Think I just lost my Cummins 5.9 in my truck today

Christopher

Moderator
Think my 5.9 Cummins locked up today. Heard some clattering when driving so I pulled over and checked everything and all liquids but nothing found and sound went away.

Later in the day the sound came back then left and I checked everything again. This did this a few more times then driving home down a 35mph street the engine died and I got it into a parking lot and called AAA for a tow home.

I tried to turn the engine over but it cranked for about a second or two but something kept the engine from turning over. Looked under the truck and there were about 10 drops of oil there, the truck has never leaked before.

I am going to try to get the truck towed to the dealer to have them look into it but the 100k warranty went out about 55k ago so I think I am screwed in so many ways as this is my truck to pull my trailer so I have to look for a 3/4 ton truck to rent if I can find one, a 1/2 ton would not work too good as the trailer is heavy when empty of water.

Just not sure what to think but this definately ruined a lot today.

Has anyone ever heard of this kind of sound coming and going before the engine locks up?

Thanks.
 
It is a 2005.

Even though it was making the noise it ran great which did not make any sense at all, sounded like an exhaust leak that came and went but the speed of the clacking did slow down as the engine slowed down then disappeared then came back randomly.

I have prayed a lot that it is not the worst.
 
I'm sure the check engine light came on. If it did you can hook a obd2 scanner up to the truck. It will give you a good idea what's going on.
I bought a cheap $150 one from auto zone 10 years ago. I will never not have one. Helps out diagnosing problems.


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When the engine went on my truck the message center said "Reduced Engine Power" and then it died. I pulled over and it clicked a few times and that was it. The dealer thinks it was an exhaust valve that broke and destroyed the engine. It also took out the turbo, oil cooler and a few other things along the way. Almost $25k in repairs all under warranty and 3 weeks at the dealer. Keep in mind though the truck only had 44,500 miles on it at the time.

That's the thing with newer trucks though, you either have to have a fat bank account or get rid of them before the warranty goes out.

I'll sell you my flatbed Chris, I'm due for a new truck anyways. I just hope it's a sensor that went out and not the engine on your truck.
 
I just had the truck towed to the dealer, they could not look at it until Monday and then they will tell me what is wrong and how much to fix it.

I am praying it is something not too expensive.

Also looking for trucks to rent just in case the truck has to sit a long time.
 
Hey Chris i wish you the best of luck. I have never worked on diesel engines but was a ASE master tech for Honda/Acura up until I started pressure washing full time in 1999.
A noise in a gas engine is almost always bad but rarely does a noise come and go. I'll pray that it's something simple.
Having my work truck out of service is a worry about.
 
I have the box truck that I use on one account but I cannot fit everything into it to do all my work unfortunately.

My plan was when this new tank gets here I could work out of it but it will not be here for a while.

I found Enterprise rates and Hertz rates on pickup trucks, need to find another option or two if possible.

I should know Monday what is wrong and how much it will cost.

Right now I am using the box truck to do errands and get my medicine and my son's medicine as we are both sick, I have an upper respiratory infection, asthmatic bronchitis and some other kind of throat infection so I am trying to rest as much as I can.
 
Thank You.
 
I have a 2005.5 cummins 3500 dually, engine blew at a bad time about 2 years ago. Was building/moving into a new house so no extra money to replace the engine. Let it sit until early this year, had the engine replaced at a shop and have nothing but issues. Its more the shop/mechanic then anything, but I am out $12k + a couple months of down time.

I treated the truck with tlc, synthetic oil, fuel additive, never over weight, driving down a highway she gave me 20 secs of warning before its blew a hole in the side.

I know your pain, been there, still feeling the burn.
 
Darn unreliable cummins... For those that don't know me, my tongue is firmly in cheek on that one.

Hpwever, my Ford has never left me stranded, even with a 6.0.
 
The dealer cost $130.00 to let me know the engine is locked up.

For another $800 they will open it up and let me know what is wrong and how much to fix it but they told me that usually when it is locked up most people just get a long block or rebuild it. The Dealer wants $9000.00 for the long block and then labor to swap out engines/parts to get it running. I found long blocks online for about $5000 more or less but the dealer will not install something that they don't sell me (I guess less profit for them).

I found some junkyard engines starting at $5200 on up and if I go that route and there is a refundable core deposit of $1250 (if the block is ok and no holes) so I am thinking of going that way.

Either way I don't have that kind of money sitting there unfortunately so I will have the truck towed home or let it sit there for another week or so while I think about what I want to do and the truck will be sitting for a while until I can save up the money for a used engine, I think that is probably what I will end up doing since the dealer said it is about 40 to 55 hours to rebuild an engine and can easily end up costing as much as a long block so I am not sure it is worth the additional $800 to look further into the engine since it is locked up.

I think I will just think about it for a week or so, no quick decisions here.

I did get a rental truck, had to pay the whole month up front but I am able to start working again since I can breathe a little bit better finally.

Last few weeks have been bad but I think there is light at the end of the tunnel.
 
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