6BTA and Difference in Horse power

[Eric Dahlenburg]

Hi,
I’ve got a 6BTA 330HP (S/N; 45539890) that I need to replace with a long block. My question is what is the difference with 6BTA and the different horse powers? I always assumed that the addition of the aftercooler and Turbo is what increased the horse power to 330. So, Can I buy the cheapest long block, transfer the aftercooler, turbo, and all other parts and have an equivalent engine?

The other school of thought is that a turbo/aftercooler probably adds increased cylinder pressure, which might warrant beefier cylinders. This would mean that the base engine is not universal. Any one know the real difference?

Thanks,

Eric

Topic

[Tony Athens]

MAJOR differences in 5.9 long blocks vs. all the different versions of the 6B, 6BT, 6BTA 5.9’s..Then add aftermarket stuff vs. Genuine..

The fuel system on the original engine dictate much of it as the timing case and gears inside it come in many varieties.. Then you have the head/design, valves, seats and the pistons, the cam, the oil cooler, oil pan, etc etc etc..

My suggestion is obvious————Go genuine and match your current CPL..A genuine Cummins Bosch P7100 270/315/370 , CPL1975 /2205/2208 /8457 long block is under $10K and has a real guarantee

For 100% sure, the stuff on Ebay is not the way to go.

[Eric Dahlenburg]

If your following this thread, i got some additional information …

I talked to a machine shop owner today who specializes in diesel engines. He told me that there are differences. I mentioned that I had used an aftermarket head in my repairs (This was a stock automotive head). He tells me that the 330hp heads have hardened exhaust valves and stronger springs. He says those stock heads only last 100 hours. There can also be beefier connecting rods and pistons as well. I’m starting to understand why I am seeing 6BTA long blocks between $3500.00 and $17,000.00 !

I bought a boat for cheap, it sat for over a year and one of the engines didn’t run. I noticed that a couple of the valves were stuck when I looked at it. So I figured worst case, I pull the head and have it rebuilt. When I pulled the head, there was nothing but rust inside The Aftercooler never had maintenance and salt water had gotten into the intake and valves. The engine deck was rough as well. I had to hand sand the deck and get it flatter. The old heads were too rusty to rebuild, so I went with the aftermarket. Replaced the heads, rebuilt the aftercooler and heat exchanger (they didn’t have zincs!). Tried everything to get it running, but it wouldn’t fire. Finally bought a compression gauge and found that the best cylinder was 300psi, the others were in the 100-170 range. So, bad rings.

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