Mackpro

The AI engines are not known for being powerful ( regardless of HP rating) . However they are pretty reliable. Compared to 2008 and up trucks, you won’t be stuck on the side of the road doing regens or in 5 mph derate due to emissions. So that’s a big plus.

Does the PTO light in the dash cluster come on when the pto switch is engaged? Also is this a Allison trans?

It’s a AI460 engine with a Mack T318LR trans. Meritor rear axles with 4.56 gears. Some type of walking beam rear suspension. Powerleash engine brake. Has dual steering gears. Being built on 3/23/2006 it should have most all upgrades done at the factory. Only thing not possibly done is the rocker arm hold down bolts upgrade. Mack/Volvo purged all warranty data on anything with a grey motor in it a while back. Not able to view past warranty history.

I’d say the pros for the VMAC electronic engine is better cruise control, PTO speed control, road speed limit for fleets, better cold start ability, less smoke, engine protection from low oil pressure/high coolant temperature , easier to calibrate speedometer for gear and tire size changes and the list goes on. On the negative side would be engine harness, sensors and ECMs that could randomly fail leaving you on the side of the road. Also then inability to easily turn the fuel and rpms up for more HP/speed.

If MP7, the oil thermostat actuator on the oil filter stand is probably bad and possibly shorting out other sensors. We change a lot of them.

Mack now uses the OBD connector starting sometime in 2013. I believe some engine makers still use the round 9 pin connector though (Cummins). I saw a 2019 Mack GR with a Cummings in it and it had a round 9 pin connector for the engine and also the rectangle OBD connector for the vehicle ECU.

Some have a check ball in the elbow fitting at the sure tank . Usually the 2004 and up ASET engines have them . The problems occur when the check ball sticks

Is your radiator cap on the radiator or do you have the expansion /surge tank on the firewall? If you have the expansion/surge take set up, I’d check/replace the small line from top radiator hose to the expansion/surge tank. We have seen these collapse inside and cause all kinds of weird problems.

Make sure the heat shields over the EECU are intact and not missing. Yes, you have a ETECH VMAC 3 . Being a RD If you have frame mounted fuel filters near the EECU make sure your motor mounts are not bad/damaged. If so , under a hard pull or going off road can allow the engine to lean over and the fuel filter stand can hit the EECU and all it takes is a tiny dent and it’s toast.

There about 4 different injector kits for the MP 8/ D13 excluding the common rail engines. It goes by emissions year. From what I remember there a kit for the 2007/08(DPF ) , 2010 emission (DEF) , 2013 OBD and one for the 2016 GHG engine. They will all physically fit and go in the engine but all have different part numbers.

The VECU stores and computes lots of info. Mileage, tire size , rear axle gear ratio, transmission type, transmission top gear ratio, pto rpm settings, throttle position, cruise control speed , road speed limits, and sends data to the dash if you have a electronic dash and also stores the VIN number . Most VECUs have the same part number except for the last couple of numbers. They end in M-1 through M -22, some cross and some dont. They can be reflashed to the correct Vin if the part number crosses to the original part number

You need the VECU . Those also failed like crazy due to the leaking windshields of the R series and the way they are mounted from the factory

Is it in a RD? If so, early RD’s with ETECHs were know to fry engine ECM’s a lot . The engine ECM’s were bolted to the RH side of the block , when the front and rear motor mounts would wear out the engine could lean enough when going off road or in a hard pull and the frame mounted fuel filter stand would hit the engines ecm and barely dent it and it would fry. Seen it a bunch. If this is the case , check or replace the front and rear motor mount rubbers and bolts

From what I remember the Original style ETECH engines came with 60 psi overflow valve, there latter came a 100 psi valve that solved some rough idle issues in a few UPS trucks we saw. The ETECH overflow valve has a barb on it for the plastic fuel return lines from the head/injectors. This is a easy way to tell a ETECH engine from a CCRS/ASET engines. Plastic line= ETECH. No plastic line =CCRS/ASET. Starting in 2002 with the CCRS on through the to end of the ASET engines the the fuel valve opened at 60 psi. So fuel psi should be at 60 + at idle and go up as rpms increase. If psi goes down as rpms go up you got a problem.

12MS517BM is usually current part number for a 99-01 ETECH engine ecm. We used to reflash used ones and put the correct data in then to match the truck/engine. As long as it was a ecm part number that interchanged with the original it would work. Mack still has plenty of Reman ECM’s for the ETECH (VMAC 3) style engines . However VMAC 1&2 are not looking good. A Reman ecm also comes only with a basic data in it for the engine to run, usually about 250 HP. You gotta get it flashed to match your original engine.

It does nothing but turn the light on in your case. However. On a 2010 and up with DEF system, it’s a big deal if there is a issue.

We have a local guy doing deletes here with good results. At least 15 Macks that I can count. The trucks all stay local or within 150 miles of here. There are no DOT emissions testing requirements around here so it’s kinda “Don’t Ask /Don’t Tell”. Only problem we had was when changing over the Borg Warner Cool logic fan clutch to the new style fan clutch, you have to reflash the engine ECM for it to work correctly. This wipes out the delete program so the customer has to go back and get it re-tuned. The corporate fleet I work for now is all Mack so no deletes but they buy the maximum extended warranty and it sure pays for itself.

FMI 3 or 5 could be the harness end as Steeler said . FMI 7 with miss or running rough could be oil control valve stuck open or stuck engine brake plunger on rocker arm

+1 on what Steeler said. Also , there is another bulletin on injectior fault code due to the engine brake malfunctioning. I believe it’s only on the MP7 that this would happen on. The FMI is key in determining what to do next

There was a Allison Guru on either a school bus fourm or a motor home forum that had lots of good tech info on the Allison’s .

We have zero issues with the Horton 2 speed air fan clutches on the AI CV’s like yours. Wonder what brand they are selling you?

Valve spring failure and bull gear failures can be a death sentence to these truck when getting over the 750,000 mile mark. We had 3 parked out back of my old work that were just to costly to repair. You do a in-frame on a million mile engine for $15,000 then only to have the bull gear go out or valve spring break later down the road. These engines are very labor intensive and the only way I would proceed would be a complete reman Mack engine. Every thing new/rebuilt and under warranty. Then you gotta ask, is this $25,000-30,000 truck worth a $30,000 engine? Roll the dice and truck on till a major failure then part it out or off to the scrap metal business, that's the way it seems to work around here sadly.

Had the same thing happen to me on an old CH . I had to turn the crankshaft just right for it to clear.

Message set to ya about fault code/service bulletin

If the previous work was done in your shop and you know which laptop was used, you can go to “latest selections” and chose the truck from the list and connect ( you actually don’t have to be hooked to the truck to do this). Then go to “product history “ at the top. You can go back and view the fault codes from the other times that laptop was hooked to that truck.