OK so I did remember to ask about that truck today. It was a columbia extended WB motorhome Freightliner as well.

With a 450hp rated engine, stock it put down 360 to the rear wheels. after they ran some cal codes through it. they managed to get 408hp to the rears. and thats strictly changing unit pump calibration codes. no mechanical alterations at all.


I dont know where you can get this done in your area. But I would suggest going to a Detroit specific dealer, and inquiring about low power complaints for the MBE4000. They will probably need to contact the factory for the password and codes. Don't go to a truck shop, that is a CAT/CUMMINS/DETROIT satelite dealer. Like most truck dealers are satelite dealers. you could try the local Freightliner dealer if any.

 

Thanks Luke.
I'll do more investigation into this.


Lee

 

No problem. It my understanding that there were so many low power complaints with the mbe4000 on warrantee. that the factory started "reprogramming" some like this to take care of customer relations.

 

Heres a quick look at a MBE4000 head. obviously chunked some valve. but you can see the decompression valve there. engine oil pressure actuates them when "Jakes" engine brakes are flipped on. just not as strong as actual jacob brakes.

 

After working on a fleet of these mbe4k trucks i would be afraid to push the power over the stock level. At stock we were doing two or three head gaskets a week easy, and that was inbetween the egr coolers and list of other issued that those engines have. When they were under warranty we would take them to the dealer and some of them would repop the head gasket before we made it back to the shop. If you need more power i would say upgrade to another truck or engine combo.

 

4 bolts per cylinder in the heads? No wonder they blow gaskets! I was going to comment while reading page 1 that the compression release isn't big enough to stick your pinky through, so it's not going to work real well.

When the big companies started saying they weren't going to buy any 03 trucks due to emissions regulations, Freightliner started bringing these into the states because they were exempt from the 03 regulations for a certain period of time due to not being available when the previous round of regulations hit.

I've never heard anything good said about them.

 

There are a few companies making performance chips for Mbe4000. Taber Diesel makes one, others are from Europe. Tried putting in the steinbaur chip but the connections were wrong. Found a company in lloydminster that will reprogram the computer for added 100 hp over factory 450 and remove emmisions. Too busy to have the truck down for a week right now though.

 

Juice it up. Let me know when it craters. they do it well enough on their own.


I did not like working on them either. garbage engines. Its really too bad Detroit took all the european characteristics from the MBE engines, and pounded them into the New DD15 DD16 lineup.