3.0 liter diesel half tons - real world experience

I presume that means you didn't have great luck with your 5.o Diesel Titan...

 

That would be a gross understatement. I had nothing but problems from the day I bought it. In the shop 13 times in 60,000 miles. By comparison I now have a ram 1500 I have 12,000 miles on it and it has yet to be in the shop.

 

I bought my 16 Ram Ecodiesel new. I have 85k miles on it. I used to have an 07 Ram and this upgrade was well worth the money. I've done cross country trips multiple times pulling a full 7x12 and averaged about 16-17mpg towing. Combined city/highway 23-24.

However, they did this "emissions modification" last fall that made it a turd. Now you need a tune, as mentioned before. Or delete the emissions crap. The 2020 supposed to be a bunch of "new" components to address the emissions anchor but I haven't driven it. I never had any problems with it until then.

 

Same problem over and over that couldn't be fixed by incompetent techs? Or a whole new problem every week taht kept you from driving it? That sounds awful either way.

 

Sounds to me like everyone was cheating for a long while. Now that they're having to actually meet these targets, the power and economy is suffering badly.

 

I held out long with high hopes for the Nissan XD with the Cummins but as soon as it was released the "average at best" reviews started pouring in with underwhelming mpgs and power numbers. I wasn't really impressed by it in-person or driving it.
As mentioned above, discontinued due to poor sales numbers but they carried it for 5 production model years.

 

Was always something new or a reoccurring issue that had already been fixed. Last straw was that the entire DEF system had to be replaced at 60k miles. $4k to do that. Luckily I had the extended warranty. Nissan Fixed everything but multiple times they would fix a known issue like broken rear tailgate latch for example with the same part. Hence it had to be fixed multiple times due to continuing breakage.

I like the truck and when it ran the motor was a beast! I never averaged better than 12mpg and I don't have a terrible heavy foot. From my experience fuel was more expensive per gallon, MPG was same or worse and maintenance costs are higher. It was an easy decision to go back to gas for me. The irony is I had some putz tell me that if I wasn't willing to accept all that and the constant repairs that I "don't deserve a diesel." I laughed in his face!

 

My experience with modern small displacement diesels is limited to two Sprinters and my dad's Ram Ecodiesel. All three were garbage. My dad was singing the Eco's praises for about a year before it started having problems. It saw a flatbed three times in 50k miles. I think the dealer bought it back.

If I was ever going to buy a new smoker it would be a 2500 or 3500 with the real thing.

 

I have a 2016 RAM eco. It has about 4k miles on the NEW engine and about 64K on the rest of the truck. Yup, at 60K the EGR valve stuck open and clogged engine with crap - popped a hole in the upper manifold and nearly caught the engine on fire. Got that fixed under warranty. Two days (and 3 hundred miles) later the rod bearings disintegrated and trashed the lower end of the engine. Towed to a dealership and they scrapped the whole engine and gave me a new one. I suspect the first dealership didn't fix the EGR damage correctly or they dropped something down deep.

Other then that, I'm pretty happy. Yeah, sucks balls with the lag in acceleration but you learn to drive around that. Like the interior (needed the four doors for the family over my ol' trusty 2 door f-150). Great gas mileage. Got a free extended warranty with the new engine so probably gonna keep it for a while longer.

 

EGR coolers are just one of the many components that routinely fail in an emission diesel, heavy- or light-duty.

Anyone claiming their HD diesel is getting 20+mpg is bullshitting anyone listening to them. The truck is either deleted, they’re not putting pen to paper for accurate figures, or they were hypermiling with a tailwind on THAT tank. An HD emission diesel is doing good to get more than 15mpg, these days. Pulling a trailer, you’re looking at single-digit fuel mileage.

 

Hell no...

I regularly got 18 mpg on my city commute in my 2500 diesel. Deleted is pretty much the same numbers. Yes pen to paper calculated and if this means much it’s really close to trucks computer within 3-4 tenths close.

