Written By, Mike McGlothlin
The CAT C13 replaced the venerable C12. Available in late 2002 but officially debuting in 2003, the C13 was intended for the vocational truck market, but it found a happy home in many different sectors, on-and-off the highway. Early versions of this 763 cubic inch, 12.5L inline-six are known as “bridge” engines, which were pre-ACERT (i.e. pre-emissions) power plants. Beginning in 2003 (and in production through 2006) came the “ACERT non-regen” version, which came to be preferred by most. Then from 2007 to 2010 came the ACERT regen rendition of the CAT C13—and it brought a host of emissions equipment failures with it. Below, we’ll touch on the C13’s familiar IVA and camshaft problems, cover the infamous ARD head and DPF failures it’s notorious for, and also detail its oil consumption, overheating, and pre-cooler problems.
HIGHLIGHTS
Most Common Problems:
*Overheating
*Intake Valve Actuators
*ARD Head
*Oil Consumption
Most Expensive Problem:
*Cracked Cylinder Head
*Camshaft Failure
*Diesel Particulate Filter
Less-Frequent Headaches:
*Poor Fuel Economy
*Cracked Pre-cooler
*Random Stalling
*Bad Liner Seal
Problem #1: Intake Valve Actuators
Intake Valve Actuators Caterpillar Diesel Engine Valvetrain
Just like the CAT C11, the C13 came equipped with intake valve actuators. Also known as IVA’s, their purpose is to drop cylinder temperature during combustion in an effort to decrease nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. The basic function of IVA’s is to hold the intake valves open longer than they traditionally would during combustion. It isn’t full-blown EGR (exhaust gas recirculation), but this variable valve activation tactic is an efficient method of lowering combustion temperatures—and it allowed CAT to meet the allowable NOx limit at the time.
What Happens
Cat C13 IVA Intake Valve Actuators Diesel Engine Parts
The most common issue associated with the C13’s IVA’s boils down to their solenoids.
Each IVA uses a solenoid, and these solenoids are notorious for becoming weak and sticking over time. When an IVA solenoid begins to stick, the operator usually notices an audible miss or excessive white smoke leaving the exhaust system. A sticking IVA solenoid issue can be diagnosed by performing an ohm test to determine which one is the culprit. Another weak link in the IVA system is the intake valve actuation oil pressure sensor. On the C13, it’s located under the valve cover and, unfortunately, is highly prone to failure.
Solution(s)
Intake Valve Actuator Solenoid Caterpillar C13 Diesel Engine Parts
IVA solenoids can be replaced with relatively low labor costs, and Caterpillar even sells replacement solenoid kits (PN 10R7302). Depending on where it’s sourced, a reman actuator kit can run you anywhere from $300 to $600. Genuine CAT replacement kits come with updated, two-piece solenoids that are believed to be much more reliable than the original, single piece units. Additionally, the problematic intake valve actuation oil pressure sensor was revised by CAT for improved durability. Those two component updates, coupled with the manufacturer’s software updates, can make the pre-regen C13 a highly reliable day-in and day-out workhorse.
Problem #2: ARD Head
Cat C13 Diesel Engine Emissions ARD Head Exhaust Aftertreatment Component
This problem effects C13 engines built from 2006-2010, and it’s extremely widespread.
The ARD (aftertreatment regeneration device) head device is part of CAT’s diesel particulate filter (DPF) system and initiates the exhaust aftertreatment (also known as regeneration, or regen) process that converts accumulated exhaust soot into a fine ash that’s more storable. The ARD head boasts two separate fuel lines (pilot and main), coolant lines, a spark plug (to ignite the fuel-air mixture during regen), a secondary air port, an ARD flame temperature port, and a heated nozzle port on top.
