Anybody drove a 2020 model Ram 4x4 with the 3rd gen EcoDiesel engine? If you don't mind let's save the Ford/Chev/Dodge BS that usually ensues, as I've owned them all, but am curious about this specific truck and engine. Thanks.

I’ll talk to my buddy about the 3rd gen, but he is a ram diesel mechanic, and he wouldn’t own one.
He’s lost count of how many he’s had to re build or re place.
If I remember correctly, he says the lower end on this motor is garbage.
Cummins all the way. Sorry I know you didn’t want to hear that.

Not a 2020, wife had a 2017 eco diesel. Great grocery getter with outstanding MPG. But hook a two horse trailer or a 5800lb ski boat to it you were in trouble. MPG would drop from 26-27 to 12-13, temps would go through the roof. Oli temps would reach 265 and the coolant was always at or near 209-210. Truck was not made for towing. Best thing about the truck, the oil filter was upside down and was always empty when they came off. She now has a 3/4 ton Duramax and we both feel better when she is towing.

Fiat is all you need to know

Really...

Do tell us of your Fiat engine experience.

It is also common knowledge that Ram Trucks rejected the Cummins engine version when putting together a 1/2 diesel.

I do have some experience myself with Fiat diesel engines. Many farmers do, as they are in 100's of thousands of heavy duty tractors.

The one I have has been pretty bulletproof, powerful, constant, and reliable.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Powertrain_Technologies


It ain't the car companies fugging things up. It's the government, with their emissions requirements and mandates.

I will never own a modern diesel over 25 HP.

I own three pre EPA Cummins, two MEP-002 gensets, pre EPA Ford backhoe.

Will buy the Kioti ZTR in diesel when it hits the market.

IMHO all diesels should be inline or possibly slant.

Fix It Again Tony

rock, thanks for that info. I know the previous gen EcoDiesel's had some issues, but the newer '20 (3rd generation) version is supposed to be excellent, which is the engine I was referring to, (you already knew and recognized that). Ditto that on the smaller Cummins....not in the same league as the one's in the 3/4ton + Ram trucks. The Cummins that was found in the Nissan Titan wasn't either.

It's not really a FIAT motor, it's VM Motori . Detroit then GM owned them, now FCA. own the company. The company has had a very good international rep. The engine was designed for the European Cadillac. Very advanced and smooth. for a diesel . Not a truck engine. Most half tons are used as cars anyway. Early ones had the injector pump press fit on the camshaft. Under heavy load it would slip. It needs a keyway to be bullet proof. Guys were having that done and loved the engine afterwards. I don't know about them now Google the reviews. .

........................If ya go Ram, then get either the 6 cyl or the 5.7 Hemi.... Imo, stay away from the diesel.

They seem to have a lot of rebates... my buds wife has 2020 they like it.. they use it as the grocery getter, doubt a trailer ever get hooked up to it.

My next vehicle.......Diesel not an option......lol........https://www.dodge.com/charger/gallery.html...

I have a 2017 1500 4WD that has a lift kit and 20" tires with the 3rd gen in it. It has 117548 miles on it and averages 22 mpg on the highway and 20 in the city.
When I hook my trailer and load the Polaris Ranger it drops to 14-16. Have never had an issue with it but there have been several recalls.
I really like the dang thing..................YMMV

Why, specifcally?

They sure do. My son just bought a Ram Crew 4x4 Lone Star with the Ecodiesel and he's getting 30.3mpg on the hwy, 27mpg avg. Listed for $55k, sales price was $44,250.

..................Down the road repair costs for one thing. And. Diesels are more money going in on a new purchase like several thousand dollars. On an average Ram 1500 where say someone might tow around 10,000 lbs or less, then a diesel imo is not a good choice....However when ya get up to towing 15-20-30,000 lbs or more, then a large amount of torque like 800 + ft lbs from a big diesel is certainly justified.

And besides. NO diesel engine sounds as good as my 5.7 Hemi Ram with two 18" magnaflow straight thru mufflers. I am very biased towards not only a V8 but also the way it sounds.

