Usage:
3406, 3408 Truck Engines
Truck owners and operators want the best possible fuel efficiency from their 3406 and 3408 Truck Engines.
Some have adjusted the rack and idle speeds to different settings, and others have used different transmission and differential gear ratios: all for better fuel efficiency.
The result of these changes, many times, is less engine performance. The operators then make low power reports.
Most of the time, when dealer servicemen start repairs, they find the rack and idle settings are not correct, according to information on the engine data plate. They adjust them to the correct specifications. The result: engine performance is back, but that extra fuel efficiency is gone.
The recommendation is to tell the customer to change the information on the engine data plate if the engine has been adjusted to a different, EPA-approved setting. Caterpillar has fuel settings, which are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for these engines. These settings are given in the rack charts. Other EPA-approved fuel settings for special applications are available from Caterpillar Service Engineering.
The fuel settings must be adjusted to EPA-approved specifications by a serviceman who has had the necessary training for fuel system maintenance.
NOTE: Caterpillar truck engines sold in the United States and Canada are certified by the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) as meeting current U.S. emissions standards.
EPA regulations prohibit alteration of the fuel, speed and air-fuel ratio control settings; the torque spring group; and/or engine timing to non-certified specifications which change the performance and emission characteristics.
A civil penalty of up to $10,000 per infraction can be imposed on any person convicted of performing, recommending or disseminating information concerning noncertified alterations.