Another insight from a recent job for a tug operator. What started with a simple engine management light turned into a bit of a deeper dive…
The CAT 3412E engine started up fine, but a fault code flagged high voltage across cylinders 6 and 8. After running a few injector cut-out tests, it became clear there was something more going on. In this case, it was intermittent injector function, but with near-normal pressure.
Not quite what you’d expect.
With the rocker covers off, we traced the problem to a wiring loom issue. Continuity checks showed a pass, but visually? One terminal was damaged, and we found oil inside the connector housing, which was causing the shorting and overvoltage fault we’d been chasing.
It’s the kind of issue that might slip by if you rely on diagnostics alone.
What stood out on this job was the importance of combining digital tools with hands-on inspection. It’s often the mix of both that leads to the real fix and helps prevent further damage or downtime.
