Dodge echo diesel

[roadkill636]

Retiring my 2001 Ram 1500 quad cab and just got a 2018 Ram 1500 Echo diesel.
I drove 13 ram 1500s the past 2 weeks and chose the diesel.
It will be my daily driver and tow my boats and other light trailers all under 4000lbs.
The motor has only been out 3 years and not very popular.
For thoes that dont know about it is a 3.0L V6 turbo diesel with 240hp and 420 torque that gets up to 30 mpg.

Who else had one and how ya like it?

[rock]

Is it built by Dodge or Cummins?

Rockl

[roadkill636]

The 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine is manufactured by*Fiat Group Automobiles'*VM Motori*in Cento, Italy

[VooDooChild 1267]

Congrats on the new ride.

[marks86]

I like those trucks and motors, did a fantastic burnout with one on the test drive, didn’t end up buying the eco diesel just because of alll the problems they had. This was a few years ago, I’m assuming they have all those ironed out.

[Instigator]

Those are damned impressive numbers!

[powerabout]

VM had the worlds fastest diesel boat a few years ago..
Like your truck more now?

[roadkill636]

I had it nartowed down to two trucks. One with the 5.7 Hemi and this one. The hemi is 395 hp with 410 torque.
The5.7 hemi has been around long enough that folks know it and its proven itself. And this mota has only been in Dodge trucks srnce 2015 and had emition problems in 15-16 but are all worked out now. Fair enough. .. all new motas are gunna have things to iron out 1st couple of years.
The hemi definitely has a better exhaust sound and gets up and gos. But i drive like a grandpa. And the ladt diesel i owned was naturaly asperated 6.2 in a 85 Chevy years ago.
So ill give this one a try.

Oh. This has a water cooled turbo.

Thats new to me

[jenksam]

I have a 2016 and drive the hell out of it. It pulls anything that I want and get good fuel mileage doing it. mine is a 4x4 with the 392 gear. The best that I have ever seen with it was 25.5 empty that was on a trip to Texas.

[stoker2001]

Numbers look great,with that being said,what could possibly go wrong with stuffing a europeon diesel in an American truck:)

[roadkill636]

I have a 2016 and drive the hell out of it. It pulls anything that I want and get good fuel mileage doing it. mine is a 4x4 with the 392 gear.

I got the 3.55 with anti spin

[dcarter]

I have the Jeep GC with the same diesel engine. I have had it for about a year and like it. Had a modulator valve go out on the DEF and thermostat replaced (running hotter than normal). Mine is very stingy on fuel as well. I can run 400 miles (24 gallon tank and says 700+ miles per tank full) to my Grandmothers house in SC from Tampa and get over 30 MPG. If I run easy and set the cruise a couple miles over the posted speed limits it goes up to 32-33 mpg, unfortunately I am not the guy. haha
Friends here at work said to keep the filters changed (preventative maintenance) and don't run them hot and they run for a long time.
Towing my pop up camper (2600 pounds) or flats boat (3200 pounds) on the interstate I still get 24-26 MPG.
Funny thing is that it has no passing power (used to gas engines all my life, punch it and let the trans downshift and the motor pull). Now with the Turbo diesel you have to restrain yourself from doing that and ease into the gas about half to 3/4 throttle and the turbo makes you go. This is probably old news for you guys that run Turbo Diesels all the time but there was a learning curve for me.
I am satisfied and get lots of questions about having a diesel SUV which I don't understand because there are many other brands out there (Audi, BMW, Land rover, etc). I have recently started experimenting with diesel additives (secret stuff) and they do seem to make a difference.

[Euroski]

420 torque, that should pull well! Let us know what weight U pull and how it does on hills?

[idvette]

The emission control stuff on diesels are crazy expensive these days. Plug up an exhaust filter and it'll be at least $4000 if it can't be cleaned. DEF and EGR issues are abundant. I'm a Ford diesel tech and my advice is always to drive them like you stole them, they have to be worked hard and hot for the emission control stuff to work reliably. Regular maintenance is more expensive as well. For daily driver grocery getters with occasional heavy towing we still recommend gas engines...

[Markus]

Numbers look great,with that being said,what could possibly go wrong with stuffing a europeon diesel in an American truck:)

That’s what Volvo and Mercedes are doing in the big rigs...

[stoker2001]

That’s what Volvo and Mercedes are doing in the big rigs...something about an Italian dieselwith all the DEF/emission crap just scares me...

[Markus]

something about an Italian dieselwith all the DEF/emission crap just scares me...