What Happens
ARD Head Failure Caterpillar C13 Diesel Engine Fuel Injector Nozzle Soot
Because it’s a vital piece in the emissions-curbing, exhaust aftertreatment system, a failing ARD head usually means you’re left with a piece of equipment stuck in derate or limp mode. And as the weakest link in the CAT C13’s regeneration system, the ARD head unfortunately sidelines a lot of trucks and machinery—typically to the tune of the ARD head requiring annual or bi-annual replacement in on-highway applications. All told, the ARD head accounts for roughly 80-percent of all regen-related issues on a CAT C13. Its failures are primarily related to the harsh, extreme heat conditions it’s regularly exposed to (i.e. exhaust temperature of 1,086 degrees F or higher).
Solution(s)
Cat C13 Diesel Engine Sequential Compound Turbo ARD Head
Other than complete replacement, there is no alternative repair you can turn to when addressing a failed ARD head. Aside from the spark plug, the unit itself is non-serviceable, with even the fuel injector being part of the assembly itself. Adding insult to injury, even if an owner-operator or fleet mechanic replaces the ARD head independently, the truck or piece of equipment will still have to receive help from the local CAT dealership in order to clear the fault codes tripped when the previous ARD head failed. Just call it the C13’s $1,200 to $2,500 headache.
Problem #3: Diesel Particulate Filter
Diesel Particulate Filter DPF Cat C13 Class 8 Truck Exhaust Emissions Equipment
It’s the same old song and dance here, with diesel particulate filter (DPF) failure being rampant on virtually every heavy-duty engine produced post-2007. The DPF was a key component in the exhaust aftertreatment system aboard 2007-2010 model CAT C13 engines. The goal of the DPF is to trap (or accumulate) exhaust soot, keeping harmful PM pollutants from leaving the stack or tailpipe. DPF’s became standard across the board for most diesel engine manufacturers beginning with the January 1, 2007 implementation of a 0.01 g/bhp·hr PM regulation—which called for a 90-percent reduction from 2006 standards
What Happens
Caterpillar C13 Diesel Engine ARD Ignition Test Failure
In DPF-equipped C13 applications, the ARD head is the source of most DPF and DPF-related issues (think the filter itself and its corresponding sensors). Before a failing ARD head triggers the engine’s computer to shut down, a lack of regeneration (i.e. converting soot into a more storable, fine ash) allows excessive soot to be passed on to the DPF, often filling it. The result is a mandatory DPF service (cleaning), along with addressing the ARD head issue, and clearing codes. In other failures, the internal core of the DPF can crack, requiring complete replacement. Finally, as with all DPF systems, intermittent sensor failure is commonplace.
Solution(s)
Replacement Diesel Particulate Filter Caterpillar C13 Diesel Engine
DPF replacement is costly. A new filter can run $15,000. For this reason alone, the ARD head and the exhaust aftertreatment system’s sensors should be inspected first. Following that, a forced regen should be attempted prior to moving forward with a DPF servicing (cleaning). It’s important to keep in mind that, with any DPF-equipped engine, the DPF does have a lifespan and eventually will have to be replaced. In some off-highway applications, or geographical locations that don’t require adherence to the 0.01 g/bhp·hr PM regulation, the DPF can be removed. However, this calls for aftermarket ECM calibrating.
Problem #4: Overheating
Coolant Temperature Gauge Cat C13 Diesel Engine Overheat
Few things are as devastating to an engine than one that’s allowed to overheat. Boiling coolant can over-pressurize the cooling system, warp the cylinder head and lead to a blown head gasket, crack the head, and simultaneously super-heat the engine oil. Beyond that, extreme temperature can cause the chemical makeup of the antifreeze itself to breakdown. Not unlike the C10, C11, and even the C12 (which it replaced), the CAT C13 does not hold up well to overheating. In fact, one experience where water temp crests 230 degrees F can jumpstart a chain reaction of failures.
