I am looking at a 1984 IH S1654 truck that has a normally aspirated 9.0L V8 engine in it, with the odometer reading 306K. It runs nice, but I am wondering about the longevity of this engine. This will be used to haul wood chips and logs.
Wish it had a Cummins, but the price is right, and my 1974 F350 dump truck just doesn't have the GVW I need. It currently has a flatbed on it. I will change my dump body over from the F350 if I buy it.

Thanks,
Chris

 

Gas or diesel? They made both in NA versions. The 549 was the gasser and the 550 was the diesel (the 549 turned into diesel). I've had 2 549s in old binders and a friend had a 550 and they both ran the same. The 550 smoked like a coaltrain! The ihc 549 and 550, ford 534 and chevy 427 truck engines all ran the same - side by side in 10 wheel dumpstrucks. The ihc's are slow turning, massive engines - about 2500rpm IIRC. They were built to last (sodium filled valve stems, rotocaps etc) and they don't have enough power for their size to hurt themselves. My 68 549 with a 5 & 4 in a dump got 1.5mpg loaded and 3mpg empty and I was shifting every 15 seconds with the short powerband. I had a 59 cabover semi tractor single axle 5 & 2 that got 10.5 after turning it into a wrecker. They are expensive to rebuilt. Pistons were $100@ even back when I had them. A good modern 5.9 would run circles around them! They were workhourses but the price better be really right or I'd keep looking. Craig

 

This is a 9.0L diesel, normally aspirated, with a 5 speed behind it. When I test drove it, albeit empty, it was pretty peppy. I AM worried about what it will do with a full load of chips and a 6000 lb chipper behind it.
I wonder if it will be best to hold out for an inline 6.
The price is 1600.00, which I think is pretty good, if it will last me a while.

Thanks,
Chris

 

If its the original engine then its over its average life expectancy with 306k on the clock. They were decent city motors so if you are just going to use it as a chip truck then I would not worry about it. They leak and smoke so just keep an eye on the fluids. Just don't let it idle for long periods of time. (hours) It will wash down the cyl walls really quick with extended idling. I would buy it for $1,600 as long as you only want to get a couple years out of it.

 

I found another possible truck today, with a DT466 in it. It's a 1995, so I assume it's a DT466E. It has a 33K GVW and a crew cab. I am going to try and see it in person this weekend to see if it is a better fit. The larger cab will be better, and the inline 6, even though it's an IH, makes me feel better than that V8. I don't know the mileage on this new truck yet, but the seller has told me he has dumped about 10K into it since he's owned it, to make it reliable. I don''t have a full list of what he's done, but he did mention all new springs in the front end and welding new metal into the dump bed as well as building up the sides.

Thanks for the opinions on the 9.0L, but I think I'm gonna stay away from a V8 diesel.

Chris

 

Much better choice! Most of what I've heard about the dt466 has been very good but some have an oil leak problem, in the cooler or something like that. Overall, they are very reliable engines - they're used a lot for pulling when built right. That old one might even have a bosch inline injection pump. Anyway the dt466 is lightyears ahead of NA 550 diesel. I'd have one of them, no problem. It's still a typical ihc engine - so detuned they can't hurt themselves. I used to check out MDTs a lot and 275 was HIGH hp for the 466s. Most of them were ~215. Craig

 

Yeah, I'm still trying to turn up my 86 DT466 in my bucket truck. I know it's pulling 40,000 lbs, but I need it to be able to get out of its own way. Know that I have turned up the fuel and the smoke screw it is doing much better than it did, but it is still weak. I worry if this new truck is an E engine, which will make it harder to turn up.

Chris

 

If its a 95 then it is most likely not electronic. 96 was the big change over for the 466, however there were both mechanical and electronic available up till late 96.

 

Oh man, I am just gonna hang tight here, and wait. I just ran across ANOTHER IH dump truck with a crew cab. This one's a 91 though, and likely a DT466 in it. It has only 52K on it. I'm gonna have to scope that one out also.
Is there anything in particular I should be looking for with these trucks, when I check them out?

Thanks,
Chris

 

Yes there is. A low mileage crew cab was probably a city or state truck that has been used for plowing, sanding etc. Look for rotted floor beams under the cab, also look at the floor pans. Look inside from the drivers door, look at the fuse block and behind it, water gets in there and wreaks havoc if not caught in time. If plowing or sanding is not a factor in the area these trucks are located then just look for the usual maintenance stuff, and inspect the frame rails. You are heading in the right direction with a dt466, either mechanical or electronic. They are king of the medium duty segment, they are reliable and easy to fix.

 

Just had a look at the 91 I found. It was an N.C. state maintenance truck, with plow on the front. That thing was rotted like you wouldn't believe. The floor beams, the floor pan, and door edges had the cancer. Even the air tank bracket had rusted through. That one was scary. It ran and drove great though, except for a lot of slack in the shifter. That one's going to the bottom of the list for me. I will not be able to check out the 95 until the weekend, but I will be looking for the same things in it, and burnt tranny fluid, since it has an Allison.

Thanks,
Chris

 

That DT 466 was one of the most reliable engines IH (or just about anyone else) has ever made. Even the electronic engines are quite good overall. They had a high safey factor, so a considerable level of over-design. I would really keep watching out for rust (as you mentioned) and avoid the 9.0L, it was sort of like the 8.2L V8 GM put in thier medium duties, and a poor excuse for a diesel engine. Not that it wouldn't run, just really like an old Oldsmobile V8 compared to a good turbo I-6.

 

DT408 and DT360 are also good choices as long as you are not in a hurry. The nice thing about a DT360 is that it does not make enough power to hurt the driveline no matter how it's abused.

 

Well, as long as we're on the subject of IH engines...

What's the differences between the DT408 and 360's?

Are the DT408 and 360's in any way, shape or form related to the 466 in terms of ability to use some common parts? Are the blocks different? Heads?

Lastly, what's the secret to turning up, (or at least WAKING UP), an electronic 195HP 466? The local dealer told me it was soooo hard to do and expensive too.

Sorry for the thread hijacking, but it was kinda heading that way anyway!

chaikwa.

 

The only thing the 360 and 466 have in common is that they are both blue. AFAIK the 408 is a 466 with smaller bore and stroke.