Fiat invented the common rail diesel engine.

VM Motori supplies a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder diesel engine to the current generation London taxi cabs. They see some use. (The new generation will have a Volvo 3 cyl gasoline engine and an electric motor)

[roadkill636]

Heres a link to a lil more about this A630 engine

https://www.enginelabs.com/engine-tech/engine/an-inside-look-at-the-ram-1500-3-0l-ecodiesel/

[Markus]

They make boat engines, too:

http://www.vmmotori.com/marine/marini-2.html

[stoker2001]

Fiat invented the common rail diesel engine.

VM Motori supplies a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder diesel engine to the current generation London taxi cabs. They see some use. (The new generation will have a Volvo 3 cyl gasoline engine and an electric motor)
I have heard horror stories that these italian engine manufactures don't stand behind the emission failures on these new dodge trucks and owner is stuck with HUGE expenses:rolleyes:

[Onetime]

Do tell. Wouldn’t Dodge be the one responsible for the emissions warranty and have to pick up the bill?
What specifically is failing?

Looking at the specs and pricing it seems Dodge would have a hit with this package.

[BarryStrawn]

In any case, Dodge RAM is owned and managed by Fiat s.p.a. so engine and truck are both Italian whether it is made and assembled in US, Mexico, Italy or wherever.

[stoker2001]

Do tell. Wouldn’t Dodge be the one responsible for the emissions warranty and have to pick up the bill?
What specifically is failing?

Looking at the specs and pricing it seems Dodge would have a hit with this package.
you can google it,the first Gens in 15/16 had real expensive emission failures that wernt covered (read fine print)...BTW,you gonna be bombing around this Friday at BIG Cat run?

[CDave]

Fiat invented the common rail diesel engine.

VM Motori supplies a 2.5 liter 4 cylinder diesel engine to the current generation London taxi cabs. They see some use. (The new generation will have a Volvo 3 cyl gasoline engine and an electric motor)

Fiat didn't invent it. The reason people in the U.S. are weary of Fiat is their history here in the U.S. isn't great. They sold cars in the U.S. when Fiat meant Fix It Again Tony. The days of the Fiat Spyder of the 1960's-1980's. My sister had one, fun cars to drive but electrical problems were frequent; like the same era of British cars.
It takes time to get rid of a reputation like that.

Wasn't the Cummins NH250 a common rail inj. engine? What about the Detroit Diesel 2 stroke diesels, isn't that a type of common rail?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_rail
"Common rail engines have been used in marine and locomotive applications for some time. The Cooper-Bessemer GN-8 (circa 1942) is an example of a hydraulically operated common rail diesel engine, also known as a modified common rail.

Vickers pioneered the use of common rail injection in submarine engines. Vickers engines with the common rail fuel system were first used in 1916 in the G-class submarines."

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2012/08/common-rail-injection-history-less-conspiracy-more-efficiency/
"During my research on the subject, one amazing thing I discovered was that the concept has been in existence for more than 50 years! The idea was apparently developed by a gentleman named Robert Huber of Switzerland in the 1960s. I couldn’t find out much about Huber other than a mention, so I do not know what the prototype was. In the 1970s, Dr. Marco Ganser, also of Switzerland, further developed Huber’s idea of common-rail. Ganser was, at the time, a project engineer with Stanadyne Diesel.

Stanadyne Corporation has built diesel injection pumps for many diesel engine manufacturers for years. In 1985, Dr. Ganser started his own company – Ganser-Hydromag – for the purpose of developing his common-rail system. At that time, no one believed he could succeed with this idea. Despite opposition, Ganser continued to further develop the common-rail system and worked with automakers such as Volkswagen, Daimler, Mercedes, General Motors, Isuzu and Yamaha.

In the 1990s, more common-rail systems were being developed using an electronic control unit. The major automaker developing this concept at the time was Fiat, working in conjunction with Magneti-Marelli. Then Fiat got into financial trouble and decided to sell the idea to Bosch, which developed the idea and placed its first common-rail system in a production car in the Alfa-Romeo 156 in 1997."

[Markus]

Fiat didn't invent it. The reason people in the U.S. are weary of Fiat is their history here in the U.S. isn't great. They sold cars in the U.S. when Fiat meant Fix It Again Tony. The days of the Fiat Spyder of the 1960's-1980's. My sister had one, fun cars to drive but electrical problems were frequent; like the same era of British cars.
It takes time to get rid of a reputation like that.