What Causes It
C13 Cat Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Class 8 Semitruck Tractor Trailer
A lot of things can raise coolant temp in a CAT C13, but these are the most common contributors: stuck thermostats, low coolant level, a failed water pump, a plugged up radiator, or an engine fan that fails to engage. Either of the aforementioned ailments can lead to elevated coolant temp in short order. Like the C10, C11, C12, and C13, any time coolant reaches 230 to 240 degrees F, extensive engine damage can result. A C13 that’s allowed to overheat repeatedly will almost certainly require a new cylinder head, and depending on the extent of the damage it could possibly even incur piston and cylinder damage.
Solution(s)
Class 8 Truck Tachometer Cat C13 Diesel Engine Rpm
The best solution for overheating begins with avoiding the problem altogether. Regular maintenance goes a long way in ensuring your C13 is never exposed to elevated coolant temp, and regular checkups should be made to ensure the cooling stack is clean and free of any airflow obstructions or restrictions. Keep tabs on the life of the antifreeze (and flush it at the appropriate interval), replace the thermostat and/or water pump at the first sign of failure, and always keep a close eye on your engine coolant temperature (ECT) gauge. An alert operator is never caught off guard by elevated coolant temps.
Problem #5: Cracked Cylinder Head
Cracked Cylinder Head Caterpillar C13 Acert Diesel Engine Repair
As previously mentioned, repeat or recurring instances of overheating will damage the CAT C13. It’s not a matter of if but when here. That said, when overheating goes unnoticed, unaddressed, or ignored, a bigger problem usually presents itself in the form of a cracked cylinder head. Due to its thinner casting than what you’ll find on a C15 head, for example, the C13’s head often develops cracks when exposed to extreme heat. These cracks (usually referred to as hairline cracks) form on the head’s combustion surface (i.e. the fire deck).
Why It Happens
Cat C13 Cylinder Head Failure Diesel Truck Parts
Due to its thinner casting, a C13 head’s ability to dissipate heat is nowhere near as efficient as its larger C15 counterpart, and this unfortunately means it’s more susceptible to the formation of cracks during an overheat. Worse yet, it’s not uncommon for a hairline crack to spread into a valve seat, compromise its pressed-in position within the head, and eventually cause it to break or fall into the cylinder beneath it. Other times, cracks develop between an injector port hole and an exhaust valve. What follows is combustion in the cooling system.
Solution(s)
Caterpillar C13 Cylinder Head Replacement Diesel Engine Components
As with Problem #4, avoiding a cracked cylinder head on your CAT C13 begins by never exposing the engine to an overheat. Maintain a watchful eye on ECT, ensuring temperature never exceeds 230 degrees F. After that point, the potential for cylinder head damage increases significantly. Additionally, never neglect the pyrometer, as excessive exhaust gas temperature (EGT) can heat soak the engine and, in-turn, cause ECT to spike. If a cracked cylinder head is discovered as the cause of combustion infiltrating the cooling system or fluids mixing, outside of a thorough repair (grinding and welding of the crack) complete cylinder head replacement may be the only option.
Problem #6: Camshaft Failure
Cat Engine Failure Replacement Camshaft Valvetrain Overhaul
Valvetrain failures are known for their collateral damage, and this particular one will take the C13 out of commission for a while. Camshaft damage is perhaps one of the most infamous hard-part problems a C13 owner will face, and it requires significant downtime in order to remedy. Mirroring what often happens in high-mile C11 engines, the C13 is known to experience camshaft failure with old age. And just like the C11, camshaft failure isn’t actually the fault of the camshaft itself. Rather, the roller lifters are usually to blame.
What Happens
Cat C13 Camshaft Lobe Damage Roller Lifter Failure
More often than not, roller lifter failure occurs when the brass bushing it rides in fails. Failure of the bushing eventually takes out the roller, causing excessive friction between it and the corresponding camshaft lobe it’s designed to ride on. The increased friction leads to wear on both the roller and the camshaft lobe, with metal debris then being allowed to contaminate the engine oil and circulate throughout the engine. In many cases, lifter roller failure can be traced back to neglected overhead intervals, or an improperly run overhead.
