Hit 500,000 miles on my old Cummins this morning and it actually caught me off guard

I was rolling into a yard in Bakersfield to unload and glanced down at the odometer. Half a million miles on a 12-valve that still starts every time without fail. Never thought I'd see that number on a truck I bought for $3,500 with 180k on it back in 2008. The funny thing is I never did anything special to it, just regular fluid changes and replaced the injectors once around 300k. Anyone else have a truck that just refuses to die way past what you expected?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancy_king297d ago

I used to roll my eyes at guys who babied their old diesels but this kind of story honestly makes me reconsider. Half a million miles with just basic care is pretty incredible especially for a truck that was already used when you got it. Maybe there's something to be said for just treating a good engine decently and letting it do its thing.

erickelly6d ago

Nancy, you might be onto something. This whole thread changed my mind about that.

wader716d ago

That 'just treat it decently and let it do its thing' line from @nancy_king29 is basically my entire maintenance philosophy, lol. Half a million miles and the only thing you did was change fluids and swap injectors once? My buddy's cat has cost him more in vet bills than your engine has in repairs. I'm convinced those old 12-valves are powered by spite and cheap diesel. If they ever figure out how to make a truck that ugly and that reliable again, they'd put everyone else out of business for good.