Gas vs diesel in older tucker?

[olympicorange]

As I understand it, the Cummins V-378-C and VT-378-C were available in the 1600 series, as well as heavier duty machines.

All the Diesel engine options were available in the 1700 and 2700 series Tuckers.

Several years ago there was a VT-378-C powered 2744 (wide-track, four door) for sale in the Lake Tahoe area. Fairly low hours and nice condition: I had some serious lust for that machine, but it was one of those "wants" that I couldn't come close to justifying. "Because it's cool" doesn't seem like a valid reason. I also did some research on the Cummins V-378-C, and its turbocharged brother. I don't think I found a single source that raved about the engine. Most said it was a mediocre design, and parts were Uber-expensive.

………… BFT, yes have heard the same thing about this engine . cummins history on the V-6 line in the past, wasn't much to rave about. like the KT-903, etc. but they sound ''cool'' . and I have bought things on the cool factor, agreed not the wisest decision factor . lol. so next question; what is the difference between the 2700 series and the 1700. also, were there other models such as; 2300, 2400, 2500, 2600,... thx again....

 

[olympicorange]

zero degrees (f) and she wont fire.

I'm thinking I'm not going to like the detroit, at all. lol!

…… congrats on jumping in on the 'ol DD powered unit. after all the ''noise' 'talk. it won't be the starting factor so much, install a good engine heater , (or two) … did you say that had an Allison in it , because that will open up a lot of options to repower...…

 

[olympicorange]

Of course they used 3208 Cats in cats and a very few Perkins powered machines (4-6)

………. have seen them in like the LMC 3700C , with 3208 power. it's a big heavy (Mitsubishi) engine. probably one of the ''cool'' factors about this engine is that the cyl. heads are interchangeable with the 3204 . those fifth wheels are cringing.... thanks S/D.....

 

[northerndave]

…… congrats on jumping in on the 'ol DD powered unit. after all the ''noise' 'talk. it won't be the starting factor so much, install a good engine heater , (or two) … did you say that had an Allison in it , because that will open up a lot of options to repower...…

No, it's a 5 spd manual. I am thinking I may have had a fuel delivery problem last night during my 3 hour attempt to get her running. One block heater, plugged in and working. Battery charger on the battery... I could have drove to town and back with the revolutions that poor starter made last night.

We will wait until after lunch today and try again. currently -20 and the starter says "clunk". It was plugged in over night. I have the charger back on it this morning.

 

[northerndave]

We tried giving it a little starting fluid through a little window the snowmobile club had made in the external air box. So the spray attempt was from outside of the air filter. No effect at all while cranking. Im going to pull the box open this morning and see what the filter looks like.

 

[northerndave]

Air inlet gate was tripped.

Its running now.

 

[Mill666er]

Glad it was that simple, mine does not have the intake runaway flap but does have a fuel shutoff for over-rev but would not help if it started burning crankcase oil. And speaking of intake, what is the story on the PVC intake stack ‘upgrade’?

 

[northerndave]

We laugh at the pvc mod too. Someone's idea of ducting inlet air up out of the snow dust maybe? I'm not sure what the original setup looked like?

 

[Mill666er]

Here is the original from auction photo

The only reason I asked was mine was altered after being crushed and had a ‘roof job’.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DAVENET]

This Camo Tucker had a Cummins in it, It was at the last Leavenworth and first Mt Hood event. I believe his name was Joe and was from the Tri-Cities area of WA and quite a character.

That thing was a beast

 

[northerndave]

Here is the original from auction photo

The only reason I asked was mine was altered after being crushed and had a ‘roof job’.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Cool machine! I see your exhaust is run out the back too.

I just had mine out for a mid day thrashing. 5th gear, pedal matted. I changed the fuel filter earlier and dumped in some diesel 911 treatment. I'd say she's improving. She'll hold 5th gear now, deep snow pulls it down a little, I feel like it should hold power a little better than it does without a load behind it. I still haven't gotten into the air cleaner box though. I took all the bolt clamps off but it seems like it's stuck, going to have to get the pry bar out.

Mine runs about 12 mph all strung out... lol! Turbo wouldn't be a terrible thing.... Not that I want to go faster, but I want it to hold rpm's a little better in the deeper snow.

 

[olympicorange]

Air inlet gate was tripped.



Its running now.

…… ahhh yes, wish your 8;23 a.m. post was …..823p.m. last nite … lol. would've been able to assist. so that ''trap door'' is the emergency ''shutdown'' , in case the engine ''runs away'' . and these DO … should be a ''pull' cable in cab for it. spring ;loaded , with a small arm ; to keep open. this should only be used in an emergency. reason being that after prolonged useage to shut the engine off, it will compromise the impellar seals ….and you don't want to have to deal with that headache. the small ''shutdown'' lever , up on top of the governor housing , is the appropriate mechanism.... lookin good....

 

[northerndave]

Got the air filter box apart, Fkr was full of snow. I blew the housing (and the huge filter) out with compressed air and put it back together. I think my air inlet should be a little higher. I'm going to make a new one. I can't say the performance improved any after cleaning the air filter, but it was still a good thing to do. Seems to run stronger when the engine temp reaches 180 to 190.

I'll keep tinkering. fuel cap is a mess too. I'll need something better there to make sure the fuel doesnt get any moisture.

 

[northerndave]

If I can quiet down my rattly side windows I might be able to hear that detroit winding out. lol!

