Ram EcoDiesel Questions

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I have 1,200 miles on the truck and love it! 365 miles, I towed a 7x14 Utility Trailer, mostly at 70-75 mph and got 15mpg. I am averaging about 26mpg overall, minus the towing miles. My high was a trip from Colorado Springs to Denver Airport, about 90 miles.....37mpg!

Anyway, here is my first question. The OCI is 10k miles unless the OLM says to change it earlier. Severe service is fewer miles. Anyway, I have always dumped the factory fill earlier in my new autos. I do not feel comfortable going 10k on the FF. What do you guys think about dumping at 5k miles? I have decided to go with Mobil1 ESP 5w30, as it has the lowest pour point, important for winters in Colorado.

Second question.....is it just stupid to tune a new truck while under warranty? There are a couple of tunes out their that claim they are safe on the drive train, improve mileage and more importantly, boost the torque to over 500ftlbs. Would love to add a tune, but concerned.
 
Originally Posted By: BigJohn

Second question.....is it just stupid to tune a new truck while under warranty? There are a couple of tunes out their that claim they are safe on the drive train, improve mileage and more importantly, boost the torque to over 500ftlbs. Would love to add a tune, but concerned.


Yes. They can tell you have tuned. And with Chrysler/Ram/Dodge's less than stellar quality reputation and being a brand new power train, I'd not take any chances to give them an out should things go south.
 
File this all under "if it were mine..." since I don't know anything specific about the EcoDiesel versus other engines:

1) I would probably dump the factory fill at a few thousand miles and replace the filter at the same time. Unless the manual SPECIFICALLY says that the factory fill is specially formulated and MUST be left in (but Honda is usually the only one that does that). If it just says the fill CAN be left in, I'd change it early.

2) I wouldn't tune before maybe 20-30k miles personally, especially on an engine that's only been on the US market ashort time. Who knows how well-researched those "tunes" already available actually are- they could be based on what worked well for some other similar-sized engine rather than the VM Motori specifically. Let someone else be the beta-tester for those tunes, let the engine get broken in, do your research, and then crank it up when you're past the point where any factory defects that might need warranty work should have already been exposed (if there are any).
 
Originally Posted By: itguy08


Yes. They can tell you have tuned. And with Chrysler/Ram/Dodge's less than stellar quality reputation the last 5 years and being a brand new power train, I'd not take any chances to give them an out should things go south put such a nice piece of machinery at risk with third-party software.


There. Fixed it for you.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieBoy
Agree with 440M. Especially the second post.


I agree on both posts as well.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum


There. Fixed it for you.


You can't fix the truth my friend....
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Given those scores I'd ride the warranty for as long as possible especially with a new, unproven, first year drivetrain. So I'd stay out of the tunes for that reason alone. Or find someone willing to warranty the tunes. Some tuners will warranty the engine as an additional fee (Stage 3 comes to mind) so that would be the safest way to go if you want to tune.

Oh, and I'd say the same thing abut a GM, Ford, Toyota, or Honda.
 
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I’ve also got an EcoDiesel… ( Here is my truck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yz6h4NSrQM )

I changed the factory fill oil at 6,600mi – I also didn’t feel comfortable going 10,000mi on the factory fill oil, but I also thought it would have been a waste doing an oil change at 3,000mi. Take that for what it’s worth, I’m sure you’re technically fine going to 10,000mi though.


On tunes, I will not be adding a tuner to this vehicle for quite some time unless there are some great benefits. The only tuners I’ve seen so far are from Europe, and only developed for the engine – not for the vehicle specifically. I know some have items in the works – but I’m not even thinking about that anytime in the near future.
 
Bigjohn I have decided to go with Mobil1 ESP 5w30, as it has the lowest pour point, important for winters in Colorado.

From what I've found out you may want to reconsider using Mobil esp.There has been a lot of people having issues with this low saps oil. I can not remember which site/vehicle's were having issues with excessive iron and lead/copper issues when uoa was done. When the owners switched to either Mobil delvac 1 or rotella t-5 that took care of the excessive wear issues. The main reason for the esp is emission controls protection. The general feeling is if cj4 is also a good for the emission control items then it will be just fine on the newest vehicles.


Bigjohn Second question.....is it just stupid to tune a new truck while under warranty? There are a couple of tunes out their that claim they are safe on the drive train, improve mileage and more importantly, boost the torque to over 500ftlbs. Would love to add a tune, but concerned.
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If you want a diesel truck with over 500ft lbs then you should've purchased a 2500hd. How do you expect a v-6 to work like a I-6 or v-8 diesel and still stay together? You can not buy a 1/2 ton and expect to run like the big boys. With prices between 1/2 and 3/4 being somewhat close you could've had the bigger engine and more truck for about the same price.

I 2nd the fact of poor quality control and new drive train.. do not try to hot rod it.
 
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You might check your owner's manual on this, but the Cummins-based RAM's have a 6 month stipulation in addition to the OCI mileage limitations.

On the tuning thing, I'd resist the urge.

All the truck guys want to take off the emissions stuff and "roll coal" but a day will come when you wish you had not done that.

I believe USEPA will ratchet up enforcement somewhere in the future.
 
