Family-Owned Truck is "On-The-Hook" in Maryland and Out of Options. Can We Help Them? 

We are looking for someone that can troubleshoot and repair his truck for a reasonable price. If you wanted to help Jorge and his family, contact him here: ceo@kke.live If you wanted to send him a donation his PayPal link is here: paypal.me/Cat3126Boxtruck

Just want to say THANK YOU from me and my family, to each and every person who has commented emailed donated shared this video or even just liked this video it all means lot and its all truly appreciated especially during these trying times for me and my family. Josh Thank you, you are really an invaluable asset to the Cat owners and heavy truck owners community, a truly genuine person. People like you really make the world a better place and it feels good just knowing we still have honest and honorable people out there.

Sounds like the problem I had last fall with my 3126, would go on the flat, died on the hills. Turned out it was a clogged up fuel heater filter, and algea in the fuel, cleaned out the filter, put new fuel filters on it and put some algeacide in the tank, took care of the problem . Wish him good luck.

Josh, Your integrity shines. Your caring and fairness excels beyond most mechanics. Thank you for helping Jorge.

When fuel cap is removed unit will work ok? Probably just plugged tank vent lines. Runs ok but starts to choke out. Once again, probably due to low fuel pressure, probably filters or weak transfer pump. I’m so glad I can work on my own equipment and not rely on ding dongs

I don't think that one failed injector would cripple the truck to that point. The shop is going to take his $10000 and the truck won't be fixed. Good on you for standing up for this guy.

Dude...I've never seen you worked up anywhere near this much about something...you wear your heart on your sleeve and it shows. Never lose that passion man.

Maryland has alot of crappy diesel shops... I know this from personal experience. Im willing to bet they're right around the balt. Annapolis corridor

Had a clunking in the front end of my truck. Took to the shop, they handed back a work order for an entire front end rebuild, drive shaft, and carrier bearings. Over two thousand dollars. And this is the shop for the town’s motor pool. Second opinion, loose bolt, $20, have a nice day.

When the Cat mechanic is calling you out on being overpriced you know that invoice is high! Just poking the bear man love your channel. Don't miss a video.

Hey Josh, thank you for using your platform to help Jorge. I sent him a few bucks and encourage all other subscribers to step up and do the same. Go Jorge! Hope all this works out in a good way. So.

Too many parts swappers and not enough true mechanics out there today. I appreciate your dedication Josh.

Coating in the fuel tank is flaking off, and clogging the pickup. When the truck is off the debris falls off so it will start and run for a few minutes. Until it sucks the crap up again.

Jorge needs to file a complaint with the Maryland Attorney Generals office. They can do an investigation for violations of both civil and criminal violations against this shop. Maryland law requires detailed service information including part numbers on repair orders. Did Jorge check for a posted repair facility license as required by Maryland law? This shop might not be licensed to do business. Ask the Maryland AG's office if this business has had previous consumer complaints filed against them.

Easton is on the eastern shore across the bay from Baltimore/Washington. I sent an email with the shops I use/recommend in the area(45 minutes north). There are good diesel shops in the area.

I dont even own a cat engine (cummins isx15 here) and I still cant miss any of your videos. Thanks so much for everything you do for us all!

In my experience, good mechanics are scrupulously honest and charge a reasonable price. On the other hand, incompetent mechanics make their way in life by lying , cheating and making the customer pay for their stupidity. Unfortunately there are a lot of incompetent mechanics out there.

Let’s go, folks. Please step up, and help this dude. I owned a small fleet for 30 years, and I can tell you what a nightmare owning trucks can be. If I still had an RGN, I’d go load his truck completely free, and haul it to Stowers Cat in Knoxville, where I know it’d be done correctly and fairly. But I can at least help financially.

New Jersey has a MVC or motor vehicle code that requires shops to license with the State and estimates are required to show parts and labor breakouts. He needs to take his truck elsewhere but should also report that business. One dishonest mechanic causes all mechanics problems.

