Ecodiesel Issues? Look out for?

[troymi]

I've read some of the threads and don't see anyone really bashing the powertrain. But this is a Ram forum!!??

So, I've had 5 different diesel German cars/SUVs over the years and love diesels. My current Rebel is nice, the eTorque? Was there, not a choice and I haven't seen any good from it. Towing or not.

I drive up north Michigan and can hardly get there on a tank of gas. Mileage is really bad. That and my passenger really does not seem to like the Rebel ride compared to previous Laramie. So, I'm getting a Limited Ecodiesel. To me it makes sense.

But, are there any obvious traps? I looked at the maintenance schedule and it's nothing compared to a German OEM (no Def flush?). The price equation is almost a wash, so it comes down to the diesel drive/feel which I like. But is there a pool of issues out there? Any thoughts? I already have a tire/wheel plan as that seems obviously planned by someone that doesn't drive one.

I'm buying, so trying to think long term on this too. Thoughts?

 

[Zoompastu]

I was a BMW technician and a ram service advisor. Pretty familiar with both sides of the fence from what you have experienced. This new eco-diesel is exactly that. It’s the third generation of the same engine. Many many components are completely redesigned and different. So much so that we are in uncharted waters with this one. I have a strong belief that ram really wanted to get this one right. I would not wish the previous eco-diesel on my enemy. They were that bad. Plagued with problems!
I bought my 2020 eco-diesel two weeks ago from the dealership I used to work at and my previous coworkers couldn’t believe I wanted an eco-diesel. There was not one person in the service department or in the shop that said getting that engine was a good idea but this is all based off of the previous generations. They had not seen anything with this new motor.

One of the new things they did which was fantastic is taking the exhaust for the EGR after it has passed through the DPF. This reduces turbo lag and is getting clean exhaust which should dramatically reduce Carbon buildup in the intake. The heads have been redesigned the injectors are new the Pistons are new the turbo is new the compression ratio has been lowered… There’s a lot new with this motor.
Maintenance cost on the eco-diesel is a lot compared to a gas truck and is also double the cost of the Cummins 2500 truck. If you drive that long trip every now and then, I would stick with the gas. Modern diesels die from city use. If you’re on the freeway all the time or the majority of the time then a diesel will be fine.

For my new job I drive 180 miles one way to work and stay there for a week before returning home. For me the diesel is a good way to go but after you factor in higher maintenance cost higher fuel price higher insurance cost and higher vehicle cost for the diesel engine option you really don’t get ahead by having the better fuel economy. It’s a wash...

Hope this helps

 

[troymi]

I’m curious about your comment higher maintenance cost. All I saw was fill the DEF at oil changes. More oil plus def? Fuel filter? Is there more?

 

[Zoompastu]

It’s the cost of parts... Oil change should be between 200 to 250. They are very proud of the oil filter and require synthetic diesel oil. It’s insane... When it comes time to do the fuel filter expect to pay another 200 to 250 on top of the oil change. And yes def fluid. That runs about $10 a gallon for the Mopar def fluid. Truck should take about 4 gallons at time of service

 

[Aseras]

A mopar filter will run you $50 from a 3rd party site, after that is $14 a filter for just the cartridge if you save the original cap. 5 quarts of rotella will be $25.

It is not expensive unless you are paying dealer labor and dealing with dealer farkups.

 

[Zoompastu]

A mopar filter will run you $50 from a 3rd party site, after that is $14 a filter for just the cartridge if you save the original cap. 5 quarts of rotella will be $25.

It is not expensive unless you are paying dealer labor and dealing with dealer farkups.

It’s not worth it to do the oil change yourself. The oil filters are different with this new motor and the engine takes more than 5 quarts… Additionally the fact is you run a risk of having your warranty claim denied. FCA is really tightening the screws on this. I have firsthand knowledge of these things. I agree that the dealership is the most expensive way to have the oil serviced. I also know that most people do not have the knowledge tools or experience to properly perform the service and if they do they lack the desire. The number of people that want to do it themselves is a small percentage and usually they’re on forms like this. Let me be clear this is not a knock on anyone that wants to do their own maintenance. I’m all for it and I prefer to do it myself as well. This third GEN engine is not proven and since there were so many radical issues with the previous motors I’m not gonna run the risk of having a warranty claim denied because I am not a certified Mopar technician. Our oil filter receipts and the Magnuson moss warranty act don’t mean diddly squat doing our own work.

I know for a fact at this point if you have major engine issues and do a warranty claim you are already disqualified and denied. If you did swap cartridges around for the oil filter and did not use the correct Mopar part and part number you are instantly denied warranty if they ask for maintenance history proof.