Just pay very close attention to payload. Last time I looked at an eco diesel, by the time you had 4 normal sized guys in it, you had something like 300-400 pounds of payload left (if that matters to you).

JGRaider: I bought my 1996 Dodge 4x4, extended cab, 5 speed manual, Cummins diesel new and have "babied" it (hard usage off road and a little towing but careful and timely maintenance!) and it has 140,000 miles on it - never a wrench taken to any part of it to date. Thank you Lord.
The prices of "new" 4x4 trucks these days makes me shudder!
I get 22 m.p.g. as I cruise down the highway at 66 m.p.h. (with a few folks honking at me and the Canadians giving me the finger on I-15 now and then).
I hope this wonderful truck (the first Dodge I have ever owned!) lasts me the rest of my natural born days.
You would be surprised at how many country folks ask me if I want to sell it when I am out and about.
Other that 2 (two!) bullet impacts in the hood (short Varmint Hunting friends) and a radio that went tits up it is all original and kinda like new.
My friend has a 1994 Dodge Cummins diesel 4x4 pickup that has 380,000 miles on it and has been "totaled" twice in one car accidents - his engine, has also, NEVER had a wrench to it. And he has a standing offer from an Alaska fisherman to buy the engine from him when the frame falls off around that engine (due any day now!).
Somehow or for some reason the newest Dodge diesel engines/trucks have fallen in disfavor in my corner of the world (SW Montana) and folks are going very often with the Dura-Max pickup trucks - if I get a chance I will ask around a bit on the newer Ram diesels reputations.
Best of luck to you with whichever you choose.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

If you work a motor it burns fuel. If you make power, it burns fuel to do that. In this case we have to say fuel and not gas. It has little to do with the size of the engine.

"It is also common knowledge that Ram Trucks rejected the Cummins engine version when putting together a 1/2 diesel."

I know they rejected the Cummins V8. Was there a smaller diesel engine that they rejected? I doubt I'll ever buy another pickup but if I did I would consider a 1/2 ton Dodge with a Cummins V8 if it was available.

No question about that. The whole diesel gate thing was a farce. At this point almost every large automaker domestic and abroad has had issues. Clearly the EpA and foreign equivalents set standards that were not supported by existing existing technology.
Then they collect fines (revenue) based thereupon..

Ram diesels with the Cummins are the real thing. Everything else is a pretender.

To turbo charge an engine, for efficiency you want the turbo charger close as possible to the exhaust manifold.. On high performance V engines you get twin turbos. So a straight six makes a lot of sense, conventional V-6s or V-8s not so much. Ford got around that by putting the exhaust up the center.. FCA had a V-6 diesel and didn't need a 5 litre V-8.

Yes really, they had to pull them from the market. That’s just with ram. So how did the Jeep Liberty diesel models do? What about the cherokees? I rest my case. It’s your money. I would not buy a fiat diesel. Jg do some research the problems are easy to find

I know there were issues with the previous generation EcoDiesel, Now, specific to my OP, what experience, links, reviews, etc are you privy to regarding the 2020 third generation engines, which was my original question?????

The Jeep Liberty was a Mercedes Benz as was the first Grand Cherokee one. You are going a long ways back into the '80s for the Cherokee , I think it was a Renault .?? I have a M-B made G-56 tranny in my CTD. What a POS.I suspect their motors are the same quality. . Around the world the Jeep Wrangler has used a VM Motori, . They say good things about them.

Nope note Mercedes VM motori again same people. Fixit again tony. http://www.trucktrend.com/cool-trucks/1104dp-buying-a-used-jeep-liberty-crd/

JG , a buddy and co-worker has one, he traded in a 2019 Limited with a Hemi for 2020 Lariat with the Eco (his wife’s a doctor, has plenty of money). He loves it and his fuel mileage is really good, he’s getting like 23 mpg mixed and high 20’s on the highway. I’ve ridden in it several times, it may not scoot like the Hemi does but sure feels like it has plenty of power and it’s really quiet.

