After driving for what seems like endless miles, your semi truck’s engine will most likely require some maintenance. After all, traveling for such long miles can put significant strain on even the toughest, most durable vehicles. If you notice any strange noises, colored exhausts, or unusual movements when you drive your semi, be sure to check the engine. To fix engine issues effectively, you might need an overhaul kit or a few new components. Before you purchase any kits or components for your semi, it’s best to learn about the brand and its parts first. Here are a couple of facts about CAT 3406e engine kits and components for your consideration.
Advantages of Caterpillar Parts
You’re probably wondering why you should choose Caterpillar parts for your semi instead of other brands. Caterpillar is one of the largest and most popular semi-truck brands, and they always produce high-quality, reliable parts. Caterpillar parts and components are known for their reliability, durability, and overall strength. If you’re looking for parts you can depend on, Caterpillar components are excellent choices. However, keep in mind that you will need to perform regular maintenance and replace worn engine parts for your semi to run at peak performance.
Uses for Caterpillar Parts
Many truck drivers prefer to use Caterpillar parts for regular maintenance. If they notice a semi’s engine has some wear and tear on certain parts, they can replace that singular part or multiple parts to ensure that the engine runs smoothly. Also, you can use Caterpillar parts to replace malfunctioning engine components. Driving with malfunctioning engines is dangerous for truck drivers and any surrounding drivers, so it’s best to fix engine issues immediately. Instead of replacing the entire engine, sometimes you’ll only need to fix a specific part or two. After installing Caterpillar engine parts, you can depend on your semi to safely get you to your next destination.
Components in Overhaul Kits
After you drive your semi-truck for 1,000,000 miles, you’ll usually need to replace a lot of components in your engine. This is where Caterpillar overhaul or rebuild kits come in handy. These kits allow you to replace many key parts in your engine so you can drive your semi safely for another 1,000,000 miles. To give you an idea of what these kits contain, here are the parts within our ATL Diesel Inc. overhaul and rebuild kits.
Caterpillar Overhaul Kit:
- Complete inframe overhaul kit, which contains a liner kit, road and main bearings, piston kits, and complete inframe gasket kit
- Fully loaded cylinder head, which includes valves, valve locks, seals, seats, rotocoils, springs, cam bearings, and injector cups
- OEM reman injectors
- Oil pump
- Water pump
- Head bolt kit
- Exhaust manifold hardware
- Spacer plate
Caterpillar Rebuild Kit:
- Contains all parts listed above in the overhaul kit
- Camshaft
- Rocker assembly
- Oil cooler
- Piston cooling nozzles
- New turbo
- Connecting rods
These are two of the Caterpillar kits you can use for regular maintenance. If you are searching for a CAT 3406e rebuild kit or one of the kits listed above, be sure to visit the ATL Diesel website. On our website, you’ll find plenty of quality parts at affordable prices for your semi-trucks.
Benefits of Overhaul Kits
Now that you know a little more about overhaul and rebuild kits, you’re probably wondering how they can help your vehicle. Many truck drivers use overhaul kits and rebuild kits for regular maintenance. As you can see above, the rebuild kit contains more components than an overhaul kit. Both Caterpillar kits are very useful and help you maintain your semi’s engine. If you have serious engine issues or wear and tear, then you can use a rebuild kit to replace the majority of your engine’s parts. However, if you only need to replace the main parts, then an overhaul kit is a great choice.
Singular Engine Components
Maybe you don’t need a whole engine rebuild kit, and you only want a particular part. At our ATL Diesel Inc. website, there are plenty of singular Caterpillar parts to purchase for your semi-trucks. You can use these singular parts to repair and replace specific components in your engine.
Benefits of Singular Engine Components
Unlike rebuild kits or overhaul kits, singular engine parts allow you to target a specific area of your engine. Sometimes, you don’t need to replace your entire engine to fix an issue; maybe all you need is a part or two to get your engine up and running again. Replacing any worn engine parts will ensure that your truck runs smoothly, reliably, and efficiently.
Signs Your Engine Needs Maintenance
So, how do you know when you’ll need CAT 3406e engine kits and components for your semi? There are a couple signs to look out for that tell you when you need to repair or replace your engine. Check out some of the most common signs below.
Colored exhaust: If you notice that your semi’s exhaust is white, black, or blue, then this could be a sign of engine issues. White exhaust could be a sign that coolant is leaking into the combustion chamber, while blue exhaust could mean that oil is burning in your engine. Be sure to inspect your vehicle as soon as possible if you notice these signs.
Strange noises: Strange rattling, clanking, grinding, or pounding noises are rarely a good sign. There are an endless amount of engine problems that these noises could indicate, so it’s best to check your engine right away, even if you are on the road.
Unusual movements: If you feel that your truck is running roughly, be sure to pull over off the road and inspect your engine. Unusual movements could indicate a serious engine issue that could become worse as you drive. Driving with a malfunctioning engine is dangerous, so you’ll want to identify and fix any issues quickly.
Low fuel efficiency: If you notice that your semi has low fuel efficiency, you might want to inspect your engine. While this generally doesn’t indicate an urgent issue, there could be a weak or malfunctioning part that makes your semi less efficient. By fixing this issue, you can increase your fuel efficiency and save money as you drive.
