Caterpillar C15
Caterpillar's last on-highway engine before it left the truck engine market in 2010 rather than build an SCR system. The pre-ACERT single turbo builds are the sought-after ones; the ACERT twin turbo builds are not.
Output
435-625 hp
1550-2050 lb-ft peak torque
Fuel per mile
$0.675
at 6.0 mpg and $4.049 a gallon
Fuel a year
$80,980
over 120,000 miles
In-frame overhaul
$18k-$28k
rough, and shop rates move it
In the exhaust
None before 2007, then ACERT with DPF
Exhaust gas recirculation arrives: some exhaust is fed back into the intake to cut oxides of nitrogen. It raises cylinder pressure and heat, and it introduced the EGR cooler as a thing that fails.
Known issues
ACERT builds are known for turbo, valve actuator and head problems and are the reason Caterpillar's on-highway reputation ended where it did. Pre-2004 units are a different and much better engine.
Verdict
A 3406E or an early C15 is a fine old truck engine. A 2007 to 2010 ACERT is the one generation of any make this reference would steer you away from most firmly.
Trucks it is offered in
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