The End of the line?

[motrack]

I live just east of Indianapolis and this story of the IH engine plant shuting down was headlines in the Indianapolis Star a week ago. This plant started building engines in the 30s. Its a old building and a union shop.

The Star also told us that IH has a much newer non union show in the south, Alabama if I recall correctly that is still going strong. Paper said with IH losing Fords business it did not need 2 engine plants running and elected to close its oldest plant which also happened to be union.

I know several who worked there or still do and my understanding is the 6.0 engine problems were mostly of Fords making.

To be honest I am really surprised this engine factory managed to stay alive this long. Employee theft was unbelievable. Guys walking out with new injection pumps etc, etc. There was a huge black market for 6.9, 7.3, and powerstroke parts for many years in this area.

Old union shop vs newer non union shop, loss of Fords engine business and employees biting the hand that fed them killed the IH engine works at Indianapolis.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I was just going to read and not comment, but I can't help myself.


The problem is not just Ford or International, but the whole outlook and un-reasonable requirements of a few "special interest" groups and the over-bearing EPA.

Our country was a strong country, before our government let the EPA cut out our guts.

Such stories as this I-H/FORD saga will only get worse, so long as we let those who control us keep pushing this crap down our throats.


We were a lot better off when we smoked away, in purely mechanical engines; we had never heard the word "pollution" and we had the strongest economy in the world .


It is not currently possible, nor will it be in many years to come, to build vehicles that are high-mileage and also meet the choking restrictions of the EPA.

Thus, engineering and experimentation costs have driven vehicle costs to the point that plain old people can never afford them.


My point has already proved itself.


ALL vehicle manufacturers are in big trouble, worse now than even during the 50s, and it is all directly due to impossible expectations being forced upon them.

 

[69oiler]

in my mind the newer diesels are more trouble than they're worth between the emissions crap and the fuel costing a buck more a gallon than gas. the only reason i still have my PSD is that it's more or less paid for and i couldn't get a better truck for me needs, for what i could sell this one for. 10-11 mpg is aggravating though

i'm thinking my next work truck may be a gasser, maybe a 3/4 ton GM or a V10 Ford. no way i'll buy a 6 leaker PSD and i am still on the fence about the Dodge portion of the Cummins powered trucks. i still have my IDI for my diesel/alt fuel fix.

 

[flatlander]

To be honest I am really surprised this engine factory managed to stay alive this long. Employee theft was unbelievable. Guys walking out with new injection pumps etc, etc. There was a huge black market for 6.9, 7.3, and powerstroke parts for many years in this area.

I think there was a story a few years ago of a shipping manager who was backdooring 7.3 powerstroke motors. Was this at that shop?

 

[david85]

It could be another 10 years before we get back to some sort of normalcy with diesels, emission controls and fuel economy. Just look at what happened to the gassers in the 70s. Hang on to that IDI for god's sake.

 

[motrack]

Yes Flatlander this was the place that had engines going out the back door.

 

[Agnem]

Wow. Didn't know that.

Now I've just heard the latest rumour. GM is stopping production of the Duramax.

I wondered what would happen to the D-max since the blocks roll out of the same foundry that IH is closing. Guess now I know. I suppose GM's government oversight is going to kill their truck business, and the timing of this is probably all too good, and no doubt the first step in eliminating the 3rd truck builder.

 

[Swede]

IH Indy also casts all of ***'s smaller engine blocks & heads; 8-Liter & under. IH had three plants building joint-venture V-6s & V-8s; & one is in south america. Almost all bad assembled 6.0s S#s can be tracied to IH's new southern plant start-up. IH's court papers said problem was with new equipment not personel...
And south american builds suffer 12 to 18% 1st start failure... Can not find reports of failures once installed on assembly lines...

 

[BigRigTech]

I have a 7.3 IDI, I have a 7.3 PSD and now I have an 5.9 ISB....Personally I would like to see Ford come out with a I6 design to make repairs easier and less costly....It's a shame the 6.0 was such a POS as they are strong in stock form....Too much boost with head bolts that are too small. Cummins seems to have it all over the other's with their EPA 07 technology - I've seen very little issue with it at work...Next up is Urea injection for 2010...More junk we don't need....There is one good thing to come out of this, a feller' will be able to buy an 08 when it's off warranty dirt cheap as know one in their right mind will be able to afford a head gasket job on a 6.4L.......Take your cheapy 08 and re-power it with a 7.3....Nice new truck with a simple, reliable engine.

 

[david85]

I've heard quite a while ago that the duramax days were numbered. GM concieved the idea of that engine in a time when people were prepaired to put down $60k or more on a brand new truck just because it had a big diesel in it. Those days are gone and I think GM realized that the Dmax was just too expensive even if they did possibly build the fastest factory diesel pickup ever. The same rumor stated that GM wanted IH to make their diesel engines instead since ford decided to try and build their own diesels after all the bad blood with international.

None of any of this may ever happen considering a possible depression looming.

 

[88 Ford]

I've heard quite a while ago that the duramax days were numbered. GM concieved the idea of that engine in a time when people were prepaired to put down $60k or more on a brand new truck just because it had a big diesel in it. Those days are gone and I think GM realized that the Dmax was just too expensive even if they did possibly build the fastest factory diesel pickup ever. The same rumor stated that GM wanted IH to make their diesel engines instead since ford decided to try and build their own diesels after all the bad blood with international.

None of any of this may ever happen considering a possible depression looming.

If GM starts with a new diesel platform, unless the new diesel is an already well-proven commodity their diesel sales will decline dramatically! I hope they come out with something decent. Competition is always good and if there was no competition, we would either have to live with what is being sold or move on to something else!! No competition=lower quality products. Just my opinion.