eco diesel

[Moparsmitty]

If you're towing a huge trailer with 3 cars, I can agree with you. You do need that extra torque and power. But the key word in what you said is "old 7.3". The new diesels with all the emissions stuff that they have are just prone to problems.

I agree with RC. There's just not enough advantage in paying the initial higher cost and the extra ongoing maintenance to go with a new diesel for me, especially with today's fuel prices. It seems to me like the manufacturers have yet to come up with a diesel engine that meets the new emission requirements and still has the performance, reliability and ease of maintenance that the older diesels have. I'll stick with my '01 Ram 2500 with the Cummins 5.9 until the wheels fall off. Hopefully the diesels will improve over time.

 

[Glenwood]

you'd think diesels would be much better given the fact that places like Germany seem to prefer diesels over gasoline engines. I remember seeing multiple grades of diesel vs few gasoline choices when I vacationed there over 10 years ago. Are the emissions in Europe less stringent than here in NA?

 

[Richard Cranium]

you'd think diesels would be much better given the fact that places like Germany seem to prefer diesels over gasoline engines. I remember seeing multiple grades of diesel vs few gasoline choices when I vacationed there over 10 years ago. Are the emissions in Europe less stringent than here in NA?

They are better in Europe. The problem is all the emissions crap that they put on over here & the reformulated diesel fuel. Perfect example is the VW diesels. They fooled the emissions testing here & the cars have great power and economy. The "fix" for them, now that they have been caught, will result in less power and less fuel economy.

 

[Coronet 14]

Find a good used 5.9 Diesel 3/4 ton.

 

[Darter6]

Coronet 14,, You Got MY Vote !! :hello2:

 

[SlinktRR]

you'd think diesels would be much better given the fact that places like Germany seem to prefer diesels over gasoline engines. I remember seeing multiple grades of diesel vs few gasoline choices when I vacationed there over 10 years ago. Are the emissions in Europe less stringent than here in NA?

Diesel emissions are more lax in Europe. If I needed to tow with my grand Cherokee I would've opted for the diesel v6. It gets 30mpg and tow rating is 7000lbs same as hemi. Big money option though. I just use my v8 truck to tow and opted for the cheaper pentastar which has good power. The fiat diesel emissions control is very advanced, they are using urea injection to cut sulfur and particulate emissions in the grand Cherokee probably in the ram trucks as well. Was tempted but you can't order the diesel without the more expensive packages.

 

[monaco66coupe]

everybody has different needs when towing, but after towing for 40+ years I believe in safety of the rig being foremost. If I'm towing 10k, I want the ability to tow 20k. A 1500 with a max of 8k say, is a dangerous vehicle when towing 7k if you get anywhere near the Mountains. If I were to downsize from a 3500, I would strongly consider jumping ship to the new Nissan with the V8 Cummins Diesel. It will pull 12,000 Lbs all day, and seems to be designed to fill in between the ecodiesel1500, and the full size Diesel 2500's out there. All depending on what the mileage will be on the Nissan, You could say Fiat may have really screwed up going with that Fiat engine. Of course, they owned it, and it was the cheap route. my Son's 2005 diesel liberty was the fiat diesel. It worked well, but maintenance costs on it were quite high.

There is one positive attribute not seen in gas trucks VS Diesel, as my 6.7 Cummins is worth within $2,000 , of what I paid for it in 2012. No gas truck will do that. If I had bought a Ram hemi, I would have saved about $9,000 off sticker, but right now if I were to sell that hemi, I would lose an easy $10,000 off the new price, not $2,000. Diesels are a good long term Investment, but not for everybody. Plus, that Engine brake on the Cummins is a godsend at 10,000 ft elevation.

I did have high hopes of buying a Ram 1500 shortbox 2WD with that V8 Cummins, that would have been a blast. Oh well,,,,,

 

[Glenwood]

Good points guys. Here's the specs from Ram's website.

