New Macks...LOL! Maybe they should stay on the porch!

[waterdawg]

I just found this place and found it to be helpful on some of the issues we are having with the new Macks. So I decided to share my experiences with them to you.

I work in the oilfield and we decided it was time to phase out some of our old worn out Macks while expanding. Our first trucks were 10' granite, automatic. we were leary of the automatics but fell in love with them. After about a year we started to have troubles. Injectors would go bad, trucks won't regen, ABS quit workin etc. We would take them in to get repaired only to send them back a week or so later to get fixed. Then the EUP pump bolts started snapping off. Before we new it our trucks spent more time at Mack then working. So we started to buy other models thinking Granites sucked. Nope! same Problems!

Our first truck finally ran away on a road side. We pulled all fuses, disconnected battery, alternator, foot control and could not get it to shut off until we packed the air filter with rags. After our Mechanic got there we started it up and it tried to run away again. Too late, engine was already damaged. Mack towed it and tried to say natural gas caused it to run away. Until they learned that other truck drivers pulled over to help and their trucks never did anything. Then they tried to say it had 1/2 inch mud in the engine. How the hell it got there I do not know. After fighting with them for 3 months because they would not fix the truck or warranty it we finally got it back. After running it for 5 days we got water in the oil! We don't have that one anymore.

Meanwhile an automatic transmission went out on another truck and they tried to tell us there was sand in it. As I talked to the head mechanic he told me they had lots of issues with sand in the new trucks, especially sand in the urea tanks on the newer trucks that are off road. What the hell? Is that Macks way of getting out of warranty? Or are these trucks strictly highway use?

We had one truck that went haywire after raining. We decided to go to a different dealership thinking we were getting hosed by the other one. The people at this new dealership told us the the problem was mud on sensors and wires. we asked how do we remedy that and they said you can't drive in the mud... Okay, whatever.

Now we have trucks that do nothing but go to the shop then come back, run for a week or two, then go back to the shop. Air conditioner evaporators constantly split at welds, constant injector problems, regen problems, cluster problems, abs, leaks, wire harness problems and on and on.

We are now looking into gettig rid of these pieces of Junk and going back to the CH models. The R models are just way to small and way to noisy. We have spent so much money trying to keep these things running that we could have bought several older trucks and rebuilt them. They fight us at every turn on warranty issues and guess what, we lose.

If you have a chance stay completely away from these damn trucks or you will lose your butt.

[mackniac]

Too bad Pacific truck do not exist anymore !!!

or the real Old Mack

another option is called Oshkosh !!

[BC Mack]

Too bad Pacific truck do not exist anymore !!!

well, technically, they do still exist...

http://www.coastpowertrain.com/pacific_truck/index.htm

I don't think they ever produced a new vehicle, but they have restored at least one that I know of.

mention Pacific and Hayes trucks to any logger out west and sit back for the stories..

In the 80's I used to work half a block from the Pacific factory in North Vancouver, and now some of my co-workers are Pacific alumni.

BC Mack

[slpwlker]

Welcome to the jungle.

It sucks that your are having those problems. I am not a fan of Detroit but I have heard some good things about them esp the 600hp. W-star use to be a hell of a truck then shaker to them over. could try the Oshkosh or get a Kw set up for a different country without the emission laws and i forget how it has to be worded but it can run here and whereever and not have all that emission shit

[41chevy]

Interesting. Delea Sod Farms has been die hard Mack users since the mid 60's and is switching over to K.W.s. I asked one of the drivers why no more Macks? His answer was they lived in the shop, it was more cost effective to replace them. Hard to sallow they're that bad on honoring new truck repairs. Paul

[HeavyGunner]

Not trying to add salt to the wound but almost every single heavy spec'd oil field truck I see is KW.

[Frmconcrete09]

Sounds like vulva is doing a good job of destroying Mack .....or maybe it's our government

[bullhusk]

Interesting. Delea Sod Farms has been die hard Mack users since the mid 60's and is switching over to K.W.s. I asked one of the drivers why no more Macks? His answer was they lived in the shop, it was more cost effective to replace them. Hard to sallow they're that bad on honoring new truck repairs. Paul

That is why I changed over to another truck back in 1993, I had 6 R600's and one RW613 Superliner. I changed every Ambec fuel pumps on the R's two or three times because of brass in the bottom and pump would quit, and I put three T2090 trans. in my RW ,after breaking the main shaft 3X's they changed the top cover and told me they made the shifting forks stronger!!!! water pump, fan clutchs and no help from Mack, not one red cent!!! I like the Mack, It's the people that run Mack, thats the thing!!! Freightliner and Detroit Diesel always try there best to cover my stuff even if it is off wrt. they will some time just cover the parts!!! But again, I still love Macks and Brockway!!! but I gotta keep my wheels turnin!

BULLHUSK

[41180]

i think them automatic transmissions are made by allison not mack. you cant get a m drive in a granite. i here all these same complaints from guys running petes and cummins engines and new western stars , they say thy are junk. its the govt not the trucks fault. trucks are made to work not have more sensors and emmisin crap . theyve ruined all trucks not just mack . just my opinion

[MACKS]

Guess it's good thing I cant afford a new Mack,but never had any issues with the older ones,work them hard day after day on and off road,routine maintenance is all they needed.