Hey, easy there on us Motorhome owners with CAT 30s - there is no "removing toilets" involved...😂

Crank sensors on mine were bad after changing ECM and heui . Bad mechanics ignoring me about checking sensor . Cost like $6000

Poor bastard. As an owner driver I feel his pain. I recently had an issue with a cummins isx pushing coolant out of the header tank. Took it to two work shops, both saying the head was shot and needed replacing. So, a week downtime, a new head and 16k bill later it's still doing the same thing, pushing coolant when the temp builds up and it pressurises. One morning while topping the coolant up I noticed the radiator cap spring seemed way to soft...$7.50 for a new radiator cap and problem solved. Almost ruined me. Had to redraw on the house mortgage to cover the repairs. A bad mechanic can ruin a small operator. Like most things the good ones are few and far between. Wish you were down here in Australia Josh, coz you'd be the only guy I'd take my truck to. Good mechanic and a decent human being to top it off. Love the channel (used to run a 6NZ, best on highway engines ever made by anyone) and hope someone can help Jorge out

It’s very possible to make good money being honest and not RIPPING PEOPLE OFF.

Thank u so much Josh! You clearly get it and the power of your platform! I really enjoy your video's and all you teach! Your truly great people!

I am an auto shop guy who likes watching mechanical stuff. I live in North western PA. I fix cars from other shops daily. I've fixed a few from their respective dealers too. I came across a channel ZK Master tech. He is a John Deere dealer mobile and in shop tech. Last video I watched him go out to one of those big articulate tractors. Crank no start. He plugs in and sees low fuel pressure. Swaps on a new high pressure pump. 5k part. It doesn't fix the dude issue. With all the emissions crap on the engine it's hard to get to the injectors. There are plenty of tests he could have done to prevent part swapping. One would think that a dealer mechanic would be able to figure out issues with their own equipment.

Just wonder if it isn't pulling air into the fuel system ?

As a fellow owner operator, I feel for this man. I'm normally not a fan of calling a shop out, but this shop should so be called out so no one else is victimized by these incompetent people.

Might just be me but if the injector is that easy to replace.....why not move the injector to a non partner cylinder and reconduct the cut out test? Replace faulty i jector wity recommendadtion to follow up with the full 6 pack at earliest convenience

Get the truck to some place else! Can do a solenoid test to hear if they are clicking first.What happen to swapping three with four and see if then four is not working and you confirmed three was the one bad? but if three is still bad the wiring harness could bad or not plugging in to make contact! Like we did before the computer. All your looking at is some seals.

I know shops like that. They probably never even looked at it let alone hooked up ET. Have a friend with a medium size excavator for doing septic systems. He took it to a shop because of low power. A turbo, and injectors for $15,000. Still low power. He asked me to take a look. The air filter was so choked with dust it weighed about 40 pounds. Problem solved.

Let's help this nice Man.

This video was very interesting. The fact that a shop is trying to take all the family business's money is no surprise at all. I have a 2000 chevy 6500 with a 3126 and honestly its a very very easy motor to work on. I DID learn from THIS video that the injectors do not have to have trim's programmed to the ECU when replaced as I thought they did. I know there's a shop out in the world someplace that will do the right thing for this boxtruck and its family. I know the price was "unacceptably high", but I suspect that individual who wrote the quote was also "unacceptably high". =)

My first suggestion would be to have it towed or drive it since it appears they were able to start it to a Caterpillar Dealer for repairs. Does the shop in question have bad Internet reviews? First thing I look at with a Business. I don't have a problem with the 400 diagnostic if they had to get it started and then drive it into the shop. The Markup on the Injectors is a little Ridiculous though. And if there going by an actual Flat Rate Guide or just guessing on the Labor?

Someone reach out to Diesel Creek n friends they’re within a few hrs of him, have them knowledge experience and response tools to do this!

When a real mechanic exposes wannabes. I hope he gets all the help that he needs.

I live here in Maryland and unfortunately this is the local culture and environment here...I usually get my W900 worked on in either Missouri or Ohio... Recently late last year I was stuck having some work done in a Maryland Kenworth shop ...Being pricey here is the norm, but at least that shop I went to did some good work that needed to be done for a state inspection...I really feel sorry for the guy getting stuck here in this area needing to be fixed...I wouldn't wish that on anyone because that's how bad it is here...

