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New 5th Gen
- Thread starter jcjohn
- Start date
Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Sounds like a good trade up, I'm sure you had your reasons for the change from diesel, perhaps you could share your experiences with the somewhat troublesome 1st gen 3.0 diesel as well as your reasons for not selecting the next gen 2020/2021 diesel.
Enjoy your new rig!
Enjoy your new rig!
Thank you for the response and welcome. The number one reason for owning the ED is mpg. However, with the gen 1 and gen 2 ED, this mpg is achieved at the sake of longevity. Many guys with gen 1 will be hard pressed to get more than 150k out of an unmodified motor. The EGR soots the intake and top side of the motor so badly it causes catastrophic failures. For trucks with higher mileage, the tone wheel/reluctor ring in the transmission is also very prone to failure, and while the part is only $25, the labor is typically around $1,000 and the failure can happen at any time; leaving you on the side of the road... They are also very well known for having turbo line failures that require the intake to be removed to replace the cheap splice of hose used in a hard to reach place. Another very costly repair that leaves you stranded. EDs are also known for unexplainable "service electronic throttle control" errors, and most guys that own an ED carry an OBD tool at all times to clear the errors to save the time and money going to the mechanic/dealers every time the errors pop up. I had a handy bluetooth model that ran off an iphone app.
There is a ton of information out there about the ED. EcoDieselRam.com is an excellent forum for guys interested in buying or are current owners of an ED. That's where I learned how to optimize my truck, and trust me, I loved the concept of a high mpg full size truck and the performance of my truck. However, the constant anxiety of the next major repair drove me back to a gasser.
The only way to wake up the ED is with an aftermarket tune (Greed Diesel Engineering and Sofa King are very popular). After I got my FIAT/Chrysler class action lawsuit money, I invested in a Green Diesel Engineering engine tune (I went with a separate ECU) and transmission tune (ECU flash) with engine braking. When I bought mine the GDE tunes were not compliant with the EPA; essentially turning off the EGR electronically to prevent the soot buildup in the motor. Around April 2019, GDE was busted by the EPA and can no longer sell or support non-compliant tunes. So the tunes they sell now no longer provide the engine longevity benefits, but do deliver significant performance upgrades.
Last week on the 200 mile trip to the dealer to trade for the 2019, I averaged 27.5 mpg, and my average range for a tank of fuel (23 gallons) over the last 50k miles was right around 600 miles. However, on extended trips it was always over 600. The guys that run modified EDs up and down the road are getting over 300k miles on them, however, this should not be expected on unmodified daily drivers (city).
Thank you!
CMil527
Spends too much time on here
Welcome!
Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Great write up. I have watched a few YT vids bou the soot issue and resultant failures. Too bad that EPA crap has ruined another motor.
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
Just to clarify, Gen 1 never actually came to market. It was a prototype engine for GM products until FCA took it over for Gen 2.
Willwork4truck
Spends too much time on here
Gotcha. It was gen 2 he had and now there's gen 3.0
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
Yeah I got a Gen 3 in my '21 Limited Off-Road Group. Love it.
Thank you sir!
Did you get a tune for your '21? If not, you may want to investigate if you are looking to keep the truck long term.
In the meantime, there are several things you can do manage risk with this motor:
1- Get under the hood and remove ALL of the SDF (slow death foam) that covers both sides of the motor. This is not difficult, and can be a little time consuming, but you will be glad you did. This foam's only function is to silence the motor, but the trade off is tremendous heat soak on vital electrical connections and sensitive lines/hoses, as well as elevated fire risk
2- Remove the heavy steel cover and SDF from the high pressure fuel pump on the front of the motor. The purpose of these is the same as the SDF covering the valve covers and the consequences are also the same. Do you want super hot fuel or cooler fuel going into the motor?
3- Remove the thick intake cover with the Ecodiesel badges. Again, another "silencer" that causes heat build up above the intake and around the turbo. This just pops off of rubber studs and brackets. No tools required.
4- Investigate Sofa King tune options. The GDE tunes are all compliant now but I'm not sure if Sofa King has worked aroud the EPA. The transmission tunes are game changers, and if you tow anything, the engine braking is a spectacular feature. The other nice feature of the tunes is they actually prompt you when the motor initiates a regen. On stock EDs, the regen is "supposed" to happen in the background, but this is not always the case and can cause expensive particulate filter problems.
5- Speaking of particulate filters and DEF, during warm months use a 2:1 or 1.5:1 ratio of distilled water to DEF. Using straight urea DEF eventually rots out the lines and system. Costy repairs... In cold months go back to straight DEF if you're in the north or 1:1 if your in a warmer area.
6- Register on Ecodieselram.com and look up a guy that goes by TCDiesel. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the ED and diesels in general as well as the politics around Chrysler/FIAT. He can help you navigate issues you may encounter with your ED. For example, I met him on the site shortly after buying my truck. The first thing he had me do is remove the intake line on my ED to check for sooting. Of course, as he predicted, the intake tube itself as well as the plenum inside the intake was completely sooted and covered in greasy oil. He instructed me to take pictures of both and escalate the issue to the service manager at the dealership I purchased the truck. After a brief conversation with the SM and discussion of the pictures, the dealership agreed to replace my intake manifold at their cost as TC predicted. This is after they had already replaced all of my injectors due to chronic "service electronic throttle control" errors that they couldn't fix. TC is a great dude and has helped a ton of guys on the site with their trucks.
7- Buy an OBD scanner so you can clear codes without having the down time and cost of going to the dealer. Your truck is still likely under warranty, but the inconvenience of going to the dealership is justification enough.
As I mentioned in my first post, the ED concept is awesome, and the performance you can get out of these little motors from a mpg and towing perspective is phenomenal. However, Chrysler/FIAT continues to use the Italian motor that is overengineered with tons of unaddressed issues. If they stick with the ED, I wouldn't be surprised to see a completely new ED motor in these trucks in the near future. Best of luck to you!
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
Wow, I appreciate all that. Yeah I shouldn't be keeping the truck more than 2-3 years. I don't drive more than 15,000 a year as well like a lot of diesel guys do.
You are welcome! If you're driving low miles in the city as a daily driver unmodified, that is typically the recipe for issues with the ED. Not always, but this is the type of driving that makes these motors prone to clog up. My best friend has a '21 Limited ED and he hasn't had any mechanical issues yet. However, he is not getting anywhere near the EPA mileage, averaging 22 at best and only 16 when pulling a 17' Lund.
My tuned 2015 made 25 mpg avg. over 50k miles and never got less than 22 while pulling my 17' Lund. I NEVER saw 29-30 on average, but once in a while on a long, flat, drive....
Royalist_Ram
Ram Guru
Yeah I've heard that. While most of miles aren't done on the "freeway", the majority of my driving is done from 45-55 mph going between my house and my farm on state routes. It's one of the main reasons I got my mother's truck as the 6.4 Hemi and not the Cummins. She drives like 6,000 miles a year and is almost 100% city driving where she doesn't go over 45 mph. She needs it to pull a trailer in emergencies though essentially. I average between 23-25 mpg.