 

[olympicorange]

….. that;s probably from the rubber/foam gasket , which seals the access cover to air bonnet housing. also, remember that your DD has mechanically operated fuel injectors, controlled by the gov. ''rack'' . so these sit around more than being used, the more fresh fuel , conditioner , treatment , etc. you run thru it, the more it will come to ''life''.... also a ''quick'' check ...to check cyl. balance … when you first start the engine ''cold, touch the exhaust manifold ports ( or an infra-red gun) , one by one ...while it warms up ….usually 3-5 mins. after that the whole manifold is warm. all four should be the same temp. , as they warm up....

 

[northerndave]

…… ahhh yes, wish your 8;23 a.m. post was …..823p.m. last nite … lol. would've been able to assist. so that ''trap door'' is the emergency ''shutdown'' , in case the engine ''runs away'' . and these DO … should be a ''pull' cable in cab for it. spring ;loaded , with a small arm ; to keep open. this should only be used in an emergency. reason being that after prolonged useage to shut the engine off, it will compromise the impellar seals ….and you don't want to have to deal with that headache. the small ''shutdown'' lever , up on top of the governor housing , is the appropriate mechanism.... lookin good....

I understand the emergency shut down, mine was disconnected from the cable inside the cab and they had a wire with a flag on it under the hood that you could pull.

I wasn't clear on how it functioned until we could see it in the daylight. My son in law saw it and reset the shut off, he was familiar with detroit engines.

I'll have to reconnect it properly and both cables should be pulled out of their liners, greased/oiled and put back in. They pull hard and dry.

 

[northerndave]

….. that;s probably from the rubber/foam gasket , which seals the access cover to air bonnet housing. also, remember that your DD has mechanically operated fuel injectors, controlled by the gov. ''rack'' . so these sit around more than being used, the more fresh fuel , conditioner , treatment , etc. you run thru it, the more it will come to ''life''.... also a ''quick'' check ...to check cyl. balance … when you first start the engine ''cold, touch the exhaust manifold ports ( or an infra-red gun) , one by one ...while it warms up ….usually 3-5 mins. after that the whole manifold is warm. all four should be the same temp. , as they warm up....

Thank you, great tip there. (the temp test)

I just pulled the loose gas cap that was literally resting on the filler neck, I had one on hand that fit correctly and seals it off tightly. I suppose it needs to be vented, I see the top center of the tank has a 3/8 black iron pipe cap, I may use that to make a vent tube so I can use a tight sealing cap.

 

[olympicorange]

Glad it was that simple, mine does not have the intake runaway flap but does have a fuel shutoff for over-rev but would not help if it started burning crankcase oil. And speaking of intake, what is the story on the PVC intake stack ‘upgrade’?

…………. maybe someone removed it, those were a factory item. oh they sure will run on oil (compromised blower seals, piston rings, etc.)… when you break the fuel supply line off , suck a shop manual thru the blower, and the bluw smoke starts rolling....all you can do is ''RUN'' ….. always good to have the rocker cover off. here's a pic of the emergency latch.... the engine pic is for a MEGA-SNOCAT....lol

 

[northerndave]

Hahahhaaaa! It's not a 4-53, it's a 3-53!

Ive been calling it a 4-53 and expecting 4-53 power output. Its a 3 cylinder. I think I'm getting all she's going to give!

 

[Mill666er]

Well that sucks, I had to go back to your photo to take another look. Sure enough you are missing a port on that exhaust manifold. That is the first time I have heard of the 3-53 in a Tucker. The 3-53 tops out at 100hp and the 4-53 is 136. The 4-53T in my cat is 175hp.

Rob

 

[northerndave]

Well that sucks, I had to go back to your photo to take another look. Sure enough you are missing a port on that exhaust manifold. That is the first time I have heard of the 3-53 in a Tucker. The 3-53 tops out at 100hp and the 4-53 is 136. The 4-53T in my cat is 175hp.

Rob

Yes, i was expecting hp and tq on par or slightly better than my 318 powered 1342 had. But now I see, this may be all she's got! Lol

I need to do an oil change because the seller (who had the machine as a seldom used toy) had been running shell 15w40. As I understand it, I should be running CF-II rated 40W like delo 100.

What are you running?

 

[Mill666er]

I am running Delo 100 40w but you definitely need to have the block heater plugged in to start it when cold. I did reinstall the ether start option that had previously been taken out but it has its limits. There is another thread ‘1744 diesel’ where this subject was talked about and the recommendation was full synthetic for easier starts or installing a diesel supplement heater to keep it warm if you are not able to plug it in at night.


1744 diesel
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...read.php?t=82398&share_type=t&link_source=app

 

[sno-drifter]

I am running Delo 100 40w but you definitely need to have the block heater plugged in to start it when cold. I did reinstall the ether start option that had previously been taken out but it has its limits. There is another thread ‘1744 diesel’ where this subject was talked about and the recommendation was full synthetic for easier starts or installing a diesel supplement heater to keep it warm if you are not able to plug it in at night.


1744 diesel
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...read.php?t=82398&share_type=t&link_source=app

We had a 4-43T in a 2743 in the late 70's. We got talked into using Amsoil engine oil. Soon after changing to it, the engine seized. We dissembled the engine and the gasket between the oil cooler and block had disintegrated and there were pieces everywhere. Pieces became lodged in the cam bearings and that is what stopped the engine. To this day, I would not put that stuff on a roller skate. I think we were using Rotella oil before the change but not sure. Perhaps the two oils had issues.

 

[northerndave]

I picked up some CF-2 rated 30 wt. Couldnt fi d delo 100 anywhere close. I also grabbed a magnetic oil pan heater to help warm up that oil before we spin it over.

 

[northerndave]

I think i'm going to exchange for 40wt. operating temp is operating temp right? I'll use the magnetic oil pan heater and a bigger battery for the super cold cranking, lol.