1 Year 3.6L Review After 15,000 Miles

[WXman]

How do you like the Ecodiesel vs the Pentastar?

It's funny because they are COMPLETE opposites. The P-star is a high revver, makes a lot of horsepower, is fun and nimble, seems sporty. It's also easy to service and dirt cheap to service. But it doesn't have any torque and needs to be in low gears at high RPM to shine. The EcoDiesel is a low revver, doesn't make any horsepower, feels slow and sluggish most of the time. It requires a home equity loan to do basic service on it. But, it'll pull anything you hook to it and it'll cruise on the highway in 7th or 8th gear with any amount of weight you desire to load on the trailer. I've pulled a 24', air grabbing, 8,000 lb. enclosed trailer down the road in 7th gear @ 68 MPH. It's amazing.

The two engines are totally different. To me, the P-star is like a pair of athletic shoes and the EcoD is like a pair of work boots. Which you put on all depends on what you plan to do that day.

As bad as I hate to admit it, I can see now what the concept of Ford's EcoBoost engine was. They were trying to combine the best attributes of the gas engine and the diesel engine. Horsepower, fun, nimble nature PLUS the torque and ability to do work. That's a great concept on paper, it's just hard to make it work reliably. Maybe they're getting it all worked out these days and Stellantis will follow suit with something similar for the Jeeps.

 

[silver billet]

1. About 2 months after installing my pedal commander the voltage suddenly changed in the truck and I lost all throttle response and the truck went into "limp mode". Not a fun experience. It was extremely cold that day and I'm thinking somehow there was a voltage issue in what the vehicle was able to produce. I unplugged the Pedal Commander for a week just to be safe - plugged it back in and have had no issues the last 8 months.

The pedal commander is at fault here, other users have reported the same problem. You can try the banks pedal monster instead which has a fail safe built into it so that you don't lose your pedal.

Yeah I was pretty shocked when I drove the 2.7 EcoBoost since it's considered a "comparable" engine to the 3.6L. It's significantly more powerful at low RPMs. That being said, Ram destroys Ford in interior quality so I'll take the trade-off haha

The 2.7 is an upgrade engine. The 3.6 is a base engine and is competitive with whatever Ford's base v6 engine is.

 

[Willwork4truck]

It's funny because they are COMPLETE opposites. The P-star is a high revver, makes a lot of horsepower, is fun and nimble, seems sporty. It's also easy to service and dirt cheap to service. But it doesn't have any torque and needs to be in low gears at high RPM to shine. The EcoDiesel is a low revver, doesn't make any horsepower, feels slow and sluggish most of the time. It requires a home equity loan to do basic service on it. But, it'll pull anything you hook to it and it'll cruise on the highway in 7th or 8th gear with any amount of weight you desire to load on the trailer. I've pulled a 24', air grabbing, 8,000 lb. enclosed trailer down the road in 7th gear @ 68 MPH. It's amazing.

The two engines are totally different. To me, the P-star is like a pair of athletic shoes and the EcoD is like a pair of work boots. Which you put on all depends on what you plan to do that day.

As bad as I hate to admit it, I can see now what the concept of Ford's EcoBoost engine was. They were trying to combine the best attributes of the gas engine and the diesel engine. Horsepower, fun, nimble nature PLUS the torque and ability to do work. That's a great concept on paper, it's just hard to make it work reliably. Maybe they're getting it all worked out these days and Stellantis will follow suit with something similar for the Jeeps.

Thats a real good comparison between the 2 engines. You can’t be choosing between the Penstar and the ecodiesel to meet the same requirements, ie. Towing (forget the Pstar), daily driver (Ecodiesel is expensive to maintain)...

While I left Ford for RAM, I’d not have any difficulty going back to their 2.7 ecoboost (unless I towed big). The motor was fantastic on torque and it was a pleasure to never feel a downshift (just the 6 speed) on mountain passes.

For heavier towing their 3.5 has all the hp and tq ever needed (in a 150/1500). I note that they have not put the 3.5 ecoboost in their superduty line. Not sure if it would be too much competition with their 6.7 diesel and new 7.3 gasser or what.

The other smart thing they did was to keep mid-range gearing options (3.55 and 3.73) instead of what RAM offers us with the hemi.

 

[silver billet]

I note that they have not put the 3.5 ecoboost in their superduty line. Not sure if it would be too much competition with their 6.7 diesel and new 7.3 gasser or what.

