Red top cummins

my main complaint was the worst ECM in the industry either they just put a new one on or was due one anytime, mechanically fine I know of a few to chug past 1mil and keep going and a few that didn't but they make decent power fuel milage depending on the truck high 5's to high 6's, but I'll never own another one

 

I love the Red Top. We have an original and a "mod" in our fleet. My truck is the "mod", originally a 370/435 black top with all the correct Red Top hard parts installed during an overhaul. Mine is at 525hp/1850ftlbs. With a Super 10 and 3.70 gears I get high 5's for mpg haulin heavy in the eastern mountains. Anything under 30k on the floor and I'll get mid to high 6's and I've averaged as high as 7+ for a month. This is in a truck with no Aero fairings or cab extenders usually pulling a 53' dry van.

Red Tops are N14's with the Celect+ control system and factory rated between 460 and 525hp. All Red Tops can be uprated to 525. Torque for a Red Top will be between 1650 and 1850 unless it was originally speced with one of the offroad CPL's and I think the highest offroad torque was 2050. The lower performance N14's have different heads, cam, and injectors and the highest any of them can be turned up is 460 hp.

Before you buy one make it a condition of the sale that if the computer is password protected you get the password or get it removed.

 

the red top is what comes with the celect plus I believe, all the newer n-14's were pluses. they have more electrical options in the ecm than the older ones. head gaskets are a problem with them at 600k they have either already been done or will prolly need it soon, mine made 715k and needed a second one, but only because the first one was done poorly. They are not hard to work on, parts aren't too expensive. They are a great engine that get great mpg's and have good power, I wouldn't be afraid of it especially if you can get maint. records for it

 

I have a Love/Hate thing going with S60's... fantastic fuel mileage/Not enough torque for my taste.

Check if that 9 spd is convertable to 13... if so its cheap and easy and will be a big help if you haul heavy or in the mountains.

 

if that detroit hasn't been rebuilt yet i would stay away it seems most of them have to be rebuilt between 800-900.000 miles



i know a guy with a 2000 western star with a s60 500hp 13 speed all alum wheels good rubber and brakes has i think 175,000 on the rebuild it has less than 700,000 miles its a nice truck he will take bottom dollar of $19000

 

Thats way too much for a Freightliner/detroit/9 spd combo, you could buy a pete with a big hammer and an 18 spd for that.

 

Yeah what he said. Thats alot for a 97 model like that. I have seem them go for 10K and under at semi auctions. You may know more history on this truck over an auction truck but still far too much money. My .02