Assuming the injector in cylinder 3 is actually bad why didn't the shop recommend just replacing it? It seems to me they think they have a pigeon and are trying to pluck him. None of us know what's actually wrong but I'm thinking it's not all of the injectors. Keep the good stuff coming buddy.

I actually live in Salisbury md , which is pretty close to Easton md. I wish I had a shop bc I have alot of the tools needed to complete that work order. I hope a shop like International in Salisbury could help him

If he is in Maryland, he should take it to Carter Cat. Billy Bob's shade tree garage is trying to gouge him.

I run a one man tow company, the 3126 was the most reliable part on my truck, them freightliner wet brakes are another story, along with all the other small expenses like high price of fuel and tires all add up, spent more then i made, taking 2024 off to try save some money to operate in 2025

You are a good dude ❤

The greatest videos on the planet !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Volvo truck dealer I worked at had a 2 hour diag check time for computer electronic issues.This time deal would be written up to what tests were done to do the diag.The foreman would look at the diag before it was given to the customer.Did not matter who the customer was.Volvo did it this way to protect the customer and the dealer.Most to protect the customer.Should the customer pay for a bad diag?

Add on one of these a while back. In the fuel piping at or near the Huey pump found a round metal tube. Several inches long. Took it apart and inside was a tapered wire mesh filter. it was plugged up. Cleaned it out. Truck ran fine. I IRC I found picture of it in Cat SI while looking for info on how fuel got the tank to the engine

Think this fellow is smart enough to know what a miss is(injector issue)my bet is fuel line vacume issue re. Sucking air.....intermitant????i have delt with a suck side fuel line turning inside out causing very similar symptyms as well as line leaks.Turbo(wastegate issues)???? Yes...a fuel guage t in on pressure side if possible confirms available pressure. My own personal 5.9 cummins got one as a precaution after having vac. Issues.Along with pyro and boost psi.Not huge$...no guessing...easy troubleshooting 3 paramiters. Looking fwd to outcome...wishing u luck and simple fix.

did anybody notice that it said that once the fuel cap was removed it ran well ,i have had the same problem on a lorry and it was a blocked tank vent ,causes a vacume and wont draw fuel , just a thought

I can't believe the shop completely ignored the fact that taking the fuel cap off changed how it ran. That right there should be a giant billboard staring them in the face saying "HEY, MAYBE YOU SHOULD LOOK INTO THAT"

Shops like this that do this price gouging don't need - deserve to be in business.... This is disgusting....

This Stinks, i think someone is trying to take the Royal Michael out of Jorge and his family. There's got to be a better shop near where the vehicle is. Good luck Jorge find someone else mate.

Jorge is an out of towner , this is called highway robbery

One morning I started my 3176 and heard (a compression) sound from one cylinder. In hind sight I should have pulled the valve covers but needed the truck asap. Took it to my local reputable shop and they diagnosed as wiped cam lobe. Ok'ed repairs, after tear down, was broken rocker bridge. Still did all work but only charged for labor.

Hes 3 hrs from me. The best i can figure with being in easton md. Is to try bergeys truck service in delmar md. Their mostly volvo/mack but they may be able to help. Other than that id suggest calling alban cat. They should definitely be able to help him out. Only big problem is hes on the wrong side of the Chesapeake bay bridge. And its saturday

Wondering about Fuel cap and truck running better with out it.

Had a Freightliner M2 with a C7 I was driving for a fella for a bit that was doing something similar and I think they said it turned out to be the ECM was bad.

Gallant that you're calling out being ripped off by the automotive industry. Fingers crossed a good samaritan comes to the rescue. I hope your kind nature doesn't bring you an avalanche of new friends in need of help.