If they put the 3.5 in their real trucks it would implode. It's not an engine designed for heavy duty, there is far more to an engine than simply peak hp or peak torque. Heck the 3.5 is more powerful than the 7.3 in terms of peak torque, it's extremely telling that despite that, they don't use it in their work trucks. They've had the 3.5 for years, and yet chose to spend millions on a new big block 7.3. I think we can all read between the lines here

 

[WXman]

If they put the 3.5 in their real trucks it would implode. It's not an engine designed for heavy duty, there is far more to an engine than simply peak hp or peak torque. Heck the 3.5 is more powerful than the 7.3 in terms of peak torque, it's extremely telling that despite that, they don't use it in their work trucks. They've had the 3.5 for years, and yet chose to spend millions on a new big block 7.3. I think we can all read between the lines here

Yeah it's kind of like how the Jeep Wrangler has a 2.0L turbo gas option, but the Jeep Gladiator doesn't despite literally having an identical engine bay, chassis, etc. It all comes down to use case. Engineers knew that Gladiator would be used for work more often, and Wrangler would be used for fun more often, and it was hard for them to get the turbo gas engine to stay cool enough for SAE towing targets they wanted to hit.

It's also why larger diesels like the Powerstroke are detuned in medium duty trucks like the F-650, but cranked up in light duty trucks like the F-250. Difference in use case, and therefore different engineering requirements.

Side note: That new Ford 7.3L gas engine is on the short list of future replacements for my current truck when I get closer to end of lease....probably next year. People are averaging 13 MPG with them, which hurts, but you can do a service interval for $30 bucks and that engine will be easy as pie to work on beyond warranty period because it's just an old fashioned port injected, push rod V8. I can see it being a truck that you can keep on the road for 30 years.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Yeah it's kind of like how the Jeep Wrangler has a 2.0L turbo gas option, but the Jeep Gladiator doesn't despite literally having an identical engine bay, chassis, etc. It all comes down to use case. Engineers knew that Gladiator would be used for work more often, and Wrangler would be used for fun more often, and it was hard for them to get the turbo gas engine to stay cool enough for SAE towing targets they wanted to hit.

It's also why larger diesels like the Powerstroke are detuned in medium duty trucks like the F-650, but cranked up in light duty trucks like the F-250. Difference in use case, and therefore different engineering requirements.

Side note: That new Ford 7.3L gas engine is on the short list of future replacements for my current truck when I get closer to end of lease....probably next year. People are averaging 13 MPG with them, which hurts, but you can do a service interval for $30 bucks and that engine will be easy as pie to work on beyond warranty period because it's just an old fashioned port injected, push rod V8. I can see it being a truck that you can keep on the road for 30 years.

So was it CAFE standards that killed off the 6.8 V10? Seems like it had the power to do what the new 7.3 gasser is doing. And that’s an engine found in bigger/heavier class C motorhomes that are still being made.

I don’t keep up with motors/Ford but wonder why they didn’t just save a few tens of millions and tweak the 6.8?

 

[silver billet]

Yeah it's kind of like how the Jeep Wrangler has a 2.0L turbo gas option, but the Jeep Gladiator doesn't despite literally having an identical engine bay, chassis, etc. It all comes down to use case. Engineers knew that Gladiator would be used for work more often, and Wrangler would be used for fun more often, and it was hard for them to get the turbo gas engine to stay cool enough for SAE towing targets they wanted to hit.

It's also why larger diesels like the Powerstroke are detuned in medium duty trucks like the F-650, but cranked up in light duty trucks like the F-250. Difference in use case, and therefore different engineering requirements.

Side note: That new Ford 7.3L gas engine is on the short list of future replacements for my current truck when I get closer to end of lease....probably next year. People are averaging 13 MPG with them, which hurts, but you can do a service interval for $30 bucks and that engine will be easy as pie to work on beyond warranty period because it's just an old fashioned port injected, push rod V8. I can see it being a truck that you can keep on the road for 30 years.

I like the idea of the 7.3, and agree it's probably indestructible (leaving allowances for a few years for them to tweak and get it right, just like any new engine). But the rest of the F250 is in third place for me, not even the 7.3 would coax me into a Ford. The 6.4 hemi and 6.6 GM engines are just as strong and just as old fashioned, though they may be down in absolute power compared to the 7.3. The 6.6 is actually pretty close, it's shocking that the 7.3 is not stronger than it is, perhaps they're just leaving room for future bumps in power.

It's the same reason I'm in a Ram now, even though the 5.7 is in third place in terms of max power you can get from the big 3. The rest of the truck is so much better than the others that it doesn't matter to me that it doesn't win 0 to 60. So I'll never turn down more power, but the rest of the truck matters to me too much to focus exclusively on drive train.

