Dodge eco diesel?

[secondstoryguy]

I've got the green light for a new truck and I've been googling like crazy to figure out what I want. I keep coming back to the Dodge eco diesel but I'm a little weary of the power plants lineage. Do any of you guys have any input on these trucks?

[Mr. Goodtimes]

I've got the green light for a new truck and I've been googling like crazy to figure out what I want. I keep coming back to the Dodge eco diesel but I'm a little weary of the power plants lineage. Do any of you guys have any input on these trucks?

Lemme axe you suntin first.... what are you going to use the truck for? If this is a long term investment and you're going to actually use the truck to do real truck shit, like pull an fifth wheel, dump trailer, and fill the bed with a yard + of rocks or dead commies... then I would suggest 3500 and Cummins and don't look back.


If you need a truck to put some shit in the bed every now and then, the eco diesel has a solid rep in Europe and seems well regarded here so far, especially if you delete it.


Edit: this is coming from someone who uses a truck for truck shit. I have a '16 Tacoma for a daily driver and general purpose light work truck and a deleted 08 3500 Ram Cummins 4x4 DRW for a ranch truck/real work truck.

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[secondstoryguy]

Light duty use, maybe towing a small trailer every once in a while. I was thinking about a Tacoma but it seems they are having issues with their trannys. Also the full size truck with a crew can would make it easier to tote my kids around.

[BehindBlueI's]

I no longer do truck stuff with my truck, but I've been VERY happy with my Hemi equipped Ram. I don't drive enough for any gains in fuel economy to matter, and having previously owned a diesel I'm well and truly over diesels. I like being able to use any pump at the service station (and any service station), and as diesel is now more expensive than gas the extra economy isn't what it used to be.

[jeep45238]

I've got the green light for a new truck and I've been googling like crazy to figure out what I want. I keep coming back to the Dodge eco diesel but I'm a little weary of the power plants lineage. Do any of you guys have any input on these trucks?


I've got the green light for a new truck and I've been googling like crazy to figure out what I want. I keep coming back to the Dodge eco diesel but I'm a little weary of the power plants lineage. Do any of you guys have any input on these trucks?

I looked at them with interest, but with the orders being backlogged due to emmissions problems, and the Jeep versions preventing the vehicle from starting due to DEF issues after so many cycles until a dealer fixes it, I'm no longer interested in it. If that gets addressed, 30mpg highway and high 20's towing for light duty is very, very interesting - if it fits how you're going to use the vehicle.

Plus the weight of the trailers the wife is looking at keeps climbing from about 7K to 20K, and a 1/2 ton isn't going to cut it for too long.

[txdpd]

The VM Motori engine are used in quite a few Dodge/Fiat platforms. The really aren't that many reported problems with them, but when people have problems finding parts seems like a real issue. I wouldn't buy a diesel anything, unless I towing heavy and it would be in a one ton truck. I don't think diesels are as reliable as they used to be due to higher power output per liter, ULSD being less lubricious, and the emissions equipment. A lot of people are stuck in the glory days of the run forever, black smoke belching, 4mpg oil burners and they are very different engines today.

I wouldn't worry about the engine. I would worry about the emissions equipment and it being a Dodge and having typical Dodge issues: front end problems, interior panels peeling, hockey puck shifter popping into gear or locking out, depreciate like a meteor falling from the sky, etc etc.

[JTQ]

...the eco diesel has a solid rep in Europe and seems well regarded here so far, especially if you delete it.


... and a deleted 08 3500 Ram Cummins 4x4 DRW for a ranch truck/real work truck.

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I've just got to ask, is the word delete/deleted as used in these contexts some sort of slang, is it a typo, or maybe I'm just not understanding what you're saying here.

[Mr. Goodtimes]

Light duty use, maybe towing a small trailer every once in a while. I was thinking about a Tacoma but it seems they are having issues with their trannys. Also the full size truck with a crew can would make it easier to tote my kids around.

