The Legend of the Caterpillar 3406 

Cat still makes the 3406C mechanical Diesel for third world countries that want a mechanical engine for pumps, generators, compressors, boat engines. The 3406 is also made as a spark ignited natural gas engine along with the 3408.

yep, a 3406B, 4 and quarter turned up around 500 horse, in a long nose Pete, stick your foot into it and get a puff of smoke from the stacks and away she would go. these young drivers don't know what they are missing. sure brings back memories.

Hands down this was the golden era of truck engines, 3406 and C15, Detroit series's 60, Cummins N14 and signiture gen 2.. didn't matter which colour you had they were all great

I have 2 mechanical 3406C’s. they are apocalyptic level reliable, and have been in the family for 26 years and about 3 million miles between the two of em. Some of todays engines through technology are more fuel efficient but those monetary gains are wiped away and turned into a loss when you factor in lost revenue from downtime, repair costs, emissions failures, waiting days or weeks to receive service and then dealers and shops being unable to properly diagnose deep rooted electronic interrelated issues, thousands of added parts and systems prone to failure, a level of complexity that requires proprietary software to access, DEF cost, now we have low quality replacement parts and shipping delays, You name it, ELD system maintenance I could go on…Rebuild a mechanical 3406 drive it correctly and you will give it to your kids 25 years later, the only thing that can kill these engines will be the government and that would be a sad day if it ever came.

One of the best presentations of the 3406 as well as Caterpillar’s history of it. Your attention to detail is appreciated.

We have a 1974 Pete that had a 3406B swapped into it probably decades ago and that truck can sit for a year or more and start right up on the first crank every single time. Great motor!

The good old cat engine's reliability is an understatement compared to today's engines if you were driving from Pennsylvania to California you knew you were not going to break down and if you did you could fix it with a screwdriver some duct tape and starting fluid and a few filters.....

I have a 92’ Peterbilt 379 that came with the 3406C PEEC engine. After a million miles I had it rebuilt and put a B model pump on it making it a full mechanical engine. The truck has never ran as good as it does now. I just recently bought an 84’ kenworth W900B with a 3406A CAT. I have 2 core 3406 B model engines in the shop and will be swapping my 86’ Peterbilt 359 from a 350 Big Cam Cummins over to a 3406B once the engine is complete.

I know someone who has a large fleet of 3406 glider trucks turned up to 700+ hp. And if u are wondering about who else still makes parts for their vehicles after they close down, Pacific has been closed since the 90s and they still make all of the parts for the trucks.

I still love the 3408 Don't get me wrong the 3406 is a great engine

3406 and the 3408 v8 cats are my favorite. Now the dt466 is right there with em and the n14 cummins

You are completely right about it. 3406 will be always remembered as the best engine ever!😊👍

Drove most of them back in the day. 3406 360hp PCTA, 3406 375hp PCTA, 3406A 380 hp DITA, 3406A 400 hp DITA, 3406B 400 hp DITA, 3406B 425 hp DITA and 3406E 435 hp. It is an absolute shame that these engines had to go away and be replaced by the current exhaust choked "compliant" engines. Of all of them my favorite is/was a hot "4 and a quarter" B model. They were king of the road and still could be.

I ran a 3406 DITA back in 1990 I loved it as an owner-operator . My license plate was 4NA QTR .

3406 (now called A model) was a PCT, PCTA, DIT, DITA. (1973-1984) 92U prefix. 3406B at first was a 7FB, JWAC DITA, later ATAAC was added. As they ran out of serial numbers, the first 4MG's 1-03599 was still basically the same and still could be a JWAC. Starting at 4MG03600 the VTU was the major change. And they went into the 90,000 serial numbers. Then they came out with a 5KJ and it was a 3406B, 1-07799. Most people get this serial number mixed up is the 3406 B 3ZJ, serial numbers 1-16181 is a 3406B. During the late 80's the dreaded PEEC was released. Electronic governor and VTU. You had PEEC II, PEEC II.V They started out as a 3406B 8TC. released next of the PEEC was a 2EK, still a 3406B. Last PEEC was the 4CK and it was a 3406B 1-0845. Another 3406B PEEC was a 5YG strictly a 460 HP @1900 RPM'S. After the 3406B ended the 3406C was released. Mechanical was 5KJ07800 and up, I have never seen one of these. 3JZ16182 and up. The last fully mechanical 3406C was the 8PN. It is a totally different engine and parts do NOT inner change well with the older engine. Finally you had the last PEEC, 4CK0846 and up. It was a PEEC III and had a lot of VTU problems. Just ran across some 5KJ's 3406C's that was JWAC and high HP. Looking into these. That is I recall from memory.

