Goodbye RAM EcoDiesel

[javacontour]

Probably RAM would've got more uptake if they advertised the engine as we "fixed all the weak spots" instead of redesigned(with new problems to be found).... Also charging $5k more for that diesel seems a bit optimistic? A spare 5.7 hemi crate engine costs that much... I guess if it really costs RAM twice as much for the ecodiesel than the hemi, it probably is time for it to die, or go with a cheaper inline 4, 5, or 6 cyl?

With a warranty that demonstrates that. I.E. we warrant the engine, fueling and emissions parts for 200k miles.
Not things like alternators, A/C compressors, etc as those are likely the same ones you get on the other rides. The lubricated parts, the parts that deliver fuel and ensure it meets emissions compliance.
They never did it. But that's the sort of thing that says we are standing with you with this product, as we are on the hook to fix it for the next 200k miles.
Of course, if someone gets a tune, such a warranty is void.
I don't have all the details, but it might move the needle for customers who had a prior bad experience, or heard the horror stories.

 

[Rmay635703]

Could a Grand Cherokee handle the Cummins? It weighs almost 1100 lbs, twice as much as the Hemis. I like the idea of it, but wonder if the GC is stout enough to handle it. Maybe a modern Ramcharger based on the truck chassis.

Cummins does have 4 bangers, which actually make sense.

Funny thing is an Olds 5.7 diesel would have been more reliable than the eco diesel

Go figure

 

[Tuoppi]

Sad.... I have two Ecodiesel engines that I really love. 2013 Jeep and 2014 Ram. Jeep already has 319 000 km (almost 200 000 miles) and Ram has 192 000 km (about 120 000 miles). Not a single engine related problem. Exept alternator changed to Jeep at 312 000 km. Not bad at all....
Also I have owned 3 Mercedes 3.0 liter engines in the past. Two Jeep and one Chrysler vehicle. I consider VM Motori engine better in almost all things.

 

[billt460]

Sad.... I have two Ecodiesel engines that I really love. 2013 Jeep and 2014 Ram. Jeep already has 319 000 km (almost 200 000 miles) and Ram has 192 000 km (about 120 000 miles). Not a single engine related problem. Exept alternator changed to Jeep at 312 000 km. Not bad at all....
Also I have owned 3 Mercedes 3.0 liter engines in the past. Two Jeep and one Chrysler vehicle. I consider VM Motori engine better in almost all things.

You are in the EXTREME minority with the Eco Diesel. That thing has had more problems than a blind, one legged goat. I wanted to buy one in my Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But walked away when they wouldn't offer Lifetime Maxcare on it. One of the reasons you buy a Diesel is because of the supposed longevity and reliability. The Eco Diesel offered neither. And because of that, they wouldn't offer an extended warranty beyond 7 years.

I purchased the 5.7 HEMI and got the Lifetime Maxcare Warranty, and never looked back. I'll burn a bit more fuel. But I'll save a ton in repairs and headaches..... And have 360 H.P. to show for it.

 

[demarpaint]

You are in the EXTREME minority with the Eco Diesel. That thing has had more problems than a blind, one legged goat. I wanted to buy one in my Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But walked away when they wouldn't offer Lifetime Maxcare on it. One of the reasons you buy a Diesel is because of the supposed longevity and reliability. The Eco Diesel offered neither. And because of that, they wouldn't offer an extended warranty beyond 7 years.

I purchased the 5.7 HEMI and got the Lifetime Maxcare Warranty, and never looked back. I'll burn a bit more fuel. But I'll save a ton in repairs and headaches..... And have 360 H.P. to show for it.

I checked it out as well in a GC, too many problems and I passed. I'm glad @Tuoppi had good luck with his. Between the the high up-charge for it and the problems I stood clear.

 

[Tuoppi]

You are in the EXTREME minority with the Eco Diesel. That thing has had more problems than a blind, one legged goat. I wanted to buy one in my Jeep Grand Cherokee. But walked away when they wouldn't offer Lifetime Maxcare on it. One of the reasons you buy a Diesel is because of the supposed longevity and reliability. The Eco Diesel offered neither. And because of that, they wouldn't offer an extended warranty beyond 7 years.
I purchased the 5.7 HEMI and got the Lifetime Maxcare Warranty, and never looked back. I'll burn a bit more fuel. But I'll save a ton in repairs and headaches..... And have 360 H.P. to show for it.

I remember You guys also had in the beginning wrong engine oils spec in US. If I remember right there was 5W-30 viscosity for the Ram when it became available. And You tow much more that us. In EU area You can only tow 3500 kg (7700 lbs) in EU with these. The engine was originally intended for 40 weight oil and not 30. I have heard horror stories about bearings and so on. I changed to the 40 weight oil on both trucks very early on... Don´t know did it made any difference, but still.

 

[atikovi]

Had a VM Motori diesel in a 2006 Liberty that had 290K when I sold it. I have to wonder if the people bashing the engine ever owned one, or are just getting the information secondhand. There are a lot worse engines out there.

 

[demarpaint]

Had a VM Motori diesel in a 2006 Liberty that had 290K when I sold it. I have to wonder if the people bashing the engine ever owned one, or are just getting the information secondhand. There are a lot worse engines out there.

I did a lot of reading up on it and spoke with a few Jeep techs I knew at the time, and based my decision on that. Then I factored in the up-charge and I decided against it. I'm sure there are plenty of people satisfied with the engine, it just wasn't for me. Second hand info and homework is better than taking the plunge if you're unsure about something like a high ticket automobile purchase. A 290K run is pretty impressive.