The 3rd gen Tacoma's transmission is fine. It's a good, we'll built transmission (AISIN) but it has some stupid tuning. They released a TSB for the tune late last year or early this year. I had it done and it made the transmission infinitely better. I've read all the threads in Tacoma world and I'm a member over there. The tranny thing is, IMO blown out of proportion quite a bit. The tranny is also "intelligent" in that it learns your driving habits. I noticed mine calmed down a lot with the TSB and then some more when I rolled about 25k miles. The transmission is now, very not shitty.

The other problem is that 6th gear is a little too much gear for this trucks engine so. They have it geared so it gets max fuel economy. It turns less than 2k RPM @ 70 MPH in 6th whereas my '12 Tacoma with a 6spd manual turned 2500 @ 70 MPH. I think when I put 4.56 gears in the rear end it will really be perfect.

If you will occasionally pull, the Tacoma is fine. I use it to pull my 5x8 lawn trailer and associated equipment which is approximately 3k lbs and it pulls it fine. I even use it for tree work that I do too, I've definitely had this thing well north of its GVWR and it pulls and stops well in the city, I wouldn't do it on the interstate but it's nice for tree jobs in tight neighborhoods. I have an access cab 4x4 TRD Off-road so, I have the 6ft bed. I have no kids so I don't need a back seat. If you get the 4 door it generally comes with the short bed, which is fine for most people but you can't fit a lot of stuff in it. . If you're just going to tow a trailer occasionally, a Tacoma or especially an Eco Diesel is fine. I really like my Tacoma and I also really liked my '12. They're excellent trucks and very nice to drive.

The cost of ownership is much higher on a full size diesel, from initial purchase to maintenance. Plus, now days with EGR, DPF and DEF, you can add about 3k worth of additional cost in deletes to get the engine unfucked, and then you void your warranty. Unless you're consistently towing 10k plus lbs, I would not invest in a full size diesel, or even a full size truck. A 1500/150 is fine.

The F150 Ecoboost is also worth looking at. That 3.5 Ecoboost is no shit.


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[txdpd]

I've just got to ask, is the word delete/deleted as used in these contexts some sort of slang, is it a typo, or maybe I'm just not understanding what you're saying here.

Delete means removing emissions equipment, the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). While it's not commonly enforced it's illegal to remove emissions equipment and the federal civil penalties are severe.

[jeep45238]

Delete means removing emissions equipment, the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). While it's not commonly enforced it's illegal to remove emissions equipment and the federal civil penalties are severe.

And if you're in need of service, a fair amount of shops won't mess with a vehicle if they know the emmissions is removed (wouldn't worry about it for oil changes and brakes). If you're going to be going across the country, don't mess with the emmissions - get a used one without the emmissions.

[Bratch]

When I went through this process in December I was sold on a TRD Tacoma until I drove it. At 6'3" I didn't fit in the drivers seat may not be an issue for you.

[hufnagel]

VM Motori

Go ask the Jeep guys how much they hated that motor after a while, in the late 00's.
Yea it had balls and was a sweet power plant early on, but it's a maintenance whore, with a timing belt on an interference engine, and requires a special jig to set the timing right.
And there's the fuel pump issues.
and the turbo issues.
and the EGR crudding things up issues.

Modern diesels concern me, what with all the emissions crap they've been saddling them with.

[bofe954]

I have a 2015 with the 5.7 and have been pretty happy with it.

The diesel was too new for my tastes at the time so I didn't think about it much, but...

You get better mpg, pay more for fuel, more for oil changes and DEF.

15,000 miles/16.5mpg 5.7 = 910 gals x $2.05/gal = $1866, 15000miles/24mpg ecodiesel = 625 gals x $2.15/gal = $1344 + $45 for 15gal DEF = $1390. So $476 a year.

Truck costs $3-4 K more than 5.7 right? So 5-8 years to break even, forgetting that maintenance will likely cost more and reliability is still a question mark.

This is juvenile, but I will say that the 5.7 sounds cool and is kind of fun to drive.

[mmc45414]

A friend has one probably three years now and he drives a lot and has had no issues.

What is the main attraction? The mileage? The torque?

