How much Idle time is too much?

[Waterloo]

I have owned more than a few trucks... These EPA trucks are not the equipment of the 80's and 90's, the service and drive days are long gone. Everything Rawze stated above is the honest to God truth. These trucks are junk when they roll off the assembly lines, I have been in the plants, they will tell you that on the dock... And the mechanics that maintain these units, in most cases do not give a sheet or are told to ignore many issues to keep the trucks rolling until they can sell them off to the next sucker.

If you buy this truck or another, budget money for diagnostic equipment and tools. An Inline 6 reader and a laptop are at the top of the list, especially if you are going to keep the mandate intact. You will need gear to pressure test the coolant system, fill the coolant system, tools to do the overhead, bar the motor, etc... A good idea of how electrical can bus systems work and the tools to do repairs properly and be able to read electrical schematics.

If you don't do the above, and rely upon warranties and shops, you will be broke and scratching your head in little to no time. These shops will repair your truck, and empty your wallet. You will quickly discover that repairing a truck, does not mean FIXING the truck.

You know, I never owned more than a simple set of Craftsman tools... My trucks rarely had any issues, the shop I used treated me right, had those old school mechanics that diagnosed with their ears, eyes and years of experience, those guy that have now passed away or retired are sorely missed. I can rattle off the issues I have had with my old iron, and it would not even fill half a page of a sheet of typing paper... My EPA truck, Encyclopedia Brittanica baby.

You are in the right place, and it will sound overwhelming, and it can be, but unfortunately this is the reality of today, unless you buy new and trade in every three years... Honestly, there is no way around what has already been stated.

One thing, I would take me at my word on this, buy a Cummins. Yes, they have their issues, but they also supply you with the tools to keep the motor running. I in framed this motor of mine, CM-871 in Rawze's driveway, using my iPhone. Try that with a Detroit, PACCAR or Volvo, ain't going to happen.

https://quickserve.cummins.com/info/index.html is your friend.