In search of a CAT 215B Excavator Engine (Model 3304)

[ls1freak33]

Hello,

I am in search of a engine for my 215B excavator, has a 3304 engine in it currently with a hole in the side of it. Anyone on here know where one might be or what could be a replacement engine for this my excavator by chance.

Thanks Justin,

 

[56wrench]

The 3304 was used in various kinds of equipment as well as gensets and marine with different arrangement numbers. As long as the block and crankshaft are the same you should be able to convert one to your arrangement/configuration as far as i know.

 

[Nige]

If you come across a 3304 from whatever source and want to know how compatible it is with your excavator engine please supply both engine Serial Numbers and I can check how they cross-reference to one another.

EDIT: Unless you get an engine from another 215B excavator it is highly unlikely that any replacement will drop straight in without making any changes to it.

 

[ls1freak33]

If you come across a 3304 from whatever source and want to know how compatible it is with your excavator engine please supply both engine Serial Numbers and I can check how they cross-reference to one another.

EDIT: Unless you get an engine from another 215B excavator it is highly unlikely that any replacement will drop straight in without making any changes to it.

Here is the information from my setup

3304
48V45188
6A6501

 

[Nige]

Arrgt 6A6501 comes back as "no information exists". Can you post a photo of the data plate.?

 

[ls1freak33]

Here is the data plate

 

[kshansen]

The 3304 was used in various kinds of equipment as well as gensets and marine with different arrangement numbers. As long as the block and crankshaft are the same you should be able to convert one to your arrangement/configuration as far as i know.

Just thinking out loud here but were some 3304's built with direct injection as opposed to pre-chamber heads? I know the 3306 came both ways over the years. I'm guessing that may have an effect on if the fuel system off the original engine would adapt to the replacement engine. Just assuming pistons in a pre-chamber engine would be different from a direct injection engine.

Not having any direct experience with the 3304's I would think that other than fuel system other things would be an easy swap from original to replacement engine. Thinking front cover, oil pan and oil pump, flywheel and flywheel housing, and exhaust manifold and turbo.

 

[mitch504]

I had a 3304 in a 1978 D4e, and in a 1989 215c. They were almost different engines. The d4e was NA, PC, with a spacer plate and a scroll pump. The 215c was turbocharged, no pre-combustion chambers, and no spacer plate, and a sleeve metering pump.

 

[OzDozer]

If you look up the engine parts catalog for the 48V1-up prefix engines, the Arrangement number and all associated parts will be listed inside the catalog. The Form number for this engine catalog is UEH0826S.

 

[ls1freak33]

Just thinking out loud here but were some 3304's built with direct injection as opposed to pre-chamber heads? I know the 3306 came both ways over the years. I'm guessing that may have an effect on if the fuel system off the original engine would adapt to the replacement engine. Just assuming pistons in a pre-chamber engine would be different from a direct injection engine.

Not having any direct experience with the 3304's I would think that other than fuel system other things would be an easy swap from original to replacement engine. Thinking front cover, oil pan and oil pump, flywheel and flywheel housing, and exhaust manifold and turbo.

Yea no experience here either specially on the CAT side of things for sure.

I had a 3304 in a 1978 D4e, and in a 1989 215c. They were almost different engines. The d4e was NA, PC, with a spacer plate and a scroll pump. The 215c was turbocharged, no pre-combustion chambers, and no spacer plate, and a sleeve metering pump.

I do have an option for a 3304 PC engine that is in a loader but going to call CAT today see if i swap all my parts over would it work or not.

 

[kshansen]

It might be better if you just keep this discussion to one thread as having two can cause a lot of confusion for people trying to help.

 

[Nige]

I do have an option for a 3304 PC engine that is in a loader but going to call CAT today see if i swap all my parts over would it work or not.

Don’t hold your breath. The answer will probably be that they have no idea because both engines are of an age where there is no accurate information available on the online system. Both these engines date back to the days of the dealers using microfiche and all that information went into a dumpster decades ago.

 

[OzDozer]

Fortunately, I've got a heap of "obsolete" microfiche with vast amounts of this type of information on them. But simply acquiring the parts catalogs books for each engine, and comparing the component changes between the two arrangement numbers, is the best way of figuring out how many component differences there are.

Then you have to track down component design changes (and interchangeability), where a new P/No has been applied.

The Caterpillar NPR (Numerical Parts Record), which I have on microfiche, is the only way you can track down part number changes and modifications, and relate them to equipment S/No fitment.