[waterdawg]

i think them automatic transmissions are made by allison not mack. you cant get a m drive in a granite. i here all these same complaints from guys running petes and cummins engines and new western stars , they say thy are junk. its the govt not the trucks fault. trucks are made to work not have more sensors and emmisin crap . theyve ruined all trucks not just mack . just my opinion

You are correct, Allison makes the auto's. You are also correct in that the other manufacturers are having similar problems. When I took one of our trucks to the shop the guy asked me what were the symptoms. After telling him, "he said don't tell me, it's a mack." Then he said each one has it's own problems and you can almost distinguish each one by the symptoms. I watched an ad not to long ago from Cat making fun of Macks. It would be interesting to see if they back their words up.

We have been entertaining the idea of glider kits. But they produce their own problems as well from what we have learned.

You are also correct about the Government. The Government just needs to back down and stick to what they were intended to do. But we all just sit back and continue to let it happen while complaining about it. I have tried to do things in my own community to get people to understand what the proper role of Government is, only to have them complain and agree but not back it up. It's too bad. The way things keep going we soon will not be able to say anything.

[randyp]

I run the oldies but goodies, not having even a smidgeon of trouble. randyp

[randyp]

I definitely would like to have an auto transmission in dump truck though. It would really make it easier and safer hiring drivers. Transmission and clutch are the real vulnerable parts when sticking drivers in trucks, specially toward end of day when they start tiring out. randyp

[41180]

yeah i dont think cat will back up anything. i remember back in the 90s a guy bought a new western star with a 425 cat . the motor blew up with about 50k miles and cat didnt want to warranty it citing driver abuse . and with these cat trucks being internationals at heart with the super egr set up i wouldnt touvh one with a ten foot pole

[mackniac]

Too bad Pacific truck do not exist anymore !!!

well, technically, they do still exist...

http://www.coastpowe...truck/index.htm

I don't think they ever produced a new vehicle, but they have restored at least one that I know of.

mention Pacific and Hayes trucks to any logger out west and sit back for the stories..

In the 80's I used to work half a block from the Pacific factory in North Vancouver, and now some of my co-workers are Pacific alumni.

BC Mack

I stand corrected and happy about Pacific trucks !!!!!

[waterdawg]

Well here is the latest. After taking one of our trucks to the shop multiple times and getting it back with the same problems, I told our shop foreman to just order the $4000 turbo and try that cause we are getting nowhere with mack. We got a turbo in and it was the wrong one. They sent us another turbo which matches the one in the truck. But then we are told the turbo that was in the truck originally is the wrong turbo. Got it?

So the first turbo they sent us is the correct one (they tell us) but it wont fit because there is one piece of exhaust pipe that wont fit the turbo. We asked them to send us the correct exhaust pipe and they can't find it. So now I have a truck that is 2 years old, have been having problems with it from day one with regeneration that can't be used because no one knows what turbo actually goes in it. We asked the mack engineers what would happen if we just put the turbo in that matches the original one and they said it probably won't regenerate. Which is our problem now.

I am sending another one to mack today and I have two more down. How in the hell does a single owner operator expect to make it with something like this? If their truck is in the shop like this all the time?

The saga continues...

[bullhusk]

yeah i dont think cat will back up anything. i remember back in the 90s a guy bought a new western star with a 425 cat . the motor blew up with about 50k miles and cat didnt want to warranty it citing driver abuse . and with these cat trucks being internationals at heart with the super egr set up i wouldnt touvh one with a ten foot pole

Cat runs away from there A-Cert motor warr. like a guy that just dropped a hand grenade after pullin the pin!! and the one's I have are gutless fuel burning pig's!! I would rather have a 8V-92 then another 475 3406-A-Cert!!

BULLHUSK

[mackdaddy]

I have had a few late model Macks and not a problem with any of them. Had a 94 CH with 1.2M miles on it. sold to a guy who is still running it!!!

[MACKS]

I have had a few late model Macks and not a problem with any of them. Had a 94 CH with 1.2M miles on it. sold to a guy who is still running it!!!

I believe he's talking about 2010 year,is that right?

[fxfymn]

So the truck was incorrectly built to begin with? Why are you wasting time on the low level types? Keep pushing the complaint higher in the food chain until you find someone who has the clout to fix it. Send it directly to the president of Mack. If he doesn't care about the company's reputation no one will.

[waterdawg]

Why are you wasting time on the low level types? Keep pushing the complaint higher in the food chain until you find someone who has the clout to fix it. Send it directly to the president of Mack. If he doesn't care about the company's reputation no one will.

Long story, but let me just say that this has been a focal point in many arguments with my boss.

By the way, got the correct turbo. The truck runs good.

[bullhusk]

So the truck was incorrectly built to begin with? Why are you wasting time on the low level types? Keep pushing the complaint higher in the food chain until you find someone who has the clout to fix it. Send it directly to the president of Mack. If he doesn't care about the company's reputation no one will.

Good point!!

[waterdawg]

Well the truck quit working again. Took it back to the dealer they said the turbo we just put in is a bad turbo. They put in a new one, it ran for on week and now it doing the same crap. Anyone know what numbers I can call to start moving up the food chain? My boss don't like confrontation but I don't care. I have a job to do and these trucks won't run long enough for me to do it.