Mp-8 415hp Test Drive

[Mackpro]

After doing several small recalls on 3 CXU's during the last week , I decided to run one down the road for a test drive. The truck has a M-P 8 415C , 3.73 gears, 10 sp fuller and 22.5 fullsize tires. I could not believe the power, it pulled to 2200rpm in every gear and pulled hard. On a very short on-ramp on to the interstate I hit 70mph from a dead stop from the stop light to the interstate. I have drove the MP-8 485 hp before and this 415 hp was almost equal in power. Of course this is with no trailer or load. It reminded me of the V-8 when driving, it felt like kicking down in passing gear on a car. I know alot of people on here dont like Volvo and us using the volvo motor in the Macks but we finally got a motor with a 100 cid more than we ever had since the V-8 days. The MP8's are holding up great, the only problems are with the damn DPF filters that we have to run on them, (thanks EPA) We have yet to have a low power complaint on any M series engine(except for DPF derates) and we have quite a few running around here. Any one else out there drove any M series engines?

[diesel07]

After doing several small recalls on 3 CXU's during the last week , I decided to run one down the road for a test drive. The truck has a M-P 8 415C , 3.73 gears, 10 sp fuller and 22.5 fullsize tires. I could not believe the power, it pulled to 2200rpm in every gear and pulled hard. On a very short on-ramp on to the interstate I hit 70mph from a dead stop from the stop light to the interstate. I have drove the MP-8 485 hp before and this 415 hp was almost equal in power. Of course this is with no trailer or load. It reminded me of the V-8 when driving, it felt like kicking down in passing gear on a car. I know alot of people on here dont like Volvo and us using the volvo motor in the Macks but we finally got a motor with a 100 cid more than we ever had since the V-8 days. The MP8's are holding up great, the only problems are with the damn DPF filters that we have to run on them, (thanks EPA) We have yet to have a low power complaint on any M series engine(except for DPF derates) and we have quite a few running around here. Any one else out there drove any M series engines?

I have to say that the MP7 and MP8 are quite nice when it comes to power, I have been impressed with every one of them. There are so many restrictions today and competition that I'm glad this motor will keep up with the others in those regards! I think Volvo just needs to see everyone buying up Macks like they have been, because face it....as everyone said....people that buy macks don't buy volvos, and people that buy volvos don't buy macks. I dunno, its sad to see a lot of things get discontinued, but on the contrary Volvo is investing in Mack so I can't complain.

DPF's are just going to take some and nobody will notice they are on there, just like catalytic converters. I'm looking forward to that day!

[Mackpro]

I was doing a recall on an MP8 the other day and had the rocker arm shaft off [ about 150 pounds] and its built like a tank. I was dreading working on it, but now its not that bad at all. Its just that its so different than the E-6,E-7, ETECH and ASET which really have changed very little in the past 30 years. Its like working on lawn mowers all your life then one day you start working on corvetts, kinds scary at first.

[fjh]

I was doing a recall on an MP8 the other day and had the rocker arm shaft off [ about 150 pounds] and its built like a tank. I was dreading working on it, but now its not that bad at all. Its just that its so different than the E-6,E-7, ETECH and ASET which really have changed very little in the past 30 years. Its like working on lawn mowers all your life then one day you start working on corvetts, kinds scary at first.

The worst wev'e had to do to them so far is exhast gaskets and leaks at the oil coolers!We have a few runing here, they do pull nice! NOW if we can get some cooperation from the volvo side to get the MRs programed to work for concrete pump applications we might have a chance!We've been fighting them for 2 months to get the programing correct!The volvo guys are bickering with the mack guys and so on!ALL WE WANT is somthing that will work for our customers!

So I hope there are some of these dudes reading this forum and see what is being writen here!Put down the diffrences and lets get on with selling and servicing trucks And lets build a decent truck that a guy can be proud to work on!The engines seem to be a good start ,but the truck is falling behind some!

TOO much tec the simple MACK truck has been over looked and over complicated The wheel is being reinvented for no good reason!