3.6L Pentastar[SUP]®[/SUP] VVT V6 8-speed
Axle Ratio	GCWR	4x4
3.21	4,468 (9,850)	2,019 (4,450)
3.55	5,851 (12,900)	3,225 (7,110)
3.0L EcoDiesel V6 8-speed
Axle Ratio	GCWR	4x4
3.55	6,237 (13,750)	3,488 (7,690)
3.92	6,237 (13,750)[SUP]ƚ[/SUP]	3,488 (7,690)
5.7L HEMI V8 8-speed
Axle Ratio	GCWR	4x4
3.21	6,260 (13,800)	3,656 (8,060)
3.92	7,235 (15,950)	4,631 (10,210)

- - - Updated - - -

These are for the quad cab. The regular cab has slightly better towing capacity. I'm guessing a tandem steel trailer with a B-body would weigh around 7,000lbs?

 

[72Fourspeed]

Find a good used 5.9 Diesel 3/4 ton.

I did. 10 years ago bought a 1998 Quad Cab 12 valve Ram 2500. 270,000 & going strong. You don't buy a diesel, you marry one. They are a long term commitment to get your money's worth out of them.

 

[Budnicks]

I'm not a diesel expert by any stretch of the imagination

I'm not sold on the new little diesels yet, haven't been arround here for very long,
to prove themselves !!

BUT;
The v-6 3.0ltr 240hp/420ftlbs Eco-Diesel offered in the "Light Duty Diesel" available in Ram 1500
is a VM Mortori/Fiat {formerly affiliated}, it's a long time Italian Marine Diesel mfgr
also shared - {build Pentastar Gas 3.6ltr v-6} & is co-owned GM 50/50% ownership,
same engine supposedly was going to be used in the Cadillac CTS too...

BUT;
Nothing like the ol' 5.9ltr {esp.} 12 valve {or even the 24 valve} Cummins Turbo thou...
3.0ltr is a lot quieter, better mileage, but no where near as capable for heavy duty use...

BUT;
Not sure about the longevity of the v-6 Italian Diesels either,
I'd have to research them more, I don't know much about them...
I know my couple 95 & 98 Ram 4x4's both with 5.9 ltr Cummins {Turbo}
lasted well over 300k-350k respectively...
With just basic up-keep, oil changes, use good/clean fuel, do the filters when scheduled,
extremely reliable {& loud...LOL} even after being hopped up, worked over,
I got over 20mpg highway {25mpg 75 mph on flat ground sea level freeway},
about 15-17 mpg mountains...

Any diesel you need to stay on-top of the exhaust gas temps, never over 1300f
shift down & spin it more if necessary, don't lug them like some do, it will kill them...

BUT;
IMO the 7.3 PS in my 2002 Ford F-350 4x4 Dually doesn't hold a candle to
the ol' 5.9 Cummins 12 valve {holy grail} in my 95 & 98 Power Rams
a lot more maintenance issues & costs assoc. with it...
Probably doubled what I spent on the Rams...

IMO if your going with a diesel, step-up,
go with the larger 6.7 ltr Cummins {I6} version if possible
go up-to a 2500 {or 3500 SLT, start about $4k-$6k ? more, than the equal 1500}
it's 11,800 to 17,980 lbs {that's up-to 2,000 lbs- 8,000 lbs more towing than the 1500}
31k total if it's the SLT 3500 or HD

For towing, "the bigger is better", IMO well worth the extra $$$, better brakes & weight,
if it's going to be used to tow a lot...
IMO the smaller engine, doesn't save all that much unless your using it as a commuter
or everyday work rig...
Budget is something you & you alone needs to decide, I know I'd go bigger myself...

on the freeway, not all that much different in economy with the bigger trucks/diesels

BUT;
the {Blue} D.E.F. sucks *** too, if you can find an older truck you don't need that crap,
it's certainly another added costly expense & service item too...

BUT;
The 5.7 ltr 383hp V-8 Hemi will do fine for daily driving, decent mileage &
very capable in towing too...

