Anyone know anything about 1150 Cummins engine? We have a leak coming from timing cover. It looks like two plates and 2 gaskets. We were told that the camshaft has to come out to remove 2nd plate. Just wondering if anyone has done this job.

 

KDP? Just kidding.

 

im 80% sure you can pull the gear off the cam then take the plate off. its been 4 years since the last time i was that deep in our chipper motor. how do you turn up the fuel? thats what i want to know

 

The cam gear on the KT and KTA1150 series diesels will pull from the front. The difficulty is stabilizing the cam so you do not shave a cam follower, especially if you have Jakes installed.

All things being equal, I would pull the valve covers, and the side covers and lift all the followers and pull the camshaft with gear intact.

Most times you can simply re-torque the timing housing and the leaks will stop. But, not if it was blown on by a pressure washer. If that happens pull it down to the block, clean everything and install new gaskets. Be sure to use blue LocTite on the bolts when you reinstall the cam gear housing.

The fuel rate is set by the injector stroke. The CPL will list the setting, most KTA's should be set at .128", which is a measurement of how far the injector plunger has left in its travel at .203" BTDC on the compression stroke. Increase the stroke on the injector and you increase the fueling, but it takes a cam change to effectively increase the injector stroke and fueling rate with these never fail mechanical injectors.

 

Im with RCW, pull the cam. It is not that difficult. havent pulled the gears off many cams but if you do decide to go that route, do NOT heat it up past 400* That will put a heat temper on the gear and will probably shatter when running. Also if you have to beat it back on you run the risk of pushing out the "freeze plug" that keeps oil out of the flywheel housing. Then your pulling the flywheel housing to make a 30 second repair by puting in a new plug. had to go behind people and put those in, does not make for a good day haha. So the end result is, pull the cam.

 

Does anyone have a flat rate manual for this job, I have to qoute it first for the customer.

 

You may try one of the Motor's book distributors, or one of the used book sellers. However, I believe that flat rate manuals on heavy trucks went the way of dinosaurs about ten or so years ago. There are some computer programs around, but I would not use one.

All the flat rate manuals for heavy diesels did was create a battle between the customers and the good shops. The cheapo cut rate guys would make the book, but the job would have to be redone in a few months when their corner cutting and lack of experience started to show up.

There are just too many variables in big diesels, so it is very easy for a simple $2,500 job to turn into a $5,000 bill if you find minor problems from owner neglect, improper oil type use, etc., and have to spend time to dig for a clean starting point. Major issues can take it over $15,000 in an eye blink for just a simple cam job.

All things being in good shape, and not having to clean the engine first, or have to dig through a bunch of owner kluged accessories, I would allow 9.5 hours for the labor to do the job with the engine in the truck, after the radiator and any other coolers are removed and any Freon evacuated, so add for those - and I have no idea what is there.

That estimate is good only if you have all the correct tools and the Cummins repair manual for this series engine. If you find dished cam followers, pitted camshaft lobes or galled bearing surfaces that jumps the cost in the thousands as you cannot set up the cam to valve and injector clearances without in spec parts, as the clearances will move around on you and make measurements impossible.

These engine parts are not cheap.

I would expect to see a quote from a Cummins Service Center for just the work necessary to stop the leak to run well over $5,000. That excludes any parts, system recharges for A/C, replacement of corroded cooling system components that always show up when you start tearing into the mess, etc. The out the door invoice would probably be much closer to $8,000, and perhaps considerably higher if valve train repairs are called for or they find seal leakage on the crank from a worn seal groove (and they always do).

Hopefully, the customer understands the complexity and potential for surprises once it is opened up, so you can give a flexible quote. It would not be unreasonable to see the final tab for this to be over $5,000 by an independent shop if only a few parts are suspect.

If you do not have the tools or the Cummins engine repair manual for the series of this engine, I would turn the job down. The risks to a small shop are just too great.

The best price of which I am aware on a rebuilt KT 1150 is $16,000 exchange for a rebuildable core. A KTA 1150 is easily $18,250 exchange for a rebuildable core. Those prices exclude shipping, crating, and handling! Out and out purchase of this series of engine at discount in rebuilt condition is going to be $30,000 or more, plus freight and handling. So, that may provide the customer a range of options.