2013 pete 386

[Rawze]

(10-31-2018 )Dizzy1 Wrote:  Hello all and thank you Rawze for having this forum.
First, I've been an o/o for 5 years now. First truck was an 08 Prostar with a cummins isx that was good for the first couple years but ended up having to many problems so I traded to a 2013 pete 386 with a cummins also. First truck was de-mandated about 2 years ago when I had an emissions issue so I elected to go that route.
Now, I've had the 386 for only 3 weeks and already having an emissions issue. Shop says it's a problem with the doser.
Dealer I got it from says they will "work something out" with me but I'm concerned this will be a reoccurring problem.
You guys have any suggestions?

Let me get this straight and put it into the harsh perspective of an outsider here ...

So you had one of the most profitable highway trucks on the roads you could own,... did not know how to take care of it, abused it through sheer neglect, likely put a bad delete in it making it worse, then continued to run it into the ground instead of learning how to properly maintain and keep it road worthy/profitable. So then you pawned it off, only to get something that has a slightly lower profit margin -- only to repeat the process? -- That is what went through my mind when I read your post.

Welcome to truck ownership! Perhaps what I said will get you pissed off because it is the harsh reality that many people refuse to face. Most people who want to own their own truck(s) have no clue that owning your equipment means you get out and fix on it BEFORE IT BREAKS DOWN instead of complaining about how broke down it is all the time.

Your story is EXACTLY how 85% of owner operators run their equipment,.. and WHY they all struggle, complain, have no money to show for their years of efforts, and basically get nowhere.

My harsh words are merely a wake-up call towards anyone who owns a truck and has nothing but problems. Seems here lately, I have seen a repeating rash of equipment that has been severely neglected and run into the ground, the owner doing nothing but having problems as a result, not understanding that the problem is ACTUALLY THEMSELVES!.

-- Any reasonable person would not get onto a sail-boat for crossing the atlantic ocean with someone who has a run-down leaky, problem-prone boat,.. so WHY WOULD YOU DO IT ON DRY LAND WHEN YOUR INCOME SOLELY DEPENDS ON THE HEALTH OF THAT EQUIPMENT?


START by getting that truck back in good shape YOURSELF!. If you have not already done so,.. start by giving it an EGR tune-up and replacing all the sensors on the engine that ensure it will run right. Pull off the DOC and DPF, take pictures of their faces,.. post em here for some opinions. Then send them off for a couple three hundred bucks to have them baked and flow-tested. - Clean and check your Doser injector for leaking, or replace it if it is more than 250k miles old. Run the overhead valve adjustment, Clean out the soot from the intake and EGR circuits, inspect everything. Also - FIX THE DAMN REST OF THE TRUCK like new shocks, re-torque wheel bearings, replace the power steering filter, water filter, etc. etc. etc.etc. -- and MAYBE ,.. just MAYBE you will start to figure out that a LOT OF TRUCK OWNERSHIP ACTUALLY INVOLVES KEEPING AFTER THINGS BEFORE THEY BREAK AND PUT YOU OUT instead of chasing the failures.