I worked for a dealership for 42 years.. the 1693 was available until 1976. We had one of the last 1693 made. They were the same cubic in as 3406A . They made pc and DI 3406 A The 3406 B were great engines!

The company I worked for ordered a round of C15s. I put close to 700k on one and during that time the repairs were as follows, water pump, alternator, front oil seal,and starter. The mechanics loved them and so did the driver. However going back to the start of my trucking career I would have to say that my favorite Cat was the 1693. Loved that motor.

I started driving in 1993 with a 3406 under the hood. So many good memories, Cloumbia river gorge, driving across Hoover dam and much more. It was so dissapointing to see all the good truck stops and mom & pop resturants with truck parking shut down. I rember the Blue & White truck stop in Indiana with the old time breakfast bar and the huge $2.50 breakfast at one of the south side casino"s in Las Vegas.

As a diesel-truck tech circa 1978-83, every shop I worked in considered the Cat 3400 series the gold standard of class 8 truck engines, easily preferable to Cummins NTC855's, 903's, & Detroit 8v71T's, & 8v92T's At the same horsepower rating they always out pulled the others. Only other engine that came close were the Cummins KT series. I really do despise the EPA and CARB

I love a 3406e… it seems like it’s one of the few that everything isn’t on back order for anymore. As well as one of my regular customers having one that we put a marine cam and other goodies in putting out almost 800 horse reliably. It’s just a good motor.

I had a 5EK that we put 2 million miles on. No crankshaft problems. I also had a 5 DS. It was a beast!

Mine hit 37,000 hours when it finally cracked the head internally and was spitting coolant out the exhaust. Just got first rebuild and I still can't believe it took that long to need a rebuild and it runs the same. I'm more than impressed.

I was always happy with this engine. 980 F. F series was a great series before it got all of the electronics. 21 thousand hours is a good run in a front end loader. I started with a 988 87A series with a D 343. It was a good engine.

My 1993 Peterbilt has a 3406B with 1,760,000 miles on it currently and just love this motor , I only wish the newer motors were 1/2 as good .

I rebuilt a 3406E 5EK in tech school. Easily one of the best running engine we had in the lab with the big cam, series 60s and the ISX's

I remember a place I worked at in Northern BC had a 3406 with a 25kw generator, it was using a lot of oil at the end of it's life, but still churned along without so much of a hiccup for many years 24/7

I drove a kenworth with a 3406B engine fitted, just awesome and didn't know the meaning of quitting, definitely better than anything you can buy now.

Picked up a glider kit last year with a 6nz . Definitely an incredible engine. Really happy that Cat is still making parts for these types of engines. We will always wonder what would’ve taken place if Cat stayed in the on highway emissions development. All the manufacturers had their issues early on but it seems that 2014+ are performing well.

It might not interest anyone but the 3406e was also used in the romanian trucks DAC 16.550 (4x4) and 26.550 (6x6) which were going to take part in the Paris - Dakar rally. Originally the engine was a tuned version making about 660 HP combined with a redesigned cabin. However financial issues meant that they had to use a stock cabin with new CAT axles and a stock 550 HP 3406e (it had 16 tonnes rather than the previous 9 tonnes design). Despite these setbacks the factory team managed to get 2nd and 3rd in the 1999 Rally of Tunis only behind an Iveco driven by ex-WRC driver Miki Biasion.

Love this engine. I've overhauled hundreds of them. G3406 is my fave.

Hello DRAJ. The information on the Cat 3406 is interesting to say the least. The mechanical injection then the hybrid electrical/mechanical section was very informative. I love your vidoes they are clear and concise and jam packed with great information. So glad I found your channel, thank you. I will be watching many many more of your videos and learning all the way.

