Lemon?????

[KR69IDI]

My brother finally got out of his dead end job and bought himself a truck and grain trailer. He is hauling very short loads from local elevators to processing plants. He ended up with an 04 Mack Vision with AC400 engine rated at 380 horse, super 10 spd and 4.10 rears. This truck has been an absolute nightmare from the first day. Lift pump failed on the trip home, multiple mech's said that just because it's leaking doesn't mean that it's bad!!!! So.... 3 serv calls later, it's finally home w/ new lift pump. Now, he's been running pretty good for a few months and the tranny is acting up. Local Mack dealer has the tranny out and tore down. They don't know what's wrong with it!!!!!!!!

He is pretty upset. He got a newer truck so that he shouldn't be having these issues for at least a few years. Normal stuff is expected, but tranny issues w/ 400K sounds awfully early for major work.

Should he trade, or just keep putting more money and down time into this rig?

 

[towcat]

Only he can answer that question.
Here's my take. There's got to be a reason why someone walked away from the truck. Nurse it along until the season is over with. At that time, you can either sell or go through the rig from end to end. Being a owner operator with mechanical background, there wasn't anything I couldn't fix on my trucks. I just stocked up on spare parts and chassis to make sure I lessened the downtime.

 

[Ak HDM]

towcat stated if real well. Personally,I wouldn't have bought the Mack in the first place,lol. If it has all Mack components, you are a captive customer of Mack. If you have good dealer support that helps, but I like to have the option to get parts from someone other than the dealer. As towcat stated there had to be a real good reason someone got rid of it with only 400k miles

 

[KR69IDI]

I agree with Mack having a guy by the nuts. That's besides the point.

According to you guys, there are not any decent used trucks on the market. So.....buy brand new and run it to a million, then start over again. Is this correct???

Not everyone has the funding to do that.

 

[NJKen]

There are plenty of good used trucks out there. It does not matter if you putrchase a Mack, Peterbilt, KW, Volvo, ..... there are bound to be bad ones. Personally I do not like Mack because they have you by the balls for parts. Just keep up the search.
Ken

 

[Ak HDM]

I would be leary of anything that has less than the mileage that warranty covers unless you could get the history of it. A lot of fleets keep trucks until the warranty is up & then replace them. You can get some good deals on those. A friend of mine bought a Freightliner that way & it has been a good unit.
Buying new isn't always the answer either, you may get abad one there also. I would try to make the truck last until he can get some of his money back. It's a tough situation,damned if you do,damned if you don't. Keep the eyes open for a good unit. Best of luck

 

[KR69IDI]

I would be leary of anything that has less than the mileage that warranty covers unless you could get the history of it. A lot of fleets keep trucks until the warranty is up & then replace them. You can get some good deals on those. A friend of mine bought a Freightliner that way & it has been a good unit.
Buying new isn't always the answer either, you may get abad one there also. I would try to make the truck last until he can get some of his money back. It's a tough situation,damned if you do,damned if you don't. Keep the eyes open for a good unit. Best of luck

Dumb question.....How does he know when he's lookin at a "good unit"?

BTW--He's not real mechanical. Talk about an education...the hard way for him!

 

[Ak HDM]

Does he have any friends that are mechanics that would go look with him?
If he finds one, try to get a look at the maintenance records,& talk to the previous owner if possible. If he can't do that, then maybe have it looked over by a shop that he trusts.
Run the engine, test drive, check for signs of leaks-oil, fuel,coolant. Check air drier& air tanks for oil from compressor. Check magnetic plugs in differentials & trans for alot of metal particles. Look at brakes & air lines. Generally look it over pretty close to see if it was taken care of or just had the crap run out of it.
Sure there are things that can't be seen, but that's a chance you take. If it has been well maintained it will show.
If he were to get one from a dealer, make 'em give a warranty with it.
If from a private party, ask why they are selling it.

