DT-466 a good engine?

[J DeMaio]

Hi guys:



The boss is looking at a single axle IH grain truck with the DT 466 and a 10 speed transmission. How good are these engines and what kind of horsepower are they? Someone told him that these engines didn't have any torque and he would be shifting all of the time.



Any help appreciated.



John

 

[woodsrat]

dt 466

they are gutless. but then again all my trucks have 475-500 cats, except my ctd may work for u in a grain truck though. I know that in framing money can be a issue but i would look for a small cat or cummins. If the dealer really wants to sell him a truck they will let him try it out.

 

[TxDieselKid]

I know of one that dynoed over 2000hp.

 

[esommer2500]

DT-466 a good engine?

Yep.

 

[C. Harlan]

the ones with the P Pumps are great! Greg BOMB'd his last week (Just started with the company the week before) at a roadside picnic area. . says it runs better now! hahaha, They are like the stock motors anywhere. . sheltered, but have room for lots of potential!



-Chris-

 

[HeavyHauler]

didn't have much luck with ours

We had a DT466 in a custom built race car hauler that we eventually put out of service. The hauler was a stretched chassis, somehwere over 300" - I can't recall the exact figure right now, and we only towed a steel-framed 40' car hauler (finsihed inside) with a 2300 pound dirt late model with all our gear. Probably didn't ever get anywhere near 30,000 pounds. These motors aren't meant to be heavy haulers - even with the small amount of weight I pulled, the motor just didn't have what it took. I always ended up hooking up the 379 Pete to the trailer and going to races that way.



Anyway, we always had trouble with the external parts of the motor. The core components seemed to be stout, but it appeared that the other parts that the motor was mated with were insufficient. The injector pump was constantly going out as well as other significant problems. I will say that I don't know the history of the truck before I acquired it, so it may have been abused by previous owners.



I suppose that the DT466 would be ok for a grain truck or a delivery van, but the horsepower and torque ratings will show you that it isn't built for heavy towing.



There's my $. 02.

 

[Gonzo 1066]

466

The DT 466 all depends on the load you are trying to move. You cannot begin to compare it to a 855 cummins. If you are going to haul a single axle load they do a very good job. When you get into a tandem load they can be a bit animic depending on how hilly the the roads you haul on. The only weak spot seems to be cylinder liner cavitation at about 6 to 9000 hours depending on how well the cooling system has been maintained. If you are going to get a used one I would not recommend the rotary Ambac model 100 pump, go with the inline Bosh it is a much more responsive and durable pump for truck use. The bottom end should have new rod and main bearings rolled in at about 2 to 300,000 miles just for safety sake. When installing new rod bearings always use new rod bolts. The Hp rating can be as low as 180 hp and as high as 250. The 250 seem to do a very good job pulling the load and do not have any more problem than the lower HP engines. Rebiuld on one of these engines is very affordable, you can buy a inframe kit under $800 and then you have a near new engine. Go for it!!

 

[Philip]

My brother bought one new in 1994 or somewhere in the range. He hauled 3 custom vans on slanted deck trailer out of northern Indiana for about 3 years. He put over 300,000 miles on it. The only annoying problem he had was when it was pulling a long grade you couldn't keep the engine temps down. IHC didn't seem to worried about it running around 230 degrees going up hill.



Other than that issue it was a good dependable running engine.

 

[1sand0s]

I left a major truck leasing outfit about 4 years ago. DT was the MAIN engine they used in the smaller trucks. THe things are good in a fleet situation for 350,000 before a rebuild. The newer ones can be turned right up with a computer.

In checking them against the cummins and cat motors for fleet per mile cost, as of 4 years ago... I hate to say this to the IH haters, but they run with FAR fewer engine issues than the others. I would not worry about buying one. The parts for the things are reasonable and overall, the truck is built well. In our fleet, the guys would whine when one of the cats would come in with the smoking ECM issue... STINKY!

 

[Ross]

466

My bro-in-law has a low profile 4700 crew cab with the DT 466. It seems to be a good engine, but lacks power. It is the 215 hp version. It has the bosch in-line "P" pump, so fueling capability should not be a problem, but I have NO IDEA what plate to put in it to add a "safe" amount of fueling. To date, no one has been able to help me on this, and I have been afraid to start experimenting on someone else's truck... So, what I've done is first installed boost and pyrometer, then I've been sliding the fueling plate forward in small . 030" increments. So far, I've got some additional power, but not enough. No smoke yet either.



Any ideas?