipment company in the Army back in the early 1970s. My experience with diesel engines at that time was that Cummins were always coming apart (shallowing valves, throwing rods, etc.); the Detroit Diesel always had head gasket problems; and the Cat engines just kept on running.


Posted By: DougG
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2019 at 7:32pm
Dr Allis that's a very interesting concept on IH redesign on the AC 426, and I wouldn't doubt it a bit,, you were definetly in the business in the good/ fun years of seeing the the new stuff come out in Ag and pulling ,,


Posted By: lentsch
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2019 at 9:09pm
Originally posted by AC7060IL AC7060IL wrote:

Originally posted by darrel in ND darrel in ND wrote:

interesting read. I guess my semi has the "best diesel engine of all times" in it. 93 freightliner with the 12.7 in it. I certainly do like it. darrel

My 1995 has the 11.1L & it’s been most reliable.
I have 2 12.7 Detroits. One has 975,000 other one has 1.2 million-neither one has been apart-knock on wood!

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WD,D15,190XT,7000,8010x2,7060,8070


Posted By: Mactractor
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2019 at 3:01pm
Engine failures which to a large degree result from lack of servicing and/or bad operating practices, far too often give engines an undeserving bad name. I have an 855 Big Cam 4 'Cumapart' which has never come apart for any reason on 20,000 hours. Thats not the only engine I dont have any trouble with though.


Posted By: lentsch
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2019 at 4:20pm
Completely agree MacT- one of my 12.7's has 37000 hours on it.

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WD,D15,190XT,7000,8010x2,7060,8070


Posted By: DrAllis
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2019 at 4:26pm
I always considered the series 60 Detroit to be a Roger Penske & Engineers design. I could be wrong.


Posted By: levipatch
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2019 at 5:25pm
I think your rite.. If I remember  Penske bailed out DDiesel. They had no Class 8 engines cept 2 Strokes

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Billy..Big cam 300, bcam 400,,941 CAT.,,Deere excavator..900 row crop.. 66 D 17 diesel IV... 985 Pratt and Whitney..4360 Pratt and Whitney... gitten tired !


Posted By: dave63
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2019 at 4:55pm
Didn't AGCO use the 60 series or a version of it in some of the 9600 series tractors? 



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The universal answer to all questions is yes, how much do you want to spend?


Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2019 at 5:26pm
What most disregard are the antiques that made it all worthwhile. The DV550 V8 IHC or 555 V series Cummins, the GM Toroflow or the ignorance of Multifuel junk from the 60's and 70's like the Continental or Hercules in the M35. Start on Gas run on K1 or Diesel as IH preferred. Some of You all are too spoiled to remember rooting thru some of the Old Monsters we had not so long ago. Old standby's, 6L71 238, 8V71 318 Detroit, Cummins C & J series and H series, Cats big torque high horse last forever 1693. Can fault the old two strokes, they are STILL running and lasting so long the new engines can only PRAY they last half as long.


Posted By: levipatch
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2019 at 6:18pm
Least we not forget the  8V SILVER 92T   500 hp for a short while

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Billy..Big cam 300, bcam 400,,941 CAT.,,Deere excavator..900 row crop.. 66 D 17 diesel IV... 985 Pratt and Whitney..4360 Pratt and Whitney... gitten tired !



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