International 4900 w DT466 info needed

In my experience, the dt has always been a gutless turd of unreliable worth. My guess the truck is a 250 horse dt with a pathetic amount of torque. It's a medium duty truck and I don't see it working well in that aspect. If you luck out and it's the 300 or more, then it may have a chance but don't expect it to win any races to the top

 

I drive a 32K GVWR International box truck. DT466E, Eaton 7 speed. I struggle to do 65 on level ground, and around 30K hills become something I crawl up at 35-45, however Colorado hills are different.

Expect it to like running hot with that weight all day long. Make sure the truck your looking at has the full width radiator, some have radiator and intercooler side by side, effectively cutting the radiator width in half.

Dont hit 230+ Your cylinder liners are trashed at that point, and you'll start seeing coolant in your oil. Forever.

 

They are know for camshaft and fuel systems problems. Both can be expensive. Generally figured just a straight truck was enough of a load for one.
Probably better off with something in the 9.5 through 11 L range. 1 liter equals 61 cubic inches if it is listed that way.

 

I'm with the others, I don't think that's going to work out well for you.
That engine is just one step up from a diesel in a pick-up truck.

A long time ago I drove a tandem Binder straight truck with a DT466 @ 180 hp, had a 10 spd Fuller with 5:29 or deeper rears, it was a good city truck and fine for a 20 mile run to the steel mill, but I was lucky to hold 55 mph with a full load of steel on the highway, which has a lot less wind resistance than a van.

Even if it had 300 hp it wouldn't be much good on the highway simply because it's such a physically small engine which means not much torque or pulling power with weight, in a wind, or up hills.

 

That era (late 90's through early 2000's) the DT466 was a gutless wonder. They lacked on power and torque, but the ones I was around are still running today, without having been rebuilt. They're not million mile engines, but I've seen them go 500k without any serious work being done to them.

At 34k gross, you'll be using everything that the engine has to offer. And probably be looking for more. But, it will take a pounding day in and day out.

There's a township near my house that had a single axle dump truck with a mechanical dt466, and a 13 speed transmission. I've no clue what rear ratio it had, but they'd load that thing with salt until it was running over the sides, and go plow snow with it. The roads over there are all hills. It had 400k on it when the cab was too rusted to repair. But that engine was still going strong.

 

Have you ever considered buying an older tandem truck with say a 12.7L Series 60? Easy enough to single a tandem out if its on air ride suspension (in most cases anyways).

 

I put those numbers in there trying to steer you away from a 9L IHC.
The 530 IHC that a lot of folks do not like. I had good luck with them but they were new.
If you look at when they were made my age probably shows a bit. Cummings L10 and M11's were good. Did not want to get into brand preference. I would take a Detroit 11.1 in a heartbeat. There are some Cats in that range but I have limited experience with them.
You are the one that started out with the question of a small CID engine for the job. Having more than you need is never a problem.
Having the wrong equipment can be a lot more expensive in the long run if it is not up to the job. This is my last problem like that. I already had the mule and could just unload the wagon a bit. You do not have that option.