[Mackpro]

I agree, we had a simple dash and switches and now with the "volvo dash" everthing is super complicated, even the new wiring diagrams are hard to read. The VCADS program is a pain to use, before VCADS we could run out to a truck and check mafunction codes with the pro-link or laptop in a couple minutes. Now with VCADS we have to bring the truck in to the shop because the battery in the laptop will run down before we get the codes read. I like the engine and frames and most everything about the new trucks but wiring and electronics are volvo and are to complicated for what it needs to be. If volvo came to rewire your house it would take 2 extra tons of copper wire to do it their way, they cant make a simple light circuit without running it through 2 relays, a computer module and then working it of a ground.

[diesel07]

So I hope there are some of these dudes reading this forum and see what is being writen here!

I'm familiar with these pumpers, and I think the engine side and the chassis side have worked out the issue. Did you get your pumper fixed?

[fjh]

I'm familiar with these pumpers, and I think the engine side and the chassis side have worked out the issue. Did you get your pumper fixed?

Nope!

Slow and steady wins the reace maybe???They are still fumbling with some programing issues,Our customer needs some specil addons that we were capable of before and not now !I beleive we are close I hope so or we will loose them to PETE!

[mudslut28]

Maybe in the next redesign Volvo can come up with enough power in one of the Granites to get out of the way of my old 92 E7 VMAC1... I get tired of having to follow them up the mountains every day... The Granites in question are 06 and 07 models with 427's? They are almost a half gear slower pulling a 10% grade at 94000 pounds than my old r model with 18500 hours and counting. For the record though that extra CID sure does help the engine breaking on the Volvo motors.

[jward]

I have been hearing some good stuff about the new engines. The other night I was at the dealer getting parts and saw a brand new one in there with the valve cover off to find the rocker shaft busted. I got a sick feeling in my stomach after all the valvetrain trouble i've had. I looked at the service manager and shook my head and said you've got to be s*#tting me. He just rolled his eyes and laughed. I'm gnna give them some time. I've been wanting to drive one but don't want a salesman calling me all the time.

[Mackpro]

We have had only one major engine problem here with the M series engine and it was a broken injector rocker arm on an MP-8. Mack is aware of the problem and is having new stronger rocker arms made as we speak. There will be a recall on all MP-8 injector rocker arms. It did make a small gouge on the camshaft, but being an overhead cam it was super easy to change out the cam. Only the MP-8 had the bad rockerarms, the MP-7 are ok.

[greendog32]

We have had only one major engine problem here with the M series engine and it was a broken injector rocker arm on an MP-8. Mack is aware of the problem and is having new stronger rocker arms made as we speak. There will be a recall on all MP-8 injector rocker arms. It did make a small gouge on the camshaft, but being an overhead cam it was super easy to change out the cam. Only the MP-8 had the bad rockerarms, the MP-7 are ok.

i just bought a 09 GU713 with a 425 MP8.with 9500 miles on it , it started making quite a racket.took it to dealer and found out it needed a new cam already.put about a half inch gauge in last exhaust lobe,the width of the roller.but when its running it sure runs good!!

[MrDave]

There has been one MR pumper in and out of our shop. The programming problems have been with putzmeister (something like that) Only real issue has been with cooling package. This MR is amazing too, for an MR . Company that bought it has 1.5m into whole setup. Brake job alone would be a years salary,

[bts-4120]

Maybe in the next redesign Volvo can come up with enough power in one of the Granites to get out of the way of my old 92 E7 VMAC1... I get tired of having to follow them up the mountains every day... The Granites in question are 06 and 07 models with 427's? They are almost a half gear slower pulling a 10% grade at 94000 pounds than my old r model with 18500 hours and counting. For the record though that extra CID sure does help the engine breaking on the Volvo motors.

How did Mack mange to run the 2007 granites without egr and god awful fancy turbo that the ch's and cx's are blessed with?

[Mackpro]

How did Mack mange to run the 2007 granites without egr and god awful fancy turbo that the ch's and cx's are blessed with?

The AI engines in the CV,LE and MR's have whats called internal EGR where the camshaft has 2 bumps on the exhaust lobe , this makes the exhaust valves open twice for every time the intake valve opens, this suckes in burnt exhaust gasses from the restricted exhaust manifold and reburns it. The EPA let them get away with this because the CV,LE amd MR's are not "over the road trucks"