Do what you.. do it’s none of my business but I hope readers will understand both sides of the coin and make a decision accordingly

 

[KOOPS]

I was a BMW technician and a ram service advisor. Pretty familiar with both sides of the fence from what you have experienced. This new eco-diesel is exactly that. It’s the third generation of the same engine. Many many components are completely redesigned and different. So much so that we are in uncharted waters with this one. I have a strong belief that ram really wanted to get this one right. I would not wish the previous eco-diesel on my enemy. They were that bad. Plagued with problems!
I bought my 2020 eco-diesel two weeks ago from the dealership I used to work at and my previous coworkers couldn’t believe I wanted an eco-diesel. There was not one person in the service department or in the shop that said getting that engine was a good idea but this is all based off of the previous generations. They had not seen anything with this new motor.

One of the new things they did which was fantastic is taking the exhaust for the EGR after it has passed through the DPF. This reduces turbo lag and is getting clean exhaust which should dramatically reduce Carbon buildup in the intake. The heads have been redesigned the injectors are new the Pistons are new the turbo is new the compression ratio has been lowered… There’s a lot new with this motor.
Maintenance cost on the eco-diesel is a lot compared to a gas truck and is also double the cost of the Cummins 2500 truck. If you drive that long trip every now and then, I would stick with the gas. Modern diesels die from city use. If you’re on the freeway all the time or the majority of the time then a diesel will be fine.

For my new job I drive 180 miles one way to work and stay there for a week before returning home. For me the diesel is a good way to go but after you factor in higher maintenance cost higher fuel price higher insurance cost and higher vehicle cost for the diesel engine option you really don’t get ahead by having the better fuel economy. It’s a wash...

Hope this helps

Nice summary. Adding a pro for the Gen3 Diesel.

Gas-station visits will be less with the Diesel (more so with the 33 gallon tank), along with the driving range benefit.

 

[Scram1500]

Modern diesels have been ruined. Any benefits over a gas engine are long gone. Get a Hemi with 3.21 gears, 33 gal tank and you'll be fine on that long commute. The Rebel tires are what killed your mileage as well, maybe try some highway all season tires on the Rebel before switching vehicles

 

[Willwork4truck]

I was a BMW technician and a ram service advisor. Pretty familiar with both sides of the fence from what you have experienced. This new eco-diesel is exactly that. It’s the third generation of the same engine. Many many components are completely redesigned and different. So much so that we are in uncharted waters with this one. I have a strong belief that ram really wanted to get this one right. I would not wish the previous eco-diesel on my enemy. They were that bad. Plagued with problems!
I bought my 2020 eco-diesel two weeks ago from the dealership I used to work at and my previous coworkers couldn’t believe I wanted an eco-diesel. There was not one person in the service department or in the shop that said getting that engine was a good idea but this is all based off of the previous generations. They had not seen anything with this new motor.

One of the new things they did which was fantastic is taking the exhaust for the EGR after it has passed through the DPF. This reduces turbo lag and is getting clean exhaust which should dramatically reduce Carbon buildup in the intake. The heads have been redesigned the injectors are new the Pistons are new the turbo is new the compression ratio has been lowered… There’s a lot new with this motor.
Maintenance cost on the eco-diesel is a lot compared to a gas truck and is also double the cost of the Cummins 2500 truck. If you drive that long trip every now and then, I would stick with the gas. Modern diesels die from city use. If you’re on the freeway all the time or the majority of the time then a diesel will be fine.

For my new job I drive 180 miles one way to work and stay there for a week before returning home. For me the diesel is a good way to go but after you factor in higher maintenance cost higher fuel price higher insurance cost and higher vehicle cost for the diesel engine option you really don’t get ahead by having the better fuel economy. It’s a wash...

Hope this helps

Great post from someone who actually knows what they are talking about instead of Wikipedia copy n paste... thank you. That should help people understand more about the gen 3 motor.
Of course reliability stats is just a waiting game now.

Wow, for a minute I thought I was back on the F150 forum with the oil change flaming posts... People need to chill.
No reason to call someone a fool... but that’s today’s lack of civility, it’s everywhere.

 

[RVTRKN]

No way in hell would I buy an ECO Diesel, the risk is just to high that Fiat would make a trouble free Diesel. The previous ECO Diesel was a hugh risk, it was a hero or a zero, I guess time will tell, but Fiat is not known for their quality and are the lowest rated cars. Sorry to rain on everyone with my first post here, but I call like it is. I took a risk with the newer CTD with the Bosch CP4, but at least the CTD is a proven power plant. The ECO self destructs.