Solution(s)
Caterpillar C13 Engine Camshaft Replacement Diesel Parts
In almost every instance of a lifter roller failing, the camshaft will have to be replaced. It’s a big job that, in virtually all on-highway applications, requires removal of the radiator and engine fan before any work can begin. The cylinder head doesn’t have to be pulled, but due to roller lifter failure typically occurring at high mileage many owners opt for additional repairs at the same time. This often includes an in-frame rebuild of the engine. To both avoid roller lifter failure and prevent it from happening again in the future, always ensure the C13’s valve lash is adjusted at the appropriate intervals and kept within spec.
Problem #7: Oil Consumption
Cat C13 Heavy Duty Class 8 Diesel Engine Oil Fill Cap
External oil leaks and coolant leaks are few and far between on the C13. In fact, in conjunction with the C11, it is widely thought of as one of the best-sealed heavy-duty engines ever produced. However, the C13 is notorious for consuming engine oil. And while the problem worsens with age and internal wear (like most heavy-duty diesel engines), it’s prevalent on low-mile candidates, too. Be it due to maintenance neglect, high-mile wear, or engine damage, oil consumption has long been a worry for many C13 owners.
What Can Cause It
Check Engine Light Cat C13 Acert Diesel Engine Problems
Improper maintenance, such as failing to change the crankcase filter at the appropriate interval or overfilling the crankcase, for example, can lead to oil consumption issues with the C13. But oil control ring issues and piston pack damage, be it due to improper maintenance, operator abuse, a hard-part failure, or old-age, are common causes for engine oil disappearing on the dipstick. Sometimes, oil consumption is even the result of an overheat, where the piston rings have expanded, allowing oil to slip past them and be burned during combustion. It’s just one more reason to make sure you never overheat a C13.
Solution(s)
Class 8 Truck Cat C13 Engine Odometer Miles
Depending on the cause of oil consumption, some owners opt to rebuild the engine. Others elect to live with the problem and simply keep the engine topped off. The latter scenario is often observed by higher mileage C13 owners (think 700,000 miles or more) looking to hold off on an overhaul until an opportune time. In high-mile engines, it’s not out of the norm for a C13 to burn through a gallon of oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Given the heavy-duty workloads most C13’s are exposed to (often used to pull the same weights the larger, C15 does), many owners learn to live with this otherwise reliable engine’s propensity to consume oil.
Problem #8: Poor Fuel Economy
Peterbilt 379 Class 8 Truck Fuel Gauge Cat C13 Diesel Engine
This problem is especially concerning for over-the-road trucking operations, where a lot of miles are racked up. Unlike the C12 it replaced (which by and large was thought of as a fairly efficient power plant), CAT’s C13 is nowhere near as fuel efficient. Whether it’s in a tractor trailer, a compactor, a wheel loader, or a motorhome, fuel consumption is notably higher with a C13 as opposed to its predecessor. In fact, in motorhomes of the same weight many owners report a 2-mpg drop when switching from the C12 to the C13 (8-mpg vs. 6-mpg, on average). Add any sort of trailer behind that diesel pusher and you’re looking at 5-mpg.
What Causes It
Cat C13 Acert Diesel Engine Compound Turbo Class 8 Semitruck
Unfortunately, poor fuel economy is the nature of the beast with the C13. What do we mean by that, exactly? Especially on 2007 and later engines, which were of the ACERT regen variety, additional fuel is burned during the regeneration cycle. In order to carry out the regen process—to reiterate, the process that transforms accumulated soot into a more storable, fine ash—and in conjunction with the ARD head, extra diesel is used. In the end, making the C13 adhere to the new emissions standards that took effect in 2004 and 2007 came at the expense of increased fuel consumption.