We had a pair of Steiger tractors on our farm. One was a ST250 with a 3306 and the other a ST325 with a 3406. Both engines were very reliable and did a ton of work on our farm.

It should be mentioned that there is also a 3412. 890 hp in the Backup Generator drive version pushing a 600KW Alternator (those truly are alternator though the package is called Gen Set). I had 3 of those. Major reliability issue was the fuel pump, they would start to weep. Easy enough to replace. I had one 3406 (B I believe). Only issue was the governor that we finally got Cat to pull apart and fix (it would stick on a load dump). All rang well despite running Jet A fuel they were not specified to do. Some nozzle seals let go but again, that could have been the fuel or equally the age (heate4d to 120 deg 24 x 365 for quick start in Standby mode.) Of that vintage I had a VTA-1710. I would call them equal. Both started well, picked up load well and few issues (again heated 24 x 365 meant it was almost partly running as far as seal age went all the time).

Great information, Thanks!

As a Diesel Mechanic my favorites Tend to be the 3406 E or A . The N14 Cummins. And the classic 60 Series from Detroit

When I worked as a design engineer in the heavy truck industry, we had the 3406C and the DDEC Series 60 12.7, Plus Cummins.

98 1LW 3406e marine cam .58 injectors swapped 07 acert 15.3 crank forged for the 14.6 cast pdi manifold and 78mm non waste gate turbo custom file for the ecm 13 speed 3.36 rear gear 300 inch 98 379 Peterbilt mid-roof 2.1 million miles drive it every week 700 ish horsepower gonna be buried in it…

We love Cat 3406's. One engine is in a 1990 International 9300 semi tractor, Second engine is in a 1992 Peterbilt 379 Ext Hood, and the third 3406 is in a Steiger 4wd farm tractor we recently purchased Have a Steiger Panther 4 wd tractor with a Cummins 855 that came apart this past spring. My experience is Cat engines have more lugging ability then competition has. Parts are more expensive for Cat than Cummins are. Just found your channel and will definitely return Thank You

I’ve worked on several of these Offshore only problem I had offshore is the injector lines would rust out about every two years

Oh no, the 6NZ boys should be showing up here any moment. You'd be really surprised how much the c15 and 3406e have in common,. Like most of it. You should do N14s next. Only seems fair

I was with Cat in Australia through the B, C and E engines. The C with its Brushless Torque Motors was absolute Crap. When the E arrived it hit the ground running. It was the best road truck engine I worked on. ( except for the rear flywheel housing and front cover oil leaks.) I think you nailed your appraisal of this series of engines. I still see the C15/C16 as a 3400 series engine. I just see it with a metric identifier. That being 15 litre and the 16 litre stroked version. Will keep an eye out for your other video’s now.

Just rebuilt my 30 year old B. Good for another 10 years! Most reliable engine ever and simple.

2WS CAT 3406E Peterbilt 379 legends are born!

I got a 98 3406 E original miles, no overhaul with no oil leaks, I'm surprised leaks were a problem with these models

Enjoyed this one. KT3406E is the GOAT of CAT on RU-vid.

One of the best absolutely hands down. 3406 B,C,E, C-13,14,15,16. Is what my Gen is used to. C-15, 550, W/18 Ultimate Engine Trans Combo.

Very Informative,👍👍👍

This is the goto oil rig compressor engine with a sullair on the back. When that oil rig lit up in the Gulf of Mexico their explosion category went from ‘rig safe’ to zone2. And that is a pain when the paperwork file is twice as big for the electric controlled engines. Scantek we’re taking old cat/sullair sets and fully rebuilding into a new container.. They built several hundred. :o)

Our fuel hauling company currently run glider kit W-900 Kenworths, with 2WS Cats. 550Hp with a cat brake saver & Jake brake. They are a beast pulling 85K # down the road. Even with 2 engine braking systems, the ISX Cummins is far superior when going down long steep grades. We are in Western Colorado on I-70. I recall the C models only difference was air to air after cooling, rather than water jacket cooling. The 2006 Acert my brother had was kind of a turd. It was 475hp, in a heavy haul truck. Was always running warm, 215 degrees. Went thru intake actuators often. Actuators are only sold as 2, so you have to pay $600, every though you only need 1.

