[Bohdan]

I'm looking at rebuilding a 12 valve soon. I've been going through CPP diesel's site finding all the parts I need. I was wondering if it's worth paying the extra money for the Cummins branded parts vs Mahle vs Clevite. I know Mahle makes the pistons for Cummins so is it safe to also trust their bearings, seals, gaskets, piston rings etc.? How are Clevite bearings also, any difference in quality between them and cummins?

 

[GAmes]

The Cummins brand parts I would recommend are the upper and lower gasket kits, mainly because they include everything. Other kits include low quality gaskets that make them less expensive. I have 400,000 on my rebuild with Mahle/Clevite and no complaints.

 

[u2slow]

IMO, any of the bigger name gaskets are decent quality. Cummins is using one of them. I try to compare materials and construction when possible (pics, description, etc.) I won't simply pay for a name.

I have also found good gaskets (USA made) from rockauto under obscure and lesser-known brands. I think the buy up old stock to resell.

 

[alanack6795]

The Cummins brand parts I would recommend are the upper and lower gasket kits, mainly because they include everything. Other kits include low quality gaskets that make them less expensive. I have 400,000 on my rebuild with Mahle/Clevite and no complaints.

Is the engine using oil?

I've heard good things about mahle, but I would perfer to use everything from Cummins if possible.

 

[GAmes]

I'm using about a qt every 2000 miles, some of it leakage.

 

[EXSwap]

Take a look at the MaxiForce kits from Diesel Care and Performance out of Memphis. I did a review a while back. I haven't gotten my engine put back together yet, and I never found any reviews on forums like this one prior to purchase, so I'm the guinea pig, but they're worth a look. I didn't find that CPP had competitive pricing on parts when doing research. I'm usually willing to pay a premium on equivalent parts if customer service is great, and I didn't find that either when it came to the more prevalent companies selling Cummins parts/rebuild kits. Highway and Heavy parts also has competitive pricing and parts you may not typically find other places. Specifically, they carry the camshaft part number I needed for my engine (230HP version out of a pusher). As others have said, gaskets seem to be the major kicker when it comes to the kits available online and it's worth getting quality. I know it's not really a straight answer to your question, but maybe give you some other options.