Us truck drivers out here are like shooting fish in a barrel when it comes to repairs when we’re away from home. It’s sickening. I had a screw in a drive tire. They started a patch plug repair and they saw broken wires. The shop owner flat out refused to continue with the repair stating I needed to replace the tire. I wasn’t going to argue and said go ahead and replace it. I went in to pay and the bill was $1160!!!!! They charged me $175 dollars for the repair they refused to perform and then charged me for the tire!!! They also refused to let me take the original tire saying that they didn’t want me to repair it and drive on the same roads that their children’s school bus does. I paid the bill and went out to my truck, the tire was leaning against the wall and I picked it up and threw it on my catwalk and drove off. 😂😂😂🖕🖕🖕🖕

Could be an IPR or whatever else. Never is the whole set of injectors junk...more often the injector seals. Sounds silly... run away from those hacks.

Let’s pass the boot around and get josh on a flight to Maryland…

yeaa when my DT466E died on me i couldnt figure it out so i brought it to the international dealer and it was a messed up IPR wiring. Charged me 600 bucks CAD. Expensive, but they couldve soaked me for more

Dangggg 7k for injectors? Might as well get a rebuild kit

There is a shop in Winchester Virginia, can't think of the name of the place, but stay out of Maryland and eastern west Virginia. Crooks crawling over Crooks.

Sad state of the auto world. I have a Jeep that I took to two local shops and 3 Jeep dealerships before I was able to get it fixed. I feel bad for truckers that need the truck to live and shops find a way to gouge them. Shared this video to Twitter, tried to share to fakebook but don't remember my password.

Losing it on the uphills? It sounds like a suction problem- i had an F750 that had a chafed suction line from the tank that would give long crank after sitting, and power loss under hard pulls. If it has the plastic lines, I've seen the fitting o-rings fail (Topkicks had this problem). Could be as simple as an algae problem, rusty fuel tank, failing internal tank lining if one was applied at some point, or dirty filters, and the long pull at power agitates the contaminants from the bottom of the filter cases and it starts to choke flow. Let it sit, the heavier particles settle down, and it'll run again until the fuel flow agitates them back up. Also, any sharp angle change in the fuel supply plumbing can catch contamination and build restrictions- we used to see things like mulch stuck in the primary housing inlet 90's on tree trucks. Sludge or algae can do the same. I'd personally recommend he replaces all of the fuel filters, blows back through the suction line/lines from the primary to the tank, makes sure a mud-dauber or other bug didn't block up his tank vent or tank cap vent, then re-try.

He could swap the injector from one cylinder to another to see if the problem follows it. Just be sure to dry out the cylinder before putting it back in. If it is just an injector, he could do it himself or pay someone to replace one. If he could limp it down to my house in VA, I could swap them all free of charge if he provided the injectors.

Most shops are a mess and don’t fix the problem over charging the customer

I just sent Jorge $100 to help. please follow up with the results. This is a great thing to help each other. I have been in similar circumstances and had people who have helped. I'm glad I can sit here and offer some to him.

You know as well as I do this crap goes on all the time. For example to do disc brakes on the front end of your average Honda shop time will be charged four to six hours. Actual mechanic time 45 minutes more or less. I consider this fraud every states attorney general should be investigating this practice. If shops actually charge actual mechanic time they would probably go out of business.🤔🤔

He mentioned losing all power going uphill. Is something moving around in the fuel tank blocking the pickup? Or is the pickup broken? Hope he can get it sorted out.

Hopefully someone can help this man that quote sounds crazy.

I just did a set of 3126 injectors last week and it was 4k out the door, not sure what they were charging to get 10k.

Your the only guy i would ever pay to do any work on my cat, im to far away in alaska tho, so i do itmall myself

Being from out of state this shops really trying to screw him.Thanks for putting this video out.

There are good diesels shops in PA that is just north of him. Susquehanna truck service is North of him and although i never used then, they have a good reputation.

Pretty great video josh. Biggest blessing on you. So great he got help. 👍💪👊🤩

Just a hypothesis.... while it could be a injector issue, but to me it seems to be a broken wire or connector pin... and when a heat load is put into the cylinder it theoretically would cause a intermittent cutout on the injector.... ether way the valve cover needs to come off.

