Community Forums

f106pilot · 05-26-2012, 11:57 AM

My Cat C7 with 690hrs and 22000mi (5 months out of warranty) had a failed #6 injector that caused blown head gasket and cracked head. $12000 repair with Cat denying everything and no warranty help. How many of us C7 victims are out there and is it time for a class action law suit?

jauguston · 05-26-2012, 03:38 PM

I have a C-7 that has had one injector replaced at 12,000 miles under warranty and one at 30,000 miles and seven years only not under warranty. That's fair as far as I can see.

When you read all the horror stories about Cat or any motor for that matter keep in mind those with trouble will scream but those that get mile after mile of trouble free use never post how great their engine works.

These Forums are NOT a good place to determine how good or bad a engine is. JMHO.

Jim

f106pilot · 05-27-2012, 11:21 AM

Jim, I'm surprised you would be happy with engine failures at 12000mi and again at 30000. I guess they occurred when it didn't put a dent in your plans. Any engine, especially a diesel should be (major component) trouble free for 100,000mi. With all the injector and HEUI pump failures (forgot to mention fan bearing failures 20,000-30,000mi) I don't have any confidence in my engine getting me there on my schedule. The worst part is Cat knew and knows its not a reliable engine because of these faults and we are forced to accept this kind of service. I and many friends operate John Deere and Cat earth moving equipment and our businesses would not survive this kind of reliability. That equipment (at least up to 2004 years) is very reliable (8000-10000hrs). When the very rare failure occurs they give an equal size or better piece of equipment as a loaner for the duration of the repair (no loss of revenue). We (RV) were written off as potential future customers (revenue), therefore no support. If we were their bread and butter and they continued to supply that reliability they would be out of business.

jauguston · 05-27-2012, 01:15 PM

106,

I am not necessarily happy (wrong word) about having things go wrong with my motorhome. I spent 40+ years as a crane operator/ mechanic and understand that noone or nothing is perfect. S**t happens. As I posted on a thread you can't judge the quality of anything like a heavy duty diesel engine by reading Forums. The few folks that have trouble and are mad will scream their lungs out on the Forums. The great majority that drive thousands of trouble free miles don't come to the Forums to tell all how well their engine runs.

Jim

sdennislee · 05-27-2012, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jauguston

106,

I am not necessarily happy (wrong word) about having things go wrong with my motorhome. I spent 40+ years as a crane operator/ mechanic and understand that noone or nothing is perfect. S**t happens. As I posted on a thread you can't judge the quality of anything like a heavy duty diesel engine by reading Forums. The few folks that have trouble and are mad will scream their lungs out on the Forums. The great majority that drive thousands of trouble free miles don't come to the Forums to tell all how well their engine runs.

Jim

X 2

Dixieray53 · 05-28-2012, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdennislee

X 2

X3.... We have had our issues... But I have found the 3 Cat dealers that have worked on the GS to be very helpfull. ... D

kdaniel · 07-19-2012, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Catstorman

Hello Folks,

I am fishing for some , any information anyone might have about adverse experiences with the Caterpillar C-7 diesel engine. I have a 2005 Gulfstream Crecendo with that engine, an Allison 6 speed, and a Freighliner chassis. According to the freightliner repair shop the Heiu (fuel) Pump failed and distributed metal pieces throughout the rest of the fuel delivery system, destroying all the injectors. Total repairs. 2 days and $7298.87.

My research indicates that Cat has known about this problem for a long time and has failed to take steps to remideate the problem. My unit only has 36,000 miles, seems awfully soon for that type of equipment to fail due to lack of the integrity of the material. At first blush, Caterpillar denies any warranty responsibility due to the age of the coach.

Anybody got any tales to tell ??

So I have a 2004 frieghtliner and had the same exact problem. It cost me $5,000 so get it fixed and now 4 months later we are broke down again with almost the same problem and more because of it. A cat. mechanic in Tucson AZ told me that these are bad engines and cat won't help. I'm Seriously thinking of contacting a lawyer im getting something going. I would love so help!

Catch14me · 07-20-2012, 05:32 AM

I always had a high regard for Caterpiller engines probably because of their reputation in heavy equipment and was proud to have one in my current RV. After reading the forums, and I understand no news is good news, I feel less confident. My warranty expires this month so I contacted Caterpiller regarding an extended warranty on the engine. They quoted me $300 a month for the first year for a warranty on the engine with less that 10k miles on it and a good bit more extending past the first year which seems a high price if the product is good. I am happy to report that I have had no problems with my RV or drivetrain but thinking of a 7k repair or premature breakdown due to substandard parts and workmanship makes me feel a little sick and less impressed with the company. Does anyone have access to statistics on the C7s (failures vs non failures) that would put the HEUI failures into perspective? P.S. I haven't had good experiences with CSP on previous RVs so am banking the monthly payment to save for things that wear out or break.

kdaniel · 07-21-2012, 07:59 AM

Extended warranties only cover parts not damages. my father in law has worked on big trucks whole life and he said to get rid of are truck. Problems will not end with c 7. I've done my research and found even found that the c13 and c15 are also having major problems in cat won't help. Cat has known about this problem from the beginning and won't help anyone. My advice is to get rid of it and find something with a Cummings engine or anything but a cat.

kdaniel · 07-21-2012, 08:03 AM

Also my truck was great for 2 year before any problems started.

SCVJeff · 07-22-2012, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dixieray53

X3.... We have had our issues... But I have found the 3 Cat dealers that have worked on the GS to be very helpfull. ... D

X4...

flbluerunner · 07-22-2012, 12:20 PM

I had the 3126 and went through nothing but grief.
Liked to eat heads, turbo's, finally blew up. Cat replaced it and within no time another head went.
The injectors were a constant problem.
Have a 450hp Cummins now, time will tell.

Wingman02 · 07-22-2012, 02:35 PM

The fan clutch on our C7 went out which caused us to overheat. The belt and pulley had to be replaced as well. This was covered by an extended warranty. 4,000 miles later it started blowing oil out of the exhaust. The overheat caused a ring to mess up a cylinder. By now the cat warranty is out by 5 months and the extended warranty company has said they will not offer any assistance. So it has been in the shop for 8 months while all the discussions have been going on ...... to get no help! We have made the first payment toward a overhaul with 36,000 miles on the clock!!

ninos · 07-23-2012, 05:52 AM

I must say (thank god) my c7 I have 46000miles on it and not a single problem, I don't know what's to come in the future but for now it as been nothing but good to me, it runs very strong and never gets hoter then 190, I hope can stay this way. Joe