A bunch of people in my ol'Pops RV club have Rams of all styles sizes,
hands down most popular & capable rigs in the S.I.R.'s RV club

Just my 0.02 cents

 

[Glenwood]

That's a lot of buts! lol
Thanks for the comments. I like the idea of a 5.9 but not for a daily driver. I prefer something fairly new and dependable as I do a lot of travelling. The 2500 is an interesting thought though, but as far as I can tell, the mileage isn't great in comparison. I'll only be towing once in a while, so maybe a 1500 is plenty.
I was looking at the sport models tonight like the 99 I still have, but they only come with hemis. I'm leaning this way.

 

[ZR9B]

My wife is bugging me to get a new truck..it has the dreaded ram rust and Im not sure its worth fixing....I have talked to a few people at the pump and they love the eco diesel ,but all have said they have problems and they were well taken care of by the dealership. 2004 3500 cummins only 160k....I think Im driving with rust for the next few years..its too bad because I love the truck!

 

[Glenwood]

after reading some horror stories on a RAm forum, my 'gutometer' reads-don't trust the eco diesel. I'm giving some serious thought to the cummins 6.7 if I can make the numbers work. Any real issues with the cummins set up? Manual vs. automatic?

 

[69clone]

after reading some horror stories on a RAm forum, my 'gutometer' reads-don't trust the eco diesel. I'm giving some serious thought to the cummins 6.7 if I can make the numbers work. Any real issues with the cummins set up? Manual vs. automatic?

I like the cummins personally. I don't know about the Eco I've seen some already with 3 turbo setups on YouTube that scream.
I bought an 04 last year Crew cab long bed 3500 get better mileage then anyone I know with a hemi and it'll last a lot longer.

The 6.7's are nice but I would strongly recommend deleting it if you can. That def crap really screws up the insides.

The automatics are junk they can't handle the power. Online I see a couple people a week post that their trans went out in their 4th gen. But there's good aftermarket trans.

The nice thing is they seem to hold their value a lot better too. The late 90's models are going for as much as 20 grand nowadays..

 

[monaco66coupe]

I am driving my 7th Cummins since 1995, and have never had a transmission problem with the Automatic setup. I had two Manuals, and they worked great too. One difference with the new 6.7 engine is you need to change the oil more often then before(2006 and older) That does offset the Issues with the required additive. Old guys seem to stick to the 7500 plus mileage for an oil change, but even my 12' model, pre additive does not like that. The oil is like tar at 4,000 miles. Other than that, the Cummins is the way to go. You may save money on deleting the option up front, but you lose more then that when you sell it. Not to mention the upgrades that are standard on all Cummins Trucks. The only reason the 2016 Cummins with Manual is rated lower is because the Transmission can't take the 850 FT LBS of Torque. And the new aisan transmission was offered only because that Transmission has a PTO output shaft, needed on the Cab/Chassis models, unlike the Chrysler Transmission.
I hate to say it, but If a Half ton Truck is what I needed, I would look at the new Nissan with the Cummins V8. The eco diesel is a mere shadow of an engine compared to that 5.0 Powertrain.Plus the Nissan is actually a heavy half Ton rated truck. The big negative to me is it looks like a FORD.ARGHHHH

 

[super-bee_ski]

RC,
You are correct.
Many people want a Diesel but do not have the need for a Diesel.
They use them as "urban vehicles" going to grocery store etc.

 

[Moparsmitty]

after reading some horror stories on a RAm forum, my 'gutometer' reads-don't trust the eco diesel. I'm giving some serious thought to the cummins 6.7 if I can make the numbers work. Any real issues with the cummins set up? Manual vs. automatic?

I like the automatic trans (47RE) in my Ram Cummins 2500 most of the time, but it limits the towing capacity of the truck as the auto trans is the weak link. I don't need to tow a heavy load very often, but the rated towing capacity of my truck is only 9400lbs. with the auto trans. The same truck with a manual trans is rated at around 13000lbs. if I remember correctly. I haven't had any trouble with the transmission in my truck (87,000 mi.) but I'm pretty careful not to run it too hard, especially when I'm towing.

 

[Glenwood]

maybe I should look for an older 5.9 cummins in good shape for the occasional tow and just buy a new shaker Challenger SRT. Probably crappy in the snow though!

 

[Glenwood]

I was looking at this Ram 5.7

 

[Glenwood]

then I noticed this one out of the corner of my eye...