Josh, thanks for helping. Just wanted to say that another RU-vid channel gave you a shout-out in their last video. It's Fast Ag they are here in montana. Great channel, and he loves his cat. Tony is a great guy. Thanks again for all your help.

to spend 10 grand and have the truck fixed and ready for service is tough but fixed but to spend 10 grand then not be fixed would be unacceptable and crushing because its not in service making money

Had a similar situation happen to me with my 2021 Ram 3500. Truck started knock. Sounded like injectors. Brought it to an independent shop. They said that 2 of the injectors were returning too much fuel and I need all 6 injectors. I went ahead and did it to get the truck back on the road. $7000 Later I got the truck back. The truck made it 2 weeks and the knock came back. Brought it back to the shop and they proceeded to tell me the fuel system had metal in it and gave me so long story about how they dropped the tank and the pick up was full of metal. I said no thanks. Picked the truck up, dumped a bottle of Hotshot Secrets Diesel Extreme in it and prayed. 50,000 miles later and I haven't had a single problem.

Isn't there like a chilton flat rate manual for deisel?

A video like this is great Josh. We have all had expensive repairs done, when a very simple problem needed fixed. Hope you can connect Jorge with a real mechanic...Thanks for doing this, from all of us.

We've all seen this. They bust your ass for ten grand, it doesn't fix the issue but they make up a story to fit their narrative of how you still needed injectors and now you need a pump also.

I hope some one can help him out ,,,,,, I am happy to see your idea to ask for local help ! I believe he will be taken care of, It’s SO IMPORTANT that we preserve our independent truckers , they keep our distribution lanes free and out of government control ! God bless

He have special truck with GOLD FUEL INJECTERS also require USE ONLY GOLD DIESEL FUEL

As a resident of the People’s Socialist Republic of Marylandstan, this is par for the course. It is extremely difficult to find competent diesel techs. I am lucky and live in the tri state area potion of MD and my diesel tech is in VA. Someone simply passing through is highly unlikely to get a good price nor a good tech.

Your intent with this video is very admirable. Owner operators have a very hard job and take on insane amounts of risk. Any help they can get is almost always greatly appreciated. I also agree with most of your points. The quote and service information was very poorly written leaving large amounts of doubt in the customer’s mind especially concerning the labor charges. However your issues with the pricing are overblown. I’m watching this video well after its release, and just watched one of your videos where it appears you’ve started out on your own. I’m afraid if that’s the case you’re likely going to learn the lesson I’m about to touch on. Shops are in business to make money. That means labor isn’t cheap and parts are up charged. A 50% parts markup is well within reason and industry averages. Many dealerships mark their parts up as much as 300-400%. A small independent shop is also well within their rights and are often wise for not installing customer supplied parts (this often creates warranty issues down the road and can frequently end up costing the shop to perform the repair), and for not offering “grades of repair”. It’s in most shops best interest to offer the best reasonable repair possible as the only option since it is their reputation on the line. Labor rates are also quickly approaching $200-$225 dollars an hour in many parts of the country. Skilled and qualified labor is becoming a very hard thing to find in the diesel industry. That means it’s getting very expensive. As I previously stated this shop had several other issues and poor business practices at play. As for their pricing; it may not be as far off as your thinking.

Is this a CAT dealership? Did they swap injectors? For $411. He is in Carter Machinery Territory. But kind of no man’s land. Salisbury, Ocean city, Are probably the closest locations. That’s going to cost travel time for a field tech or an expensive tow.

Mechanic probably used a spritz bottle of water and sprayed each section of the exhaust manifold. $411.00 please🤬 Plus the mark up on the parts and if they could get away of charging you the $1.00 for a debit card fee on a $11,000.00 bill.

3126 like to break valve springs. So yes, fuel pressure check and removing the valve cover. Should be done before initial diagnosis. If he runs the truck a lot I'd quote a kit with the high pressure pump.

