Lmackattack

I dont know what caused mack to open up to useing offbreed components. In a way it was good idea as it was a way to get the people that liked to have offbreed drivetrain parts. What I think is sad is that mack started to release truck models that came standard with off breed parts. Even if the eaton ,fuller, etc parts were lighter or cheeper, I know for a fact that they just cant hold up in the offroad as good as the mack drivetrain. that right there makes them cost more when your replacing parts more often. to this day i still cant figure out why people want offbreed drivetrains in ther mack if the truck runs in the dirt 50% of its use? I think those off breed parts give us mack guys a bad name LOL

valid point about the new Macks replacing the old ones. The R still looks good but it is hard on you. Hell im only 27 years old but after a few long days driving the chicago streets in my RS I feel more like 72 LOL. After i saw a few "tricked out "Graintes they kinda grew on me. There are a few outfits here now that bought granite triaxel tractors for lowboy trucks. they have all the flashy stainless and chrome on them to compete with the KW and pete crowd. Hope these new granets can get some of the lost buisness back from the people who switched to kw's or pete's back about 10 years ago. I think the new cab designs with big HP coming next year will help mack maintain there name. Only time will tell i guess

Many macks came with the maxidynes came in diffrent HP ratings 237,285,300etc...5 speeds for the highway or 6 speed for the dirt. both were direct (1.-1. ratio) trainsmissions. A very common rear end ratio was 4.17 for the dirt and 3.87 for the highways my 6 speed direct with a 4.17 rear ratio gives me around 68MPH with 24.5 rubber. a higher rear ratio of 4.62 would lower my speed. I would say to around 58-60 mph with 4.62 If you are doing alot of off road moves the low gears are what you will need for soft ground. the 5 speed may have a to big of a first gear? if the eaton has lower ration it may be the better of your options. If I was you I would replace the engine with the 237, keep the 10 speed (if its an overdrive trans) and keep the rear ratio the same. less things to replace and it will give you good low gears and a good road speed. my 2nd option would be to replace the engine with the 237. itrade that 5 speed for a 6 speed mack and install the 4.25 rears. just my .02

Volvo

I have seen two near me. both were dark green and had the gold lettering. roll off trucks. Trent

I did the test where you lousen the line and listen for a change/no change in the engine note. when I lousened the lines to each cyl it would cut out that cyl. (normal) Im thinking the leak is where the injector meets the head? or something in that aera? the other thought is if the injector is faulty and I just cant tell from the note / vibration change when I crack the line?. I get the boost flutter as low as 3 psi all the way to 25 psi. the higher the boost psi the more the needle flutters. the vibration is not severe. it feels no diffrent from a tire that is not 100% balanced correctly. I did not get a chance to look at it tonight. maybee over this long weekend. thanks for all the tips! Trent

a wile back I replaced the turbo as I found the exhaust snail to be missing most of the inside center section. the new turbo puts out 25 psi and pulls like a dog should but a few weeks ago I noticed that the boost guage had a flutter in boost psi. Also noticed a little vibration. I cracked the fuel lines to see if it was traped air, no change. This week I noticed some fuel leaking around one of the injectors. it puddles in around the aera. im thinking its a bad injector but not shure. I have a few used injectors on a blown engine I can pull to replace with to see if thats the issue. besides taking the fuel feed and return lines / 2 bolts off the injector is there anything that needs to be removed before I pull it out. are there O rings to replace after the injector i sout. thanks trent

Hi Rob, thats who I called . I spoke with a Dave at aera diesel, he was the one who gave me the price of $312.68

Thanks Rob. I just called and got a price on a new one. Its a little steep $312.68

intresting. hope mack gets the big power soon. Even tho its a shared engine design with Volvo, its still better than nothing I guess hopefully it will help out with truck sales Trent

always like the scoops on R models. common on cab overs and garbage trucks but rare on conventionals I want one for my truck but I have the larger inlet on top of the air cleaner. Needs that extra air for the turbine fan. I have also seen a chrome metal one that is wide but not as tall. has a small mesh grill for the opening. Trent

regarding the rust around the window channels. thats the biggest issue for me. wiring and minor body damage is easy fix. My first B model had rust in the channels and when i removed the rubber windshield seal almost half the sheet metal came off with it. Im not a body may and cant affort to fix that kind of rust problems. the floors can be fixed with some simple thought and replacement sheets. ask Larry (Freightrain) as he replaced his floor a wile back and it turned out great. Mack offered Budd and dayton wheels. My 2nd B model I bought has budds all around. it can be swaped but you would need alot of parts. some people just swap in a complet rear clip diffs,axels,trunion brakes and all. its about the same price and same work involved. as for price i picked up my first B for 2K (overpriced) my 2nd B $500 (bargin) post some pics for a better idea. Trent