Towing 8k lb 30’ toy hauler at 70 mph on cruise it gets 11-12 mpg consistently unless I head into a gale force winds found out west. Haven’t towed with it yet deleted so can’t comment on that.

The truck gets 16 mpg on the highway at 80 mph with my 6x10 open utility trailer and two street bikes on it. My friends always want me to take my truck on our motorcycle trips due to the good consistent fuel mileage it gets.

Completely empty no towing and just me in it out on the highway at 70 mph it’ll get 20 mpg. All of these numbers were on the stock Goodyear 20” street tires. Once I put the KO2 stock size tires on it the thing lost 2 mpg across the board. Each tire weighs 7 lbs more than the stockers.

I only saw 11-13 mpg during the stupid regens which lasted for 40 miles and every 700 miles driven. Glad that shit is gone.

 

I have no problem getting 20+ mpgs highway and 12-13 mpgs towing with the 6.7 Cummins. All stock and passing annual inspections.

 

How the hell are these guys on TFL Truck towing a 7k lb enclosed (shorter than 23') with a Tundra and getting less than 8mpg over flat gound? Almost a 50% difference to your numbers. What you're describing doesn't sound bad at all. What do you average in regular empty driving? 15, 16mpg?

 

So long, last ride in my truck

 

In 2016 I debated over getting one of the 1/2T diesel options at the time, which really only came down to the Ram EcoDiesel or the upcoming Titan XD. I wound up going with the Ram 2500 w/ 6.7 Cummins because nothing I was hearing at the time gave me the impression the EcoDiesel had been sorted out and wouldn't be a constant problem, and no one had driven the 5.0 in the Titan yet. Sounds like those motors are still problematic. I also believed from looking at the used market that the 2500 w/ Cummins would hold its value pretty well, which it has, at least according to KBB if you believe that. On road trips without trailer, just fully loaded w/ family and junk, I would say the highway mpg average in all conditions has been between 19-20 mpg hand-calculated. There have been tanks where I have advantageous winds or I'm going more downhill than up that I've gotten 22-23, but that's the best I've seen. Still though, roughly 20 mpg for a Mega Cab truck with all emissions equipment still installed that can just about fit my whole house in it, I'm pretty happy with that.

EPA has tightened the screws on aftermarket tuners recently. There's a company called Green Diesel Engineering that's popular for tuning the small-displacement diesels, and this is on their site now:
"We are not able to reflash/install our tune at this time due to changes in EPA rules. Best to contact your state representative and ask them to reign in the EPA if you ever want the GDE tune. The EPA is using statute CAA 42 USC 7522 (a)(3) (A-B) to go after the after-market auto industry. We feel this rule should only cover large auto manufacturers, not older vehicles in the field.

There is an act in Congress called the RPM Act that is on the table. Please refer to below if you contact your representatives and ask them to move quickly on this bill:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2602/text

Sorry for the issues. If your vehicle is registered in a different country, let us know as rules are different outside the US. We hope to have CARB/EPA certified tunes for engine and trans within 3-4 months."

 

During summer months Hwy I get 17-17.5mph running about 70mph. Average about 16mpg mixed.Towing was done at 68-70mph.

 

Huh? You don't see that in any owners manual.
If your engine is heat soaking enough to warrant spark knock and higher fuel grade in use, that is a poorly designed or running engine. I've never encountered it.

 

The 5.7 Hemi is 89 octane recommended in the manual for regular driving, let alone towing. The 6.4 is 89 recommended for towing. My wife has my truck right now but I'd be happy to post a photo of the manual later.

My 2011 F150 5.0 was the same, regular for normal driving and midgrade(might have even been premium) recommended for towing.

Of course they will run fine on 87 but it will pull timing. I run 87 in my current 5.7 for normal driving but always put 89 in when towing the toy hauler.

 

F'ing newer trucks. So dumb. I hate new shit.

 

I can't disagree that they are overpriced and unreliable-ish but I cant bring myself to hate them. Probably because I havent had any major issues myself yet.