OK to dump the FF oil early.
NOT OK to put in a non-factory tune.
Let the guys who do tell their sad stories.
When you're out of warranty, then go for it.
The Ecodiesel already does very well for specific power and torque; 80HP/L and 140ft*lb/L. If the Cummins 6.7 was doing as well, it would make 536 HP and 938 ft*lbs.
 
I own a EcoDiesel also with just around 1100 miles on it.
The ONLY two oils that meet the new Ram ED spec are Mobil 1 ESP and the factory fill Pennzoil Euro...NO other oils meet the specs at this time..Not Amsoil, Schaeffer's NO ONE!

The filter for these things are like $60 a piece from the dealer. The Pennzoil Euro oil will run you just under $100 for a 12 pack from Amazon shipped to your house. And, oh the filter on the Jeep with the ED uses a different filter, so don't get them confused.

Tuner-Read you ED supplement with the Owner's Manual. It specifically states the ECM will remember a tuner has been attached and may void your warranty! It's your wallet so do what you want...
 
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To the OP, I forgot to add that you need to enjoy that RAM EcoDiesel.

Guys are standing 8 deep in line right now to own one.

Don't let a bunch of haters change your opinion about your new truck.

So welcome to the RAM diesel club.
 
I always thought J.D. Power (whoever that yahoo is) was full of sheep dip. I have learned over the years to never even consider what that survey group has to say about much of anything.
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
I always thought J.D. Power (whoever that yahoo is) was full of sheep dip. I have learned over the years to never even consider what that survey group has to say about much of anything.


Likewise. People pick their source so it doesn't conflict with their preconceived notions.

Re: the OP, tuning any car can leave a 'footprint' even if you remove the tune prior to servicing. On some vehicles it takes a bit of looking to find, but it is still almost always there, and it remains very valid as a reason to deny warranty service.

As stated above, the companies that market these tuners are NOT doing million mile endurance testing first. Their engineering expertise is there, but the long term durability is what they cannot tell you now on a brand new platform.

Tune at your own risk...
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
I always thought J.D. Power (whoever that yahoo is) was full of sheep dip. I have learned over the years to never even consider what that survey group has to say about much of anything.


Likewise. People pick their source so it doesn't conflict with their preconceived notions.


However when most sources say the same thing you tend to think there is some truth to it. The preconceived notion thing is a 2 way street.

I think we can all agree tuning a new, unproven powertrain is not something to do given the replacement costs.
 
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Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
I always thought J.D. Power (whoever that yahoo is) was full of sheep dip. I have learned over the years to never even consider what that survey group has to say about much of anything.


Likewise. People pick their source so it doesn't conflict with their preconceived notions.


However when most sources say the same thing you tend to think there is some truth to it. The preconceived notion thing is a 2 way street.

I think we can all agree tuning a new, unproven powertrain is not something to do given the replacement costs.


Sorry, but the entire world could line up across the street and shout at me every morning and I might still ignore them. I run a very successful business that bucks the trend, was told by millionaires in the same field that it would never work. It did and does to this day.

And one thing I never trust are 'gross' stats. They only apply to a group, not an individual car. When dealing with mass production there are dogs in EVERY line, even Ford. All I care about is my car, not yours or anyone else's. My Chrysler is a rock, and will stay in a stable that generally does not keep cars this long at all.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8

And one thing I never trust are 'gross' stats. They only apply to a group, not an individual car. When dealing with mass production there are dogs in EVERY line, even Ford. All I care about is my car, not yours or anyone else's. My Chrysler is a rock, and will stay in a stable that generally does not keep cars this long at all.


Not derailing this thread further but I never mentioned Ford. Not once. Sure I drive them. They are very average vehicles. And the stats seem to back that up. Reliable enough for me and go the distance. I've also had "higher quality" cars - about as reliable at the mileage/time I keep cars for.

But gross stats are great for telling the whole picture. We all know everyone makes lemons. That's just a fact of mass production (or any production really). But when those mass stats show a trend and show a trend for decades that seems to indicate maybe there is something wrong. Some will have good experiences but when the majority report subpar experiences you have to give some weight to that. And when multiple sources say similar things, that tends to cement it. Ask yourself this - if Chrysler made great cars why, in the past 35 years have they begged the US Government for bailouts TWICE?

And to tie it back to the tuning. You have a company that historically has "suboptimal" QC. They balance that with a nice long warranty. Someone buying the first year model from said company would be best to stick with the terms of that nice long warranty should they need it. It's like rolling the dice in Vegas. You know the dealer has the advantage so "do you feel lucky". In this case failure costs upwards of $10k.

It's up to the OP to decide to roll the dice. Hopefully no matter what he chooses he enjoys his vehicle. That's all that matters in the end.
 
I love Ram Trucks. I had a 2012 2500 with the Hemi and it was a super awesome truck.....just drank the gas at about 14mpg....and 8mpg towing.

I did not want a 2500 Cummins......and don't need that towing power.

I like the ride of the 1500 so much better and still have 420ftlbs torque for towing.

Let me restate.....getting 26mpg with a mix of city and highway.

No I won't tune it.

I've decided to dump the FF at 5k miles and will probably go with Pennzoil off Amazon.
 
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