Love your videos 💙💙💙 Please make another video on the Caterpillar 3408 series

The 3406 also came with a 15.6 550 horsepower version.

I love the 3406 Cats. There’s so much that you can do with those engines. I like the 3406B Cats a lot especially because they’re strictly mechanical engines. Real bulletproof. My 1990 Kenworth dump truck has a B model Cat that has about 500 horsepower in it.

Detroit Diesel Series 60 12.7 liters is the GOAT!!! The Caterpillar 3406 B was awesome, but was a diesel guzzler.

What's your favorite engine from Caterpillar? *I'd like to note that the 3406 is still being produced for select countries, but not for over-road-truck use.

I have owned 2 c models and 1 e model.The e has almost 2.5 million miles with 2 inframes and origina crank and ecm.

It was cat using the ARD setup, instead of dosing fuel into a catalyst like every other diesel manufacturer did that sunk them. They all suck but the ard setup was the least reliable by far.

Wow good job would be great to find the same review, on Cummins 6.7 and 8.9 as they still use in RV AND TRUCKS

Good job! I would just add that the 3406 C mechanical needs more love, and in my opinion is the best 3406 version. May also remind people about the cost of upgrading to steel pistons if tuning above 550hp. Thanks again!

The A had a short jackshaft drive the pump. The B was better due to the mechanical advancement.

I blame the EPA for their harsh & unnecessary regulations for killing Diesel engines.

I have a 3406E in my W9L, putting out 1K in hp and got a 3406B for my w900a and want to build it to 600hp, love the B's

The PEEC engine didn't have a throttle body which you mentioned. It had an electronic torque motor to control the timing advance and a second electronic torque motor to control the rack in the fuel pump. You may have meant to say that it had and electronic throttle pedal. I did a lot of training on the electronics on the PEEC engine.

The 3306 is even more durable. Total dog power wise but they are 60-70k hour engines even when abused

Thanks you man

I have a 79 westernstar cabover with a 3406 A block P C T A did an in frame had no problems getting the parts from cat!

Ok I love the 3406 I had a B I loved it. But I have a engine I liked more at least economically. It's the much maligned 3176. I had one dependable reliable. But what won me was the fuel bills. I bobtailed the freightliner it was in 2,500 miles averaging 95-100mph. Average mpg? 16.7 mpg. 😍😍😍 The 3406 B as much as I loved it it averaged 7.? Mpg . I have had many trucks the average at the time was 7 but fuel was $1.67 per gallon. Then. The 3176 averaged 9 that's almost a30% increase in profit margin. That makes it my overall favorite diesel. Now my favorite diesel medium duty would be another maligned diesel the DETROIT 8.2 non turbo. Another mpg monster. Commercial fisherman call them the fuel pincher and fuel miser. In a Ford f650 rollback towtruck with a car on the back that averaged 24.8 mpg ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ They are also said to be weak . The 8.2 had a couple little brothers that were the worst diesel engines ever made breaking crankshafts ore blowing head gaskets every 15,000 miles. So why is it my favorite overall diesel? It's 250,-500,000 if you are really really lucky before a rebuild. Here's where being tainted by the reputation of it's junk little brothers keeps the prices WAYYYY DOWN. you can start finding used running 8.2 Detroit for $500 (as opposed to a 12 valve Cummins start at running used $5,000 10 times as much) .but you gotta be quick to jump on. Because of the fisherman. The rebuild cost s on the Detroit was a few years ago average $5,000 while the 12 valve Cummins was double plus . Very very simple dog slow motor. But remember fisherman are your compilation for them and they are willing to buy busses and trucks just for the engine driving up the prices on old busses and trucks. Like they do for trucks and buses for 12 valve Cummins.

Acert was the nail in the coffin. Would like a 6NZ please

I used to work in a nursing home and the power generator for the entire building if the main power goes out is a cat 3406 it was loud as shit when the power went out

The PEEC 3 had problems with the electronics. When the computer went bad, it would default to full advance. They would run like a scalded ass dog till it boiled the tops of the pistons. I've seen the aftermath and it's not pretty. Many years ago some mechanics would put steel top pistons in the B and C mechanicals so you could turn them up without burning them up. They were fucking awesome.