 

[PF52]

Had a VM Motori diesel in a 2006 Liberty that had 290K when I sold it. I have to wonder if the people bashing the engine ever owned one, or are just getting the information secondhand.

Yours was a 2.8 4-cylinder. Like someone said back on page 2, that's like comparing apples and hammers.

 

[andreigbs]

Pretty happy with my 3rd gen EcoD so far. Returns 28+ mpg on road trips, 22mpg around town, hauls all the topsoil, raised garden bed dirt, lumber, mulch and everything else we needed it for (including a major bathroom reno).

I'm also content with the 5yr/100k mile powertrain warranty at no additional cost. It's currently got QS Euro 5w40 in the sump and seems perfectly happy with that.

 

[billt460]

I remember You guys also had in the beginning wrong engine oils spec in US. If I remember right there was 5W-30 viscosity for the Ram when it became available. And You tow much more that us. In EU area You can only tow 3500 kg (7700 lbs) in EU with these. The engine was originally intended for 40 weight oil and not 30. I have heard horror stories about bearings and so on. I changed to the 40 weight oil on both trucks very early on... Don´t know did it made any difference, but still.

The 3.0 Eco Diesel was plagued with a plethora of other problems that went well beyond oil. Dealers were swamped with Eco Diesel engines that had, among other things,

Oil Cooler failures
EGR Cooler failures
Leaking Exhaust Couplers (That made people sick)
Slipping camshaft gears that were pressed on (Causing the engine to self destruct)
And manifolds that clogged with soot in as little as 60,000 miles.

 

[hemioiler]

Most of you are bagging on the OLD eco diesel, the one that was in 2014 to 2019.

The 2020+ rams have the highly updated ED and it's much better.

Only reason I didn't buy it is because they refused to sell it in Canada in anything resembling a sane purchase price. They didn't let you buy it in a work truck or big horn, the cheapest Ram ED over here was insanely priced. I think it was like in the 70's.

Considering one of the reasons you buy a diesel is to save money, I'd have to spend another 20k more just to get the trim + ED over my perfectly-speced-for-me truck with the 5.7.

Not going to happen.

This diesel is discontinued because of high fuel prices, probably emissions, and because the new hurricane turbo options will eat its lunch. Ram Canada also shot themselves due to ridiculous purchase prices.

 

[maineiac]

I had a 2016 RAM Ecodiesel - zero problems - was a great engine for me and maybe the best 1/2 ton pickup I've ever owned. I am not in the "extreme minority" as claimed by a previous poster. The engine replacement rate vs the Cummins 6.7 was meaningfully higher though and that number was published by RM/Dodge/Whoever owned them at the time. There are a lot of high mileage examples out there so it seems you either got a good one or a bad one which points to a production line QC issue. I never read a compelling explanation back when I followed this closely.

Ridiculous comparison above to the old GM small block diesel conversion which was nothing more than a "dieselfied" Chebbie small block motor and suffered from a catastrophically high failure rate at very low mileage. VM Motori builds some outstanding diesels, had them in a boat once upon a time - zero problems there, too.

I'm not arguing that this will go down in history as a great engine overall, but the overzealous hyperbole is unwarranted and unbalanced.

 

[atikovi]

I'm not arguing that this will go down in history as a great engine overall, but the overzealous hyperbole is unwarranted and unbalanced.

People who never owned one, hear from a friends cousin's boyfriend or read on the internet, all kinds of bad things about a product and assume that's the gospel. There are plenty of engines that I can say someone should avoid, but at least I've had them so can relate from personal experiance. Early Northstars, GM 3.6L V6, Ford 5.4L with the cam phasars and funky spark plugs and 3.5L ecoboosts with the timing chain problems.

 

[Oily_Thing]

Exhaust filter nightmares

 

[dfarr67]

You are in the EXTREME minority with the Eco Diesel. That thing has had more problems than a blind, one legged goat. I wanted to buy one in my Jeep Grand Cherokee.

But walked away when they wouldn't offer Lifetime Maxcare on it. One of the reasons you buy a Diesel is because of the supposed longevity and reliability. The Eco Diesel offered neither. And because of that, they wouldn't offer an extended warranty beyond 7 years.

I purchased the 5.7 HEMI and got the Lifetime Maxcare Warranty, and never looked back. I'll burn a bit more fuel. But I'll save a ton in repairs and headaches..... And have 360 H.P. to show for it.

I'm a BIG fan of diesels, but todays reliability is a liability, I prefer efficiency over power. When the new diesels age, I don't know what the used market will be.

 

[billt460]

I'm a BIG fan of diesels, but todays reliability is a liability, I prefer efficiency over power. When the new diesels age, I don't know what the used market will be.

They have managed to clog them up something awful in there attempts to make them "clean". Reliability has suffered as a result.

 

[MattPersman]

They are also going to come to a point where they are an “obscure” platform for anyone to work on.

Liberty diesel mentioned earlier in thread did that heavy. I worked on them when new. Won’t even take one into the dealer now a days

Engine for the eco diesel has been on back order for some time. I believe it’s due to the high pressure pump going recall and they don’t want to push another crappy cp4 engine out into the wild

 

[Gasbuggy]

I really wonder if alot of the Eco Diesel bearing failures were from shops not putting the right spec oil in.

 

[edhackett]

I really wonder if alot of the Eco Diesel bearing failures were from shops not putting the right spec oil in.

I've always wondered how many were due to the owner buying an Eco Diesel and thinking they bought a Peterbuilt.

Ed