It wouldn't surprise me if that engine lasted 30 years; but that's not really my goal anyway, in 5/10 years I want to be at the top of the heap again

 

[Willwork4truck]

Hey Ram crew,
Thought I would drop in and give my two-cent review on my 2019 Ram Big Horn 3.6L ETorque since there just isn't a ton of information available on this V6 powertrain.
A little background on why I bought the 3.6L instead of the 5.7: I used my truck for general utility purposes and tow a little bit, but nothing over 5,000 lbs. I also wanted a truck that I could drive for 200,000 miles and not hate putting gas in it every time.

I'm mainly going to focus on the engine/performance here, as we all know how beautiful the interior and exterior of these trucks are.

Trim
2019 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab / 3.6L ETorque / 3.55 axle ratio / 4x4 / 20 inch wheels with Bridgestone dueler all-terrain tires

Environment
I live in a very hilly / slightly mountainous portion of North GA, which is important to this review because the 8-speed 3.6L does A LOT of shifting in this area in order to maintain speed and pull up hills.

Gas Mileage
I drive about 50/50 city/hwy and when I am on the highway I'm usually around 75-80mph, so I'm not exactly trying to "baby it".
With the in mind, I've averaged right around 21-22 mpg consistently over 15,000 miles. Pretty happy with that. If I lived in Flatabama (AL) I'm pretty confident I would be at 23+ mpg

Engine Performance
When I got this truck, I initially loved it during the first week, and then I started to absolutely hate it due to the throttle-delay and general crawl-to-sprint tendency of the engine. Basically, it wants to absolutely maximize mpg in every scenario, meaning it waits until it has no other choice before downshifting - This usually meant I was pushing further on the gas pedal for a solid second or two before the truck would "wake up". The other scenario was that if you pushed the gas just a little too hard, too fast, the engine would absolutely floor it for no reason.

LUCKILY I knew about the Pedal Commander, which literally saved me from trading in this vehicle. It removed all throttle delay, increased general predictability with the engine, and I'm pretty sure the more "normal" driving style helped out with the MPGs. I keep it at City+4 mode and it's been awesome. 10/10 the Pedal Commander is a MUST buy if you have the 3.6L. Model # PC78. You can buy it here

Issues
I have had two "scares" to far with the truck, albeit the truck is running fine after them.

1. About 2 months after installing my pedal commander the voltage suddenly changed in the truck and I lost all throttle response and the truck went into "limp mode". Not a fun experience. It was extremely cold that day and I'm thinking somehow there was a voltage issue in what the vehicle was able to produce. I unplugged the Pedal Commander for a week just to be safe - plugged it back in and have had no issues the last 8 months.
2. A few weeks ago I was driving in the city at around 35-40 mph and the truck suddenly made a "clunking" noise for about 2 seconds, followed by reduced acceleration. This one did scare me a bit. After I reached a red light and the engine cut off (stop start) and then fired back up I haven't had any other issues. If anyone can explain this one to me that would be great - I have no way of reproducing it though so no point in taking it in.

What I Don't Love
There are just a few things that I don't love about the Ram, but they aren't deal-breakers at all.

1. As far as cheaper/V6 engines go, the F150s 2.7L Ecoboost absolutely wipes the floor with the Pentastar in terms of acceleration. I think it's like 1.4 seconds faster in 0-60, and it's definitely noticeable. It also gets roughly the same MPG as the Pentastar.
2. Even with the Pedal Commander, I do find the engine to be "searching" every once in a while. It's not often, but sometimes the truck just doesn't react the way you would expect it to. I don't think Ram thought about hills when they redesigned this engine.

Overall Score
Overall I absolutely love my truck, although nothing is perfect. Without the Pedal Commander I would probably give it a 5/10 just because the engine performance is so unpredictable and lethargic.
HOWEVER, with the Pedal Commander I give the truck an overall 8/10 and I will absolutely be keeping her for a long time to come.

Thanks for reading!

Update please, it's been another year (a crazy one at that)... Still happy? Any more P Cdr issues?

 

[JWest]

Hey Ram crew,
Thought I would drop in and give my two-cent review on my 2019 Ram Big Horn 3.6L ETorque since there just isn't a ton of information available on this V6 powertrain.
A little background on why I bought the 3.6L instead of the 5.7: I used my truck for general utility purposes and tow a little bit, but nothing over 5,000 lbs. I also wanted a truck that I could drive for 200,000 miles and not hate putting gas in it every time.