I debated to myself on commenting as I never want to join the drama or stir the pot but seriously I feel bad for the guy. That quote is way far off. This guy got poor DIAG and the tech just took a guess based on what google said. If you don’t know cat engines…. State that and say to our best knowledge we want to try #3 injector and inspect it while we are in there. It might need more DIAG and parts after. That way this guy knows what’s going on and knows your trying your best (I mean he’s not at a dealership) rather than.”dead cylinder” I work at a Volvo dealership in Indianapolis and had a very similar situation happen to a truck I spend 4hours DIAG on when the other shop sold him a 6pack of injectors and sent him on his way. He borrowed money to make it happen. Made it 1 state over with low power and check engine light. Turned out the cam shaft injector lobe spun on the camshaft and took out the injector the first time and they Ignored it. And installed injectors anyway….And I know they ignored it because when I opened the valve cover to inspect it found adjusted backed out all the way on that injector where they tryed to make the adjustment work(it will never adjust right if the cams junk) and they took his $15,000 and wouldn’t answer his phone calls after that. Sad day in time we are living in where this is how shops make money. Makes us good techs that follow DIAG steps and wants to do it right. Look like we are trying to rob the guy when we request 2 more hours of DIAG time just to make sure what we quote will fix the fault or complaint.

That is the "I just don't wanna mess with it, so screw you" quote...so he can just squeeze blood from a rock. Shady underhanded dealing...report em to the BBB or someone else...that company needs a visit from someone in a suit to ask the "hard" questions...

He’s not lying!!!! I’ve emailed him about a 06 Freight M2 w/CAT C7 that I was having starting/fuel issues. He was my last resort because I thought he wouldn’t reply. To my surprise he got back to me within hrs!! He’s the real deal an truly trying to help others. Thank you

Hate to say it but these small shops on the road sometimes hike the prices up on black customers. I had similar issue where the shop said I needed a new engine. Turns out cylinder 1 had melted the piston. So I had the truck (medium duty Hino) towed the hotel, ordered parts and did a in frame rebuild myself, got it back running and drove it 764 miles back home. My lessons is just be prepared for anything out there.

Because he has a big power loss going uphill, I have to think it's a fuel restriction. Having a dirty fuel filter running on flat ground is not that noticeable but as soon as you have to put your foot in it uphill it will stumble all over itself just a life experience.

Unfortunately the mechanic trade has had some very shady individuals in it for as long as the internal combustion engine has been mass produced. I’ve never been involved in the HD diesel industry but apparently it’s not much different than the automotive industry as far as unethical people taking advantage of people. After being in the automotive repair business for 30 years I think I have seen the best and the worst that our industry has to offer. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to get any better either. Fewer and fewer young people are interested in pursuing a career in the repair industry and I really can’t blame them. In many instances, the pay system for mechanics encourages unethical practices and outright fraud.

The quote is only the shops recommendation . And you always pay extra when you need repairs in a hurry . Expect he is loaded with just in time freight that is now overdue . That alone could sink his business . Nothing said about the fuel cap being removed to avoid vapour lock in the testing phase , think this is a red herring as it would cause poor running under all load conditions . 50 % mark up on non stocked parts is normal , if you can get away with it . Because things are tight , I would suggest he supple one original new injector from cat and have the present shop fit it in # 3 . As the other 5 injectors are presently working why replace them at this point . The bigger problem I see is the tired state of the truck in general and knowing one road side break down could sink this business . He needs to review his business model to make sure it is viable .

not being ripped off from bad mechanics... is something priceless

I have a 7.3 with a heui system that had those same symptoms , it ended up being a malfunctioning pickup tube in the oil pan, the lpop wasn't getting enough oil, so it wasn't feeding the hpop with enough oil to build proper psi. Hense the misfiring, white/blue smoke and no power. Best of luck

Seems like they are charging that much because he’s from out of state and figure he’ll pay it just so he can get back on the road. Sucks how people try to take advantage

i got a vw amarok, was charged 140$ in diagnostics to workout why only 1 reverse light was working. its a god dang fog light on that side

i just sent him an email my shop is located in WV but we make road call and do mobile repaires in the tri-state . Hopfully i get a message back and can help out .