The International MaxxForce DT diesel engine uses high pressure oil that hydraulically actuates the injectors after receiving an electronic signal from the engine control module. This is very basic but those two things caused a problem with the engine in the video. The driver called in said he had no power and needed a spare. After all that was taken care of we went out to check out the problem. The engine had no power at all with very little acceleration and of course there were engine codes. The tow truck company was called and brought the bus back to the shop.
This is the first one of these International models we’ve put our hands on since 5 of them in our fleet are out of warranty. We do our own work after warranty simply because of the cost savings. Truck shops charge on average 130.00 an hour. The cost would be astronomical. There is tons of information available in the software and once we get the proper tools it’s just a matter of time and experience. This makes our work interesting troubleshooting and repairing a different model diesel engine for the first time.
The EGR cooler had to be removed because it was in the way of the exhaust manifold. To be safe it was sent to the dealer for testing. We could test it ourselves but the tools are in the U.S. so 130.00 to test the cooler was worth it. They informed me the cooler was leaking so 2,000.00 later we have a new EGR cooler to install. In the video you can see the size the cooler…. all aluminum with an internal core. Looking on the bright side it’s better to change it now compared to running the engine and losing coolant internally.
The exhaust manifold gasket was leaking starting the disassembly process / can of worms. The body fender, air filter housing and steering axle wheel was removed to get easier access to the passenger side of the engine. It’s not a bad move to take an extra hour to do this and make the job more ergonomic. The manifold has metal sealing rings connecting the exhaust manifold together. There is an essential sealing ring tool we needed and ordered. Since it was coming from way down south the dealership allowed us to use their shop tools.
Having a good relationship with the International dealership is great to have when you need a tool that’s 2 weeks away. They also offer technical assistance when we ask. The after warranty business for a dealership is huge especially with parts. You can’t walk down to Lordco or Canadian Tire to get parts for a 2010 International diesel engine. Most of the parts are captive so there is no other option. I hope the video above was interesting to you …. there will be more coming as these MaxxForce DT engines fail and force us to get more familiar with them as time goes on.