In my limited experience, the workload and thus durability/performance of a diesel engine used in a tractor will be significantly different when that same engine is used in a road driven /hauling vehicle.

My wife has a 2017 Ram ecodiesel 1500. A lot of warranty and recall work has been done so far and we baby that truck...I've only pulled a trailer with it once. It has around 30,000 miles on it...The EGR cooler was leaking coolant into the engine and had to be replaced, the air conditioner motor stopped working and had to be replaced. The light fixture in the backseat had to be completely replaced. The battery had to be replaced after a year..The jack handle bent and had to be replaced. The resell value has tanked to 9,000 dollars less than we owe due to all the reports of these trucks turning into a fire bomb on the highway due to EGR cooler leaks...And, we got an awesome deal on this truck compared to what I heard other people paid for them new...FCA hosed a lot of people who bought these trucks with the resell value they are at now.

The 2020 is supposed to be total redesign of the emissions system and engine I think. If you get one, all I can say is get an extended warranty from Chrysler Warranty Direct...They are half the price as a dealership warranty and same extended warranty the dealer will offer...The emissions equipment and sensors can get really expensive to replace after the bumper to bumper warranty is out..

Another thing, these trucks are not grocery getters. The diesel trucks that last with the new emissions systems are the ones that are used for long commutes regularly. They gotta get warmed up good at highway speeds to burn all the soot out of them. A lot of people get stage 1 tunes on the ecodiesels to turn the EGR system off so its not blowing soot back into the engine. Some of those with the EGR turned off get 200 to 300,000 miles on them. The stage 1 tune is illegal and becoming harder to get in the USA and may void your warranty and may not pass emissions in your state...Lot of things to think over before buying a diesel nowadays with the EPA trying their best to regulate them until they are gone.

This is what we have seen with the engines in semi trucks, as well. The first two or three generations with the emissions stuff you couldn't hardly keep running. Trucks that were doing light duty or idled a lot had to be overhauled at one third or less of their pre-emissions life spans. EGR coolers sooted up, carbon packed rings, sludged up top ends, it was a mess (aside from all the failures in the aftertreatment systems themselves).

What we've learned over the last 13 years is that these engines need to work. We are now speccing SMALLER motors in trucks in order to get the average demand on the engines UP, to increase operating temps. Idling is strictly VERBOTEN, and a couple of companies are now doing preventative engine flushes that clean the soot deposits out of the engines (http://www.diesel-force.com/dieselforce). As a result of changed operating practices and continued improvement in design, at least at the semi-truck level, we're back to running at very high levels of reliability and significantly reduced maintenance costs.

I'll not own a modern diesel unless there's a need for a hard working vehicle. Towing, long distance driving, heavy PTO loads, all fine. 10 minute commutes are a disaster waiting to happen.

FWIW, I have owned numerous and various Chevy, Ford, andToyota 1/2T pickups over the past 20 years along with a couple of Dodge Ram's thrown in the mix, most all of them 4x4. The Dodge Ram Ecodiesel I drove today is the quietest, and nicest ride of any truck I've ever driven. The ride in my GMC Sierra SLT 4x4 Crew is fantastic, but the Ram is better, and the interior is of higher quality. This one had a 3.21 rear end, and cruising down the Interstate at 70mp[ showed 30.1 mpg. Pretty flat ground obviously. Color me very surprised.

They are a very nice riding truck...We've taken many long trips in my wife's ecodiesel, and they get phenomenal mpg's on the highway for a full size truck, if you don't have a lead foot...I want to get a stage 1 tune on ours to turn off the EGR emissions crap on the truck and get even better mpg's and better performance, but I'm too chicken [bleep] thinking it will void the warranty...Some dealerships you can get away with the tune and some you can't, and it cost 15,000 dollars plus to replace the engines in these trucks....Nothing is even close to being cheap to repair on them when they break down...