Solution(s)
Cat C13 Heavy Duty Diesel Peterbilt Truck Grain Hauling
One way to get more out of each gallon the C13 burns is to slow down. Granted, many different power ratings and transmissions (with varying gear ratios) were available with the C13, but driving slower virtually guarantees an improvement in fuel efficiency. In other cases, aftermarket ECM calibrating has become a proven method of increasing the range of a C13. Just make sure you source your file(s) from a reputable calibrator. Between fuel-saving driving techniques and an engine that’s been fine-tuned for maximum efficiency, a C13 can return respectable fuel economy.
Problem #9: Precooler Failure
Caterpillar C13 Acert Diesel Engine Precooler
Because CAT’s C13 employs a sequential turbo system (i.e. compounds), the intake air—which is compressed once in the atmosphere turbo and then a second time in the high-pressure/manifold charger—can reach more than 800 degrees F. To help lower boosted air temperature before it enters the charge air cooler (intercooler), an antifreeze-cooled precooler is used. This precooler essentially keeps the charge air cooler from melting. Unfortunately, C13 precoolers are notorious for failing, and when they do, they often create a major headache for engine owners.
What Happens
Cat C13 Acert Diesel Engine Precooler Failure Coolant Contamination
In most failures, the precooler’s internal core ruptures, allowing coolant to contaminate the boosted intake air flowing to (and through) the charge air cooler. From there, coolant makes its way into the intake manifold, the cylinder head, and is ultimately burned along with fuel during combustion. Excess coolant that isn’t burned off makes its way into the crankcase, contaminating the engine oil. White smoke from the exhaust, increased oil level on the dipstick, a plugged-up charge air cooler, and rampant coolant loss are par for the course during a precooler failure. When it unfolds, several gallons of antifreeze can go missing in a matter of just a few miles.
Solution(s)
Cat C13 Acert Replacement Precooler Part Intake Charge Air Cooler
The common solution here is to replace the precooler and, depending on how catastrophic the failure was and what the engine owner wants to do, either clean or replace the charge air cooler. From a dealership, you’ll pay a pretty penny for an OEM precooler (think north of $2,000), while a used unit will likely run $600 to $1,000. However, C13 owners who’ve experienced multiple precooler failures oftentimes convert to a single turbo configuration, which does away with the precooler altogether, as well as the sometimes-problematic factory compound turbo arrangement.
Problem #10: Bad Cylinder Liner
Pitted Cylinder Liner Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Parts
No different than the rest of the engines produced for CAT’s heavy-duty lineup, the C13 utilizes replaceable, wet cylinder liners. It’s the kind of design that makes it possible for any commercial-grade diesel to go a million miles between overhauls. However, these ductile iron liners don’t last forever, and they can degrade ahead of schedule if subjected to poor quality antifreeze. Cylinder liner problems typically surface with age or extreme abuse, with cavitation, pitting, or seal failure allowing coolant to mix with engine oil and vice versa.
What Happens
Cat Extended Life Coolant Diesel Engine Antifreeze
Most liner failures occur with age. In the case of a corroded liner seal, it’s often the result of the incorrect coolant being run through the engine. Like the C11, the liners used in the C13 make use of a single seal (not three separate seals like the C15 does). And also like the C11, the C13 calls for a coolant that’s free of nitrites, as nitrites contribute to electrolysis, which damages liner seals and the liner itself. Using the correct, Caterpillar-specified coolant is paramount in keeping liner damage from occurring.
Solution(s)
Cat C13 Replacement Engine Wet Liner Sleeve
Aside from running the proper coolant in the C13 and maintaining it in terms of observing specified flush intervals and ensuring correct coolant level, not much else can be done to avoid liner failure, either at the seal or with the iron liner itself. But when a liner does fail, the entire assembly must be replaced. And depending on the miles or hours on the engine, a liner change could make complete overhaul the wisest decision. If a full-on engine rebuild is performed, a thorough inspection of the cylinder head (namely for cracks) should be conducted, along with ensuring correct liner protrusion.