Mike

 

[KR69IDI]

Does he have any friends that are mechanics that would go look with him?
If he finds one, try to get a look at the maintenance records,& talk to the previous owner if possible. If he can't do that, then maybe have it looked over by a shop that he trusts.
Run the engine, test drive, check for signs of leaks-oil, fuel,coolant. Check air drier& air tanks for oil from compressor. Check magnetic plugs in differentials & trans for alot of metal particles. Look at brakes & air lines. Generally look it over pretty close to see if it was taken care of or just had the crap run out of it.
Sure there are things that can't be seen, but that's a chance you take. If it has been well maintained it will show.
If he were to get one from a dealer, make 'em give a warranty with it.
If from a private party, ask why they are selling it.

Mike

Mike, Thanks for the info. I will be sure to pass it along

 

[Ak HDM]

Also if he has a shop check one out have the engine oil filter cut open& look for metal. That is if it hasn't just had an oil change.
If I were closer I would look at 'em with him.
Let me know if I can give more advice.
Mike

 

[KR69IDI]

Thank You, Mike--I will look you up if he decides that he's going to go that route.

Yea, You are a little ways from me!!!

 

[Ak HDM]

Did they find the problem with the trans yet? What was it doing or not doing?
I hope there is some one at that dealer that knows what they are doing, & don't just throw parts at it. Is it a Mack trans or a Fuller? One thing on air shift trannys, they need clean air at the right pressure to work right.
More info about the problems would be appreciated. It sounds to me that the first bunch that looked at the lift pump problem didn't know or didn't want to fix it. If it's leaking, something ain't right

 

[KR69IDI]

Here is what I have been told. 10spd "super 10 speed" whatever that means. From what I understand, it's an electronic shift high/low. The problem is that he will be cruising down the road in 10th, and he says that the truck will have a violent shake and then it will be in 9th. Sounds like it's jumping from 10th to 9th. Most often the problem shows up there, but he said it has done it in other gears as well, just not very common.

I am personally a mechanic by trade, just in a totally different application. I was always told that semi trans did not have synchronizers. Is this correct? I work in the Ag industry, and the electronic shifting tells me that it is a powershift trans from the equip that I deal with. I could be way off. Can't believe that it would use hyd power to shift. Maybe using air to shift similar to how hyd shift's my stuff.

Anyways, he said that they only found 2 gears that had some wear on them. The are changing them and putting it back together with a new clutch. I hope the tech is correct. He NEEDS to get back on the road. Says that he should get it back tomorrow. I hope so.

The dealer said that this is the first trans of this type that they have had to work on. Very comforting.

Also, something about it being a "lightning" series trans!!!????

Let me know what I missed.

Thanks, Keith


Yea, If fuel is getting out, air is getting in. I told him that the first time the truck died and two service tech's told him that was bogus!!!! I am getting the feeling that in this area we need some competent big truck tech's. PATHETIC!!

 

[Ak HDM]

They don't have syncro's on the sliding clutches, just hi-low range has a syncro. The lightning has a computer that controls the air that does range & splitter shifting. I'm not sure if he has the 'top 2' trans, it shifts automatically 9th to 10th & vice-versa all controlled by the computer.
If you go to Roadranger.com, go to the service & sales literature section, look up lightning trans. You can download the drivers manual, troubleshooting, service manual & parts manual. There are other down loads available there also on trannies, clutches, brakes, axles & a bunch of other stuff.
From what you've described, it sound like the splitter is shifting on its own. There are sensors & wiring on it so one could be sending a signal to the computer to shift the splitter. The dealer should have the equipment to communicate with it. There may be a problem with the computer also.
A little different than the Ag stuff, but not too much. If you can repair the newer Ag stuff, you can fix the Mack.

Mike

 

[KR69IDI]

Mike, Thanks for the very useful info, as usual.

I should have mentioned before that it sounds to me like it must be a mechanical issue because the only time that it gives trouble is when he is pulling a good load.

Didn't get it back today. Now the dealer is saying maybe Friday. This is getting old, and it's not even my truck.

Thanks again, Keith