I owned a 2016 ecod. I bought it with 60 k miles as the lower end of the motor went out on first owner. The motor they put back in was I am pretty sure a gen 3. I drove it over 2 years from 60k to 100 k. No problems. Could get 30 mpg at 60-65 no wind, Pulling a lightboat or trailer cross country 16-18. I liked it but as warranty wore off I got nervous and traded for a 2020 ram off road with a hemi. Problem with the hemi is it really like 89=91 octane and that cost 60 c per gallon more then the 87 in my town. So fuel cost per mile is deff more with the hemi. I do like it but my 3.6 v6 ram likes the 87 octane just fine and gets better mileage than my hemi. Not as fun to drive but have used it to pull the same trailer cross country and cost per mile is as low as the ecod without the emissions risks.
As was posted earlier all these engines are tuned pretty well and each gallon of fuel only makes so much power so just got to decide what engine. The low rpm torque of the diesel is pretty nice. If the lag in stop and go traffic doesnt bother you or you dont do much of that type of driving give it a shot I liked mine.

I guess the biggest appeal to me is obviously the fuel mileage, as I live and work in primarily flat ground. Minimal towing too, as I only haul a camper around about a week a year total, and a polaris ranger around about the same. I do a lot of running around seeing customers and chasing down some work, as well as take some guys who think they're important to lunch sometimes. Off road going to gas plants and hunting makes up about 40% of annual miles. I'm also a set the cruise and forget about it guy.

I can see the draw to one. Maybe they got the bugs worked out with this version.

I've had more than one Dodge that was Cummins powered without a problem or complaint. Also had Dodge Cummins powering a 31 Bertram sport fisher with great results. Bought a 2016 Eco-diesel im 2016 and have been very happy with it.

Mike Holmes

My friends dad had an 70 something Dodge 3/4 ton with straight 6 Cummins diesel that he used for his landscaping business. He ran that thing for heaven knows how many miles. When the fuel filter went bad his dad just ran it without one. Sold it after many miles of use and the new owner ran that thing till it was a bucket of rust but the engine was still freakin good.

A friend has had 3 Eco-diesels, first one blew the engine at about 80k, second one had a tranny that went about the same mileage. He is on the third and recommended the extended warranty and trading it before it is out. He puts a ton of miles on and loves the mileage and pulls a dump trailer heavier than the truck is rated for quite often.

He was truly a man before his time.... (Since Dodge didn't put the first Cummins engine in a pickup until 1989.)

As usual, the BS replies in the entire thread have not a thing to do with what the OP asked.

JG I don’t have an EcoDiesel, couple places I worked had them as shop trucks and they were junk but I’m not sure which generation those were. But by the description of your needs what is the draw to the little diesel over say the V6 gasoline engine that is the base engine? It sounds like for the savings in initial purchase price you could go a long ways before the fuel savings caught up to the price point of the diesel.

Good point Kid, but I'd keep the very efficient GM V8 before I'd run a 6cyl gasser. The fact that they can be bought for $8K-$13K off got my attention.

There was a small number made with a small six diesel in Dodges in the early '70s. It wasn't Cummins, some imported brand.

Wrong on your part as '79 they had Diesel engines! 243 cu in (3,988 cc) 6DR5 I6 Diesel

Ive got a 2nd gen 1997 Ram 5spd with the 12 valve Cummins, last year in CA you don't have to smog. I have the Banks on it, and where there are many diesels with a lot more power, I'm afraid to ever get rid of it, it's been too good to me. 120K, she should outlive me, if the rest of the truck will.

Nothing I said was wrong. Not at all.

I guess we could go back and forth, but there is really no need since that 78 Dodge had a Mitsubishi diesel engine in it, and you stated that the 70's Dodge 3/4 ton had a straight 6 Cummins.

How about you show us anything that shows a Cummins in a Dodge before '89?

I'm may have gotten the engine make wrong but I knew they had a diesel engine regardless. I was a high schooler back then I didn't really care about diesel engines during that time. I was gas kind of guy when it came to engines.