Just got back from maintenance work on a couple of tri axle trucks. I drive a Kenworth 2018 with a Cummins engine but the trucks today, specially a special 2005 Kenworth 18 speed had a CAT engine. I will confirm which one it was but it may have been the 3406C.. My dispatcher has a 2006 Kenworth also with a CAT engine💯

I have a stock 605hp 1LW best engine ever had she is tough strong in the hills 💪 walks all over Cummins isx

Favorite CAT engine has to be the natural gas powered 3516, it’s just a monster used the world over for power generation and compression.

3406 e the best truck engine i ever owned in my 40 yr truckin carrer owned a bunch of others no comparison keep on bulidin them thanks cat a happy trucker

The 6NZ is the best I had the 5EK worked great out pulled the new C15s 3406 best engine ever

We have two 3406 model trucks that we use for ore haul we have a 1996 Mack with the 3406b and a 1993 Pete with the 3406e and both of these trucks have been so far more reliable then any of the newer model Cummins powered trucks I work with

My 1LW 3406e has 2,469,909 and counting. Wouldn’t wany anything else

This is the best engine ever made. Period. Detroit would be jealous

Did you notice that you used C15 in the thumbnail?

Ran a 3406b 1.3 million miles before i sold it off. Only complaint i ever had was fuel mileage

Crankshafts were always made of induction hardened forged steel.

The hybrid is a PEEC.

Hey I have a Jeep Liberty that’s a CRD diesel could you do a video on those Diesel engine.

My dad had one turned wide open in a day cab Pete. I remember hauling wood with it and getting behind a freight shaker Detroit series 60 powered truck. He told me “let’s see what that green machine can do” as he pulled out with a car between us. I sucked him up and passed him like no other. Got to the mill and I weighed 108,000 pounds, dude didn’t believe me until the crane operator verified it. The frightshaker only weighed 82,000 pounds. But the oil started piling up in the coolant reservoir and blew up right after we sold it. Truck had over a million miles when we got it, 100-200 thousand over when we sold it

Great !

Great video, I just purchased a 1986 Freighliner FLC 120 with I believe would have the 3406 B. Truck runs great and sounds great

I would tear down about 3-4 of these engines weekly for our dozers out in the field!

They still make c15s for all other applications other then on highway use. I see them all the time.

Just rebuilt my 3406E cat 94 model…. It had a split crank…. Cost me 43K for out of frame rebuild… new injectors turbo cam fuel pump oil pump…. I’m hoping to getting one million miles out of it

my absolute favorite motor for heavy haul in the oilfield and mountains!

from the A to the C15 it was the same block

Can you crank the 3406c engine up? And how do you do it

There was a 3406e which was 15.8 before the C16 was a thing. It was the original 600hp 2050ft lbs from cat. I can’t remember the series code(edit: 5DS) the superior of this engines has always been the 3406e the only downside is injectors are worth 450-900 a piece to make it go BROOOM

I had good info that Caterpillar and Toyota were in talks back in the early 2000’s when the new generation of Tundra came out, but stopped around the time 2008 came around. I wonder if the end of those talks influenced Caterpillar to jump out of the truck market.

Do not forget about the Accert engines , Caterpillar sure wished they could !

Thanks for this vidio Where can one go for a series3406 high h.p. rebuild and parts explanation, like 1000 Horsepower, what it takes, who builds them and documentation via vidio's? Thanks, l want to build one, are the "E " engines oil pressure fire injectors? Or are any of them? Thanks! 🤘✌🏻👍🌤 🇨🇦 😎

Loved my B model! Would pull a full gear too high.

I love the 3406e and C15 6NZ engine they're both better and reliable.

Do one on a 1693 cat

So I have a 93 Peterbilt 379 with a 3406 but I can’t figure out if it is a B or C model. Is there some difference I can look for to tell?

Years ago I drove a peterbilt with a 3406e pulled 105,500 and found it very forgiving