Caterpillar 3126B engine offers power and brains
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• Caterpillar launched a revised version of its 7.2-litre engine at the IRTE show last month, and the first examples are likely to be fitted to Fodens before the end of the year The 3126B is rated at between 190 and 300hp; the company claims that it offers improved performance with a longer life span. The Euro-2 engine uses an uprated version of Caterpillar's hydraulic electronic unit injector system {HEW) with higher injection pressures and "injection rate shaping" to reduce noise and cut down on NOx and particulates emissions.
The electronic engine control module has been enhanced, with five times the processing power of previous units and an industry-standard J1939 ("CAN bus") data link and "flash memory" downloading of control parameters, which makes it easy to re-rate the engine using a PC connection.
The improved ECM also includes a number of the engine monitoring features already seen on heavier Cat engines, such as a PTO shutdown timer, coolant level sensor and the ability to download fleet management data.
The engine uses a three-valve system with two inlet valves and a single exhaust valve—Cat points out that this has fewer parts than a fourvalve system—and the unit injectors can be removed without disturbing the valve train.
An integrated HEUI oil rail in the cylinder head also means fewer parts than a jumper tube design. The new cross-flow head is claimed to boost fuel economy and to improve cooling, so the engine should need a smaller radiator than before.