Wasn't the Cummins NH250 a common rail inj. engine? What about the Detroit Diesel 2 stroke diesels, isn't that a type of common rail?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_rail
"Common rail engines have been used in marine and locomotive applications for some time. The Cooper-Bessemer GN-8 (circa 1942) is an example of a hydraulically operated common rail diesel engine, also known as a modified common rail.

Vickers pioneered the use of common rail injection in submarine engines. Vickers engines with the common rail fuel system were first used in 1916 in the G-class submarines."

http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2012/08/common-rail-injection-history-less-conspiracy-more-efficiency/
"During my research on the subject, one amazing thing I discovered was that the concept has been in existence for more than 50 years! The idea was apparently developed by a gentleman named Robert Huber of Switzerland in the 1960s. I couldn’t find out much about Huber other than a mention, so I do not know what the prototype was. In the 1970s, Dr. Marco Ganser, also of Switzerland, further developed Huber’s idea of common-rail. Ganser was, at the time, a project engineer with Stanadyne Diesel.

Stanadyne Corporation has built diesel injection pumps for many diesel engine manufacturers for years. In 1985, Dr. Ganser started his own company – Ganser-Hydromag – for the purpose of developing his common-rail system. At that time, no one believed he could succeed with this idea. Despite opposition, Ganser continued to further develop the common-rail system and worked with automakers such as Volkswagen, Daimler, Mercedes, General Motors, Isuzu and Yamaha.

In the 1990s, more common-rail systems were being developed using an electronic control unit. The major automaker developing this concept at the time was Fiat, working in conjunction with Magneti-Marelli. Then Fiat got into financial trouble and decided to sell the idea to Bosch, which developed the idea and placed its first common-rail system in a production car in the Alfa-Romeo 156 in 1997."

Sorry, should have said, ”Fiat invented the modern, electronically controlled, common rail diesel engine”

The view that Fiats are junk is pretty much universal.

[Onetime]

BTW,you gonna be bombing around this Friday at BIG Cat run?

Not going to make that. Hard to believe it’s been a year already. Skater is gone and other boat isn’t done yet.
Stay safe! That gathering is like riding a motorcycle, you always have to be looking out for the other guy. Even on the Friday before the actual event.
You know how I feel about boats being to close at speed in the delta!

[roadkill636]

Update... it's been a 1.5 years sence I bought this 3.0L ecodiesel and not a single problem. The best fuel milage iv seen is 33mpg... now that is empty truck on the highway with Cruze control set.... 28 average. And 26mpg up and down the back roads and county roads. I fuel up once a month

[HammerMX]

Update... it's been a 1.5 years sence I bought this 3.0L ecodiesel and not a single problem. The best fuel milage iv seen is 33mpg... now that is empty truck on the highway with Cruze control set.... 28 average. And 26mpg up and down the back roads and county roads. I fuel up once a month

It has been three years for our JGC with the EcoDiesel. The only challenge has been the whole recall, but $3,200 and extended warranty has made the situation palatable.... looking for recommendations on a new programmer as soon as warranty is done.

Mileage has been 27.8 for the first 75,000 miles... but I set the cruise at 9 mph everywhere. And if needed it will go 140, which shocked me that the computer allowed in a brick.

[baja200merk]

Did they do anything to stop the cam gears from spinning?

[FORBESAUTO]

It has been three years for our JGC with the EcoDiesel. The only challenge has been the whole recall, but $3,200 and extended warranty has made the situation palatable.... looking for recommendations on a new programmer as soon as warranty is done.

Mileage has been 27.8 for the first 75,000 miles... but I set the cruise at 9 mph everywhere. And if needed it will go 140, which shocked me that the computer allowed in a brick.


Be careful with programmers with exhaust filters. Most generate more soot and cause filters to clog.

We had one that trashed a high pressure pump and shelled metal all over. Took a fuel sample to find it was clean, pure diesel. Was still under powertrain warranty. Took it to the pitiful local dealership. They changed the high pressure pump only under warranty (clueless idiots). Died and wouldn’t make pressure on their road test. Called cust and said new pump failed and she had put gas in tank causing the failures and she had to pay for pump and another one. Cust has it towed back to us, found that reason wouldn’t make pressure was stuck injector (from metal in system) pump actually still good. We took fuel sample and sent to lab for legal reasons, which came back as pure diesel. We repaired it properly by replacing complete fuel system and cleaning what was left. Poor cust paid for it all and now I’m legal battle. I know this is more a dealership incompetence, but kinda lame if you ask me.