I am shellshocked at a quote I just got to replace my 2005 5.9 Cummins after my turbo popped while towing a 28' 5th wheel on highway and now no compression on motor. $17,000! Truck (2500) has 182k miles.

Included is remand long block, new injectors and new turbo.

I'm coming up with about $10k in parts including shipping. That leaves about $7k in labor, which - at $130/hr, comes in over 53 shop hours.

I am skeptical... but I need a truck and cannot buy one for less and do not have the time to do the work myself (even though I have the garage etc).

Thoughts?

 

I would ask for a detailed quote, to see how they are trying to justify that kind of money. I could see about 16 hours labor there, what with R&R the engine, transferring parts, and whatever machine work they may want to do to the head before reinstalling it..... Apparently, you can get a complete long block for under 5 grand.... Which makes that price even more ridiculous...... I would get a quote from another shop.....

 

Might look at the good used market for a replacement engine...

 

Somethings fishy….I’m actually re doing an 03 Cummins at my shop…broke a piston ring, but I’m redoing whole engine, new injectors, crank being sent out etc. I’m 2 hours into it, and I’m close to pulling engine out already. Front clip out, turbo/ manifold out, bell housing/ starter undone/out…I’m expecting around $7000 all said and done labor included….$2500 of that is injectors

 

I'm not sure where they could be sourcing the REMAN engine will definitely affect it and how fully dressed it is. I know local teardown yard for the on highway industry are asking 7-8k plus for USED Cummins engines pulled out of delivery trucks, finding a REMAN for 5k seems strange to me but could easily exist

When my 5.9 gave out I sourced a used take out 6.7 for 4k, plus 2kish in new injectors, labor myself. I had the engine on the ground in 3 hours, good afternoon getting everything swapped over and new gaskets installed, and then maybe another 3 hours getting it set back in and buttoned up. Really in my opinion a shop with good equipment I wouldn't think over 20hours, but there's always those little things

One shop may remove the cab as you cannot get the engine out without cutting the front crossmember, so removing the cab would be the more professional approach in my opinion, that could add several hours of labor assuming all the bolts come out good

if parts were sourced from Cummins directly, I could almost see it. Cummins gets 3-400+ EACH for mechanical 24v injectors, the same injectors you can buy aftermarket everywhere in sets of 6 for 250 bucks, I think they get over 1k EACH for common rail injectors, turbo could easily be 3-4000, and the longblock 10k+

I know your not mechanically inclined but finding a used dressed take out engine would easily be a major cost savings, then find a shop to install it

 

You don’t have to cut crossmember (granted I’m working on a 3500, the 2500 may be different, but I do have to remove the head to get it out

 

Who did the compression test and did they perform a leak down test or any other diagnostics afterwards? What broke on the turbo? A turbo going bad doesn't cause you to loose compression on all cylinders unless the compressor wheel blows apart and the shrapnel makes it all the way through the intercooler and into the engine which is highly unlikely.

 

Also you don't have to cut the crossmember, pull the cab or remove the head to get the engine out. I don't know where some people come up with this stuff.

 

Wow, that price seems high. Then again, I have NO recent experience in Cummins engines in pickups. My neighbor is a diesel mechanic running a shop behind his house. He worked on a 12 valve Cummins and rebuilt it with new sleeves in a Semi. He did it with the engine in the truck, although the dog house was removed. Not sure about the cost though.

 

Not disagreeing, but I'd like to see how you get one out? I cut the crossmember, fully removed the motor mounts and still had to loosen the cab bolts and tip the front of the cab up to get enough room to even think about removing it, and the valve cover still beat on the cowl pretty good

also, could've dropped a valve seat that went through the turbo doing some damaged