I'm mainly going to focus on the engine/performance here, as we all know how beautiful the interior and exterior of these trucks are.

Trim
2019 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab / 3.6L ETorque / 3.55 axle ratio / 4x4 / 20 inch wheels with Bridgestone dueler all-terrain tires

Environment
I live in a very hilly / slightly mountainous portion of North GA, which is important to this review because the 8-speed 3.6L does A LOT of shifting in this area in order to maintain speed and pull up hills.

Gas Mileage
I drive about 50/50 city/hwy and when I am on the highway I'm usually around 75-80mph, so I'm not exactly trying to "baby it".
With the in mind, I've averaged right around 21-22 mpg consistently over 15,000 miles. Pretty happy with that. If I lived in Flatabama (AL) I'm pretty confident I would be at 23+ mpg

Engine Performance
When I got this truck, I initially loved it during the first week, and then I started to absolutely hate it due to the throttle-delay and general crawl-to-sprint tendency of the engine. Basically, it wants to absolutely maximize mpg in every scenario, meaning it waits until it has no other choice before downshifting - This usually meant I was pushing further on the gas pedal for a solid second or two before the truck would "wake up". The other scenario was that if you pushed the gas just a little too hard, too fast, the engine would absolutely floor it for no reason.

LUCKILY I knew about the Pedal Commander, which literally saved me from trading in this vehicle. It removed all throttle delay, increased general predictability with the engine, and I'm pretty sure the more "normal" driving style helped out with the MPGs. I keep it at City+4 mode and it's been awesome. 10/10 the Pedal Commander is a MUST buy if you have the 3.6L. Model # PC78. You can buy it here

Issues
I have had two "scares" to far with the truck, albeit the truck is running fine after them.

1. About 2 months after installing my pedal commander the voltage suddenly changed in the truck and I lost all throttle response and the truck went into "limp mode". Not a fun experience. It was extremely cold that day and I'm thinking somehow there was a voltage issue in what the vehicle was able to produce. I unplugged the Pedal Commander for a week just to be safe - plugged it back in and have had no issues the last 8 months.
2. A few weeks ago I was driving in the city at around 35-40 mph and the truck suddenly made a "clunking" noise for about 2 seconds, followed by reduced acceleration. This one did scare me a bit. After I reached a red light and the engine cut off (stop start) and then fired back up I haven't had any other issues. If anyone can explain this one to me that would be great - I have no way of reproducing it though so no point in taking it in.

What I Don't Love
There are just a few things that I don't love about the Ram, but they aren't deal-breakers at all.

1. As far as cheaper/V6 engines go, the F150s 2.7L Ecoboost absolutely wipes the floor with the Pentastar in terms of acceleration. I think it's like 1.4 seconds faster in 0-60, and it's definitely noticeable. It also gets roughly the same MPG as the Pentastar.
2. Even with the Pedal Commander, I do find the engine to be "searching" every once in a while. It's not often, but sometimes the truck just doesn't react the way you would expect it to. I don't think Ram thought about hills when they redesigned this engine.

Overall Score
Overall I absolutely love my truck, although nothing is perfect. Without the Pedal Commander I would probably give it a 5/10 just because the engine performance is so unpredictable and lethargic.
HOWEVER, with the Pedal Commander I give the truck an overall 8/10 and I will absolutely be keeping her for a long time to come.

Thanks for reading!

I know this is an old thread; but I have 43k on my '19 3.6 Etorque Ram and it has a leaking head gasket. Anybody else run into that issue?

 

[silver billet]

I know this is an old thread; but I have 43k on my '19 3.6 Etorque Ram and it has a leaking head gasket. Anybody else run into that issue?

That's not an uncommon problem on the 3.6 regardless of ram/jeep/minivan etc.

 

[JimD007]

My 2019 is almost at 35,000 miles now and running great. My daughter and son-in-law both have the 3.6 Pentastar and their previous vehicle had it too and they have had no head gasket issues.

I get 21-22 around town now and 25 on trips. I can easily go over 500 miles on a tank of gas on a trip.

I also don't understand the interest in the "Pedal Commander" (hope I got the name right). My truck does annoy me every once in awhile refusing to downshift but a stab on the gas and it shifts. I'm used to it at this point. My other vehicle is a manual so I guess I just view this a downside of automatic transmissions (but I understand more torque would help). I love the sound when I kick it and it goes down a couple gears and goes up around red line. Kind of doesn't feel like a truck at that point. It isn't going super fast but it sounds good.

 

[1lowcab]

62k on mine and runs like new. Daily driver and gets 22-24mpg depending on how I drive. Love it.