 

[bgmshrm]

Modern diesels have been ruined. Any benefits over a gas engine are long gone. Get a Hemi with 3.21 gears, 33 gal tank and you'll be fine on that long commute. The Rebel tires are what killed your mileage as well, maybe try some highway all season tires on the Rebel before switching vehicles

16 MPG is not fine

 

[NC Rebel]

No way in hell would I buy an ECO Diesel, the risk is just to high that Fiat would make a trouble free Diesel. The previous ECO Diesel was a hugh risk, it was a hero or a zero, I guess time will tell, but Fiat is not known for their quality and are the lowest rated cars. Sorry to rain on everyone with my first post here, but I call like it is. I took a risk with the newer CTD with the Bosch CP4, but at least the CTD is a proven power plant. The ECO self destructs.

Great first post and welcome to the site ! I tend to agree with some of what you say, the earlier generation ecodiesel had a few issues here and there. I haven't had any issues yet with my eco, I guess time will tell but not really concerned with that ATM. So far, I really like the diesel plenty of torque and decent fuel mileage.

 

[KOOPS]

16 MPG is not fine

Agree, I can't bring myself to getting the Hemi with a daily driver. I really wanted something over 20mpg at a minimum. I really don't want to be hitting up a gas station twice a week due to my longer than avg work commute. Also the Gen3 comes with a 100k warranty from factory, which is pretty good for factory warranty.

 

[Willwork4truck]

No way in hell would I buy an ECO Diesel, the risk is just to high that Fiat would make a trouble free Diesel. The previous ECO Diesel was a hugh risk, it was a hero or a zero, I guess time will tell, but Fiat is not known for their quality and are the lowest rated cars. Sorry to rain on everyone with my first post here, but I call like it is. I took a risk with the newer CTD with the Bosch CP4, but at least the CTD is a proven power plant. The ECO self destructs.

Not a diesel owner but the gen 3 motor isn’t a mildly refreshed version of the last one, per everything I’ve read. Tis very true that the 14’ and up ecodiesel models had some serious problems, a few posters here had the original version engine, some had really bad experiences, some lucked out and they were ok. I really have not heard of a lot of grief from this new version. Like you and others have said, time will tell.
See the ecodieselram.com forum for lots of both sides information.

Hopefully Fiat will learn from how Ford/International messed up the 6.0 turbodiesel and not repeat that sort of PR fiasco. After what, 7 years they finally got a good basic design (6.7) and now seem fine. Maybe this gen 3 engine is the same.

 

[J-Cooz]

I'm trading in my Hemi on a diesel. Sick of the mileage and lack of low end torque. I'll take "the risk" on a gen 3 EcoDiesel. I'm sure FCA learned their lesson and if not then that's what a warranty is for.

And yes I realize I'll probably never make up the difrence in cost, and diesels are more expensive to maintain blah blah blah. It's not about the money, it's about the range, and low end torque.

 

[Willwork4truck]

I think J-Cooz knows what he wants out of a truck and that’s why we have “choice”. Can’t beat the range and the torque.

Thats one reason I enjoyed the Ferd ecoboost 2.7 with the 36 gallon tank.
22-24 highway (3.55 gears) meant an over 700 mile range.

I’m ok with our hemi but only cause’ it’s the 3.21. Some of the 3.92 mpg’s reported on this site are pretty bad.

 

[BigD]

I get 23 mpg highway with 5.7 hemi & 3.92 gears. I got the etorque. I'm pleasantly surprised how good of milage I get. I'm averaging 19 mpg with a 50/50 mix of city/highway & that's not babying it either!

 

[J-Cooz]

I get 23 mpg highway with 5.7 hemi & 3.92 gears. I got the etorque. I'm pleasantly surprised how good of milage I get. I'm averaging 19 mpg with a 50/50 mix of city/highway & that's not babying it either!

It's crazy the difrence. My limited struggles to get 20 and that's only if I keep it slow. I have 3.92 and my truck is a fat pig. Payload of 1180.
I'm guessing your big Horn is significantly lighter.

 

[BigD]

It's crazy the difrence. My limited struggles to get 20 and that's only if I keep it slow. I have 3.92 and my truck is a fat pig. Payload of 1180.
I'm guessing your big Horn is significantly lighter.

Way lighter. My payload is 1,680 !

 

[Boston]

That’s an amazing amount of extra weight added with air suspension and other toys and payload/towing ability lost!