In the case of comparing two totally different 3304 engines, one PC and the other DI, and one turboed and one N/A - then the differences in internal components would be huge.
Many N/A engines don't have piston cooling jets, and they're necessary for turbo engines. Plus there's differences in compression ratio and degrees of timing advance between N/A and turbo engines.

 

[kshansen]

Many N/A engines don't have piston cooling jets, and they're necessary for turbo engines.

Glad! you brought that up, it slipped my mind and could be a major problem!

 

[mitch504]

Yeah, I seriously doubt you could just switch external parts and get anything like a good result. Even if you lucked up and got something okay, I am SURE it wouldn't last.

 

[Nige]

OK, so down the rabbit hole we go...............
All the following information is from the online database. I make no claims regarding its accuracy.

First up your engine S/No 48V45188 does NOT appear to be the original engine for your 215B. it is not associated with any specific machine Serial Number

Then as a further complication the 6A6501 engine arrangement shown on the engine data plate was only ever used in 76U-prefix 225 excavators. NPR describes it as "OFMOD" (see below). I have no idea what that is, does anyone else know.?



So maybe we have to take another step back before moving forward. What is the Serial Number of the excavator.?

 

[kshansen]

First up your engine S/No 48V45188 does NOT appear to be the original engine for your 215B. it is not associated with any specific machine Serial Number

I noticed that but was not sure what that could mean, as I'm not that familiar with some of the things on SIS.

 

[Nige]

I noticed that but was not sure what that could mean, as I'm not that familiar with some of the things on SIS.

Most times engine Serial Numbers tie up with machine S/Nos. Just odd occasions they do not then the chances are either the engine was built as a "spare" for the Parts system, or somehow the engine S/N data got missed off the database for that particular engine. Need the machine S/N to go at it from a different direction.

Funnily enough I tried a bunch of 48V engine S/Nos around the 48V45188 of the OP's and NOT ONE of them showed up on the system. That is f'kin weird........

I'm just wondering if that "OFMOD" in the NPR is something to do with a Forestry modification.......??

 

[ls1freak33]

OK, so down the rabbit hole we go...............
All the following information is from the online database. I make no claims regarding its accuracy.

First up your engine S/No 48V45188 does NOT appear to be the original engine for your 215B. it is not associated with any specific machine Serial Number

Then as a further complication the 6A6501 engine arrangement shown on the engine data plate was only ever used in 76U-prefix 225 excavators. NPR describes it as "OFMOD" (see below). I have no idea what that is, does anyone else know.?

View attachment 278098

So maybe we have to take another step back before moving forward. What is the Serial Number of the excavator.?

so yes that makes since idk why it didn't click to me originally when buying parts for this, but this is not the original engine in it. They person i bought it from did not say what it come out of just that i had more power and was turbo engine. So it showing that engine for a 225 kinda makes sense now to me.

serial number on the machine is 96L2022 with the old engine serial was 48V39623

I noticed that but was not sure what that could mean, as I'm not that familiar with some of the things on SIS.

wish did ask the question would of clicked to me sooner lol

Most times engine Serial Numbers tie up with machine S/Nos. Just odd occasions they do not then the chances are either the engine was built as a "spare" for the Parts system, or somehow the engine S/N data got missed off the database for that particular engine. Need the machine S/N to go at it from a different direction.

Funnily enough I tried a bunch of 48V engine S/Nos around the 48V45188 of the OP's and NOT ONE of them showed up on the system. That is f'kin weird........

I'm just wondering if that "OFMOD" in the NPR is something to do with a Forestry modification.......??

Even the CAT dealer i have local for getting parts has a hard time pulling anything up for this 215 B, they always end up adding a 3 to the serial of the machine to pull anything up on it.

 

[Nige]

Even the CAT dealer i have local for getting parts has a hard time pulling anything up for this 215 B, they always end up adding a 3 to the serial of the machine to pull anything up on it.

That makes no sense. The current system requires 5 digits after the 96L S/N prefix, so your machine would be written as "96L02022" to look for parts & service information. Simples.........

o yes that makes since idk why it didn't click to me originally when buying parts for this, but this is not the original engine in it. They person i bought it from did not say what it come out of just that i had more power and was turbo engine. So it showing that engine for a 225 kinda makes sense now to me.

Nice of you to wait until now to tell everybody.

Oh, and with a 96L prefix your "215B" is actually a 215.