[idahojess]

Aren't the 2017 ecodiesels on hold anyway while the feds look at emissions issues?

http://www.tfltruck.com/2017/01/deliveries-of-the-2017-ram-ecodiesel-delayed/

I just went to the local dodge/ram/jeep dealer and they reminded me that they didn't have any. I was looking at the gas engines anyway. They didn't have any of the gas v-6s either. Trucks are decent -- hard to get a handle on the pricing and packaging -- they seem to vary a lot with incentives.

I wish I could get one with power seats without all the navigation stuff. I'm a luddite.

[mmc45414]

Aren't the 2017 ecodiesels on hold anyway while the feds look at emissions issues?
I just went to the local dodge/ram/jeep dealer and they reminded me that they didn't have any.
I was looking at the gas engines anyway.
I wish I could get one with power seats without all the navigation stuff.

If this thread is not Dodge specific, I have been very happy with my 3.5L Ecoboost in my 2014 F-150. Same low RPM 420 foot pounds as the 3.0L Ecodiesel. Diesel obviously has more inherit energy but I think some of the advantage is derived by the fact that all of the diesels are turbo. I do not pull near the mileage, but I do not have all of the hassle of the fuel and DEF and such.

[secondstoryguy]

That's good to hear about the Tacoma trannys. I love the 16'/17' flat tan color and I'm a huge Toyota fan...I might just go that route. For the low 30k's I could get a low milage 2016 Taco and be done with it.
I hear ya'll about modern diesels...I'm starting to think the vig is not worth the gains.

[BJXDS]

FWIW I know someone that has one and is very happy. Dodge builds some good motors, but I can't say much about the trannies.

[mmc45414]

I love the 16'/17' flat tan color and I'm a huge Toyota fan...I might just go that route.
A buddy got one in that color and it is awsome, 6 speed manual...

One of my closest friends has a Ford Dodge Jeep store so probably not one in my future...



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[secondstoryguy]

I've driven manuals since the dawn of time. They are an excellent way to keep the womenfolk from pirating your rig. I do, however, love my current wife(wife #2) and think it's time for a change. Slush boxes have come a long way since the TH350 and by god it's hard to drink a frappacino and drive a stick at the same time.

[mmc45414]

I've driven manuals since the dawn of time. Slush boxes have come a long way since the TH350
My car has a six speed and the F-150 has a auto and both are great. I think there are lots of changes that make the autos better than they ever were. One feature the Ford has (I am sure the others do too) is a toggle on the shifter that can hold it down out of the upper gears. One thing that drives me crazy is constant shifting and this feature helps. Was recently in Drake, CO and was making almost daily trips into Estes Park and it was simple to keep things in forth and with the turbos delivering near peak torque at that RPM it just never shifts.

[SecondsCount]

Anybody I have ever asked how well they like their Ecodiesel, they say that it has been a good truck for them, including the owner of the local diesel repair shop.

As someone who has owned four diesel vehicles, one thing I always recommend is that if you are the type of person that drives a lot of short trips, a diesel is probably not for you. It takes a diesel engine about 3 times longer to warm up over a gas motor which means they aren't running at peak efficiency until about 5 miles down the road.

[mmc45414]

they say that it has been a good truck for them, including the owner of the local diesel repair shop.
The guy that rebuilt my cousin's outboard said the same thing about two stroke oil injection :)

[SecondsCount]

The guy that rebuilt my cousin's outboard said the same thing about two stroke oil injection :)

Fair enough but this guy has an Ecodiesel as his daily driver.

[mmc45414]

Fair enough but this guy has an Ecodiesel as his daily driver.
Ohhhhhhhhhh, I misread your comment. My friend has been very happy with his as well.

[MSparks909]

It takes a diesel engine about 3 times longer to warm up over a gas motor which means they aren't running at peak efficiency until about 5 miles down the road.

Longer than that depending on the engine. Takes my Ford 6.7 literally 10+ miles to fully warm up, even in the summer. It's worse in the winter. I deleted mine because I had problems with near constant regenerations (bought used with 16K on it). It would re-gen once a tank, and my oil reeked of diesel fuel. Deleted the DPF/Urea tank and unplugged the EGR. I still need to do a full-on EGR delete. Currently sitting at 51K with no more issues. Thankfully I live in a state that doesn't do emissions checks on diesel trucks.