Independent CAT specialists · Sharjah, UAE
Caterpillar engine repair & overhaul
Diagnostics, top and major overhauls, fuel systems, turbochargers and on-site work — on CAT engines in plant, generator sets and marine installations. Every job measured before it is quoted.
Why engines reach us
What a CAT engine comes in for
Most arrive with a symptom rather than a diagnosis. These are the ones that put an engine on the list.
Losing power, burning fuel
Falling output and rising consumption for the same load. Often fuelling rather than wear — which is why it gets tested before anything is stripped.
Smoke and hard starting
Blue smoke under load, or white smoke that persists once hot. Compression and combustion problems that a top overhaul usually answers.
Blow-by and oil loss
Pressure or oil mist from the crankcase breather rising with load, oil consumption climbing between services. The bottom end is involved.
Oil pressure and knocks
Falling pressure at rated speed, bearing metal in the oil, or a knock that changes with load rather than speed. Stop and call before running it further.
A compression test, a crankcase pressure reading and an oil analysis will usually settle it before anything is dismantled. That matters commercially: a great many engines arrive described as worn out and leave after fuel system calibration rather than an overhaul. See diagnostics →
The distinction that changes the quote
Top overhaul, or major overhaul?
These two words get used interchangeably and they should not be. The difference is the bottom end — and getting it wrong is money spent twice.
Top overhaul
Cylinder head and above
- Heads off; valves and seats reconditioned or renewed
- Injectors serviced and calibrated
- Head gaskets and seals renewed, valve clearances reset
- Crankshaft and main bearings stay in place
- On many marine and genset engines, possible in situ — without lifting the engine
Restores compression and combustion. Does not address bearing or liner wear.
Major overhaul
Down to the block
- Pistons, rings and liners out
- Crankshaft out; journals measured, ground undersize if required, new shells
- Block deck and main bearing bores checked, machined if out of true
- Connecting rods checked for bend, twist and big-end stretch
- Reassembled to specification and run
Which one you need is decided by measurement, not by a service interval.
The full scope
What we do on a CAT engine
The engine work is the service. The machine shop behind it is what lets us finish the job without sending your components out.
Diagnosis & testing
- Fault code reading and live data on electronic C-series engines
- Compression and crankcase pressure testing
- Oil analysis and wear-metal trending
- Mechanical testing and fault isolation
- An honest answer on whether an overhaul is even the right job
Overhaul & rebuild
- Top overhaul — heads, valves, seats, injectors, gaskets
- Major overhaul — pistons, liners, crankshaft, bearings
- Reconditioning of engines that have already failed
- Reassembly to specification, then run and tested
- Returned with the measurement record
Systems & components
- Injectors and injection pumps — stripped, tested, calibrated on our benches
- Turbochargers — stripped, rebuilt and balanced in house
- Cooling — water pumps, oil coolers, aftercoolers, heat exchangers
- Starter motors and charging alternators — bench overhaul and testing
- ECM, ECU and governor work
Where the engine stands
- On-site and in-situ repair across the UAE
- Diagnostics, top overhauls and component changes done on site
- 24/7 emergency breakdown response
- Marine main engines and auxiliaries
- Fire pump engines and standby sets
And the machining, when the job needs it
Crankshaft grinding, line boring, liner bore machining, head surfacing and connecting rod reboring happen in this building rather than at a subcontractor. That is not a separate service you buy — it is why a CAT overhaul here does not stall waiting on somebody else's queue, and why a component you already own can often be saved instead of ordered from the factory.
What arrives here
CAT engine families we work on
- C-series
C9, C12, C13, C15, C18, C32. The modern electronically controlled range, across plant, trucks, gensets and marine auxiliaries. Electronic control means fault-code work sits alongside the mechanical job.
- 3400 series
3406, 3408, 3412, 3416. Long-serving mechanical and early electronic V-engines still running a large share of gensets, pumps and marine installations here. Parts arrive slowly and expensively — exactly where machining a component you already own beats ordering new.
- 3126 and mid-range
Plant and commercial vehicle units. Larger work is taken on where it makes sense, with subcontract support where it helps.
Photograph it and send it with your enquiry. The prefix identifies the build and saves a round of questions — and you will be told plainly whether your engine is a job we take, before it is moved anywhere.
Being straight about it
Independent specialist, or authorised dealer?
Go to the dealer when
The answer is not close
- The engine or machine is inside its manufacturer warranty — work outside the authorised network can affect that cover
- Your procurement policy requires genuine-parts-only supply through the manufacturer's channel
We will say so on the phone rather than take the job.
Come to us when
You want it measured, not replaced
- The engine is out of warranty and the question is repair or replace
- A part is on long factory lead time and downtime is the real cost
- You want the readings, the limits and both prices side by side
A dealer's incentive is to sell you a part. Ours is to measure whether you need one.
We hold no brand dealership. We are not a Caterpillar dealer and nothing on this page should be read as claiming otherwise — the Caterpillar name appears here only to describe the equipment we repair. Established 2011, over 25 years of experience, ISO 9001:2015 certified.
Common questions
CAT work, answered
Are you a Caterpillar dealer or authorised service centre?
No. We hold no brand dealership. We are an independent workshop repairing and overhauling CAT engines, and we state that plainly because pretending otherwise would be dishonest and easy to check.
What experience do your technicians have with these engines?
Our technicians' experience is with these engines in service, not with a manufacturer training programme, and we would rather say that than imply an accreditation we do not hold. What we do hold is over 25 years of experience with this class of engine, and the machines to act on what we measure.
Do you use genuine CAT parts?
We quote genuine parts where you want them or your procurement requires them, and quality aftermarket where that is the better value — and we tell you which is which on the quote. We are not restricted to one supply channel and we do not claim preferential access to the manufacturer's.
Do I need a top overhaul or a major overhaul?
That is decided by measurement, not by a service interval. Loss of compression, hard starting and smoke often points to a top overhaul. Blow-by pushing oil from the breather, falling oil pressure or bearing metal in the oil means the bottom end is involved, and a top overhaul would be money spent twice.
Can you machine a CAT crankshaft or cylinder head?
Yes — here, on our own machines, not subcontracted. Crankshaft grinding, head surfacing, boring, honing and line boring all happen behind Yerevan Steel Factory in Industrial Area 15.
Can you attend a machine on site in Dubai?
Yes. Diagnostics, top overhauls and component changes are done on site; machining comes back to Sharjah. See Dubai coverage.
Which CAT engines do you see most?
C-series units in plant and gensets, and 3400-series engines in gensets, pumps and marine installations.
CAT engine down?
Send the engine model, serial number, application and symptom — or just photograph the serial plate and the damage. You get a straight answer about today.