Looks like its Valentines day LOL Honestly barry I liked the blue and white skin better but thats just me. Regardless of my opinions im here for old mack talk and I like this site blue, red, yellow or pink Thanks again for keeping the site updated and going Trent

thats great new Rob glad its home. should make a intresting truck when your done. Hows the frame look. any repaired sections? my truck weighs in at 15,700 with the wet kit and half a tank of fuel. wonder what yours is with a cat and alum frame? post tose pics soon!!! Trent

If you are looking on a B model look behind the passenger side front wheel. the number should be on the frame rail just above the rear spring hanger. example B615LST32474 etc... use this number to find out what the truck was built with. the engine number should be near the timing cover aera seen from above the engine looking down(near the water pump) The rear end ratio numbers are stamped on the sloped part of the diff housings. R 5.73 etc... Transmission numbers I belive is on the drivers side of the box and will be stamped TRT, TRQ7220 etc....

. I agree Brad Thats the beauty of macks divider. you dont have to stop,throw the switch, then try to get out. I asked my mechanic yesterday and he said the same thing "replace the peanuts, inner and outer cams if out of spec". Its been a wile sience I had one apart to look at, He had a complete used one on a shelf that we looked at. It still amazes me how they work. I have the truck in the shop for brakes and bushings this week. hopefully I can get that divider rebuilt soon before the muddy winter season get here. Thanks Trent

there are no piston coolers on the non turbo engine. I assume you could drill and tap them but then you might get metal shavings into the oil system. not a great idea unless you have the engine torn down. If I remember correctly the timing is also diffrent between the turbo and non turbo engine. I will have to recheck the books on that one.

Maximum overdrive R models,F models, B models and many other trucks Mad max III had that b model made to run the rails Good fellas B model

I would also say that the 2V and 4V maxidynes were Macks most reliable,easy to maintain and would run with the best of them. Not a huge power house when compaired to the larger displacement engines. but the maxidynes after almost 40 years can still perform just as good as these new engines.

Thats not an option as I dont have the manual lock switch for the dividers. My truck has the divider system that should operater automaticly when wheel slip is detected. I have done the tap the brake thing in the dirt and that did not make a diffrence, only one wheel would contnue to spin. Thanks Trent

I think that my power divider is getting tired The wheels dont all lock in at the dump when its soft or slick. I have noticed that my truck cant get throug the mud as good as some of the newer R models I drive. I think she is just worn out from almost a million miles. The truck got stuck last week and only one wheel was spinning. a gentle push from the Cat got me moving again but I dont think I should have needed that push if the divider was working properly. Does mack sell a kit to rebuild the divider? whats is the aprox cost for the parts or rebuild kit if availible? This is on a standard 4.17 ratio tandem axel drive Thanks Trent

Well were all pretty bias to macks here for obvious reasons. but when people compared the old macks to other older truck brands it was well know that Macks had the drive train for off road and HD applacations. there diffs were bullit proof, transmissions were basicly overbuilt for the HP of the day. Mack had many diffrent engine offerings for all types of jobs. You will find plenty of older petes and KWs with mack rear ends under them so that says something right there. In its day (likely still today) Macks main buisness was the construction field. they built the B and R models so well that they would basicly rust away before they mechanicly fell apart. the camel back rear springs have been used for the offroad from the 50s? aera(correct me if im wrong)and are still being installed on new macks today. And as many will tell you a mack would wear out 5 drivers before they wore it out. You could get a R or B to haul just about anything. single, double and triple frames were availible and axels spring ratings for extream weights that needed to be moved on or off the roads. the strength of a truck is all in the specs, a over the road single frame B,R,Superliner would not be as well suited as a truck specd with double rails for on/off road use. same goes with gearing and axels, springs etc... I dont think that the Macks today will last as long as the B and R models did but thats just the change in the trucking industry that mack has needed to stay in pace with. Mack was kinda an oddball mfg becase for the most part Mack only built there trucks with all mack componets. This had a good and bad effect. some people liked this others wanted to pick and chouse engines transmissons rears etc... Todays macks you can pick and chouse most of your drive train parts. I dont know if its good or bad but If I bought a new mack I would stick with an all mack drivetrain. just my .02

Im with H.K on this one. 72-73 was the chang over yers from the flat wall (old style) to the new cab. I want to say 85 or around there they changed to galvanized steel to reduce rust issues. not shure if im correct but most old cabs I saw had a small handel to enter the cab ware the larger cabs had that long handel. anyone notice that or am I seeing things again. Trent

2000 is a good price if the cab has little or no rust. the frame is good and the drive line is not beat to hell. Check the oil press at idle. look at the brakes to see if there adjusted. oil leaks. lots of those littel things will tell you if the truck was cared for. post some pics to give us a better idea of the condition shes in Trent

welcome to the site. Those CFs were indeed tuff trucks. Chicago still has some in the small districts. My small town still has one with a manual trans. Im shure that your retired CF will make some small town happy with that reliable old dog.