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I'll take your sarcasm with a grain of salt, as I was pretty sarcastic too.
I've been to CAT school, 7.3/6.0 Nav, 6.5 GM...blah blah blah. I've been fortunate enough to work on them in well supplied, and well tooled dealers.
I think they're pretty easy to troubleshoot if you've got the right tools and mindset. If you work on enough of them, I think they're easier to diagnose than most older mechanical systems(and gasoline engines) for that matter.
While there are, and probably will continue to be concerns, I got paid to fix them, and if they weren't breaking, I didn't get paid.
I've never seen a HEUI run without any oil in the crankcase. I can't help but think of how long it takes to get one started after an injector replacement when the oil has drained back to the crankcase or the high pressure reservoir is empty/low. Can't say that I ever tried to start one dry though...
Last time I looked there were at least 20 oils that met the API certifications(CI-4, CH-4, CG-4) that CAT specified. They can recommend whatever they want, and require whatever they want for warranty repairs(and dealer use), but if it meets the certifications - it meets the certifications. With that said, some seem to perform better than others.....same with the filters. And more than once, a drain and refill of the crankcase with the "preferred" products fixed driveability concerns.
Your experiences may certainly be different, but if you're that bitter about the manufacturer you support in one form or another - you might want to look for another job.
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Hmm..Cat, 7.3, 6.0, 6.2/6.5. are you a tech for a GM medium duty/ truck dealership, that would explain the Cat and GM motors, but not the Ford/IH junk.
The most experience I have with HEUI is the 7.3 in Ford trucks, and there has only been one that has really kicked my ass., Really long story, so I am not going to type it out here. From a engineering standpoint, it is a good system, no need for a high pressure fuel pump, or cam actuation of the injector. Downside, is increaded risk of oil/fuel contamination, adding the variable of the HPOP and control system, and a limit as to how much fuel the system can inject ( I do a lot of performance stuff, and this is a big issue)
Had a little work with the 3126 when I was with the local Caterpillar dealership. We had the most problems with them in Kodiak's, a lot of time they were feed trucks, so oil contamination was the main problem.
When it comes to Diesel engines, I like simplicty. Mechanical high pressure fuel systems like the 3406B, or cam actuated injectors like the NTC Cummins. Less variences, more availible fuel delivery. But would never meet emissions because of limited timing and duration control.
Oh, and as far as the no oil deal. Had a truck with a 3126E rupture an oil filter, and it ran long enough to put some marks on the cylinder walls, it stopped as soon as the oil resivoir ran empty.