3.0 ecodiesel

[AOFA]

Anyone running this engine in the 1500 yet? Comments, concerns, praise?
I'm just waiting for mine to arrive... I would like to hear any comments and open up a discussion.

 

[tjfdesmo]

RangerGress has been posting lots of information on his EcoDiesel.

 

[Andy578]

did a test drive and really liked it but was turned off by the cost of DEF and oil changes. from my understanding the real advantage is while towing so if you tow a lot it'd be worth it. also probably if you mainly do city driving. highway driving without load the hemi does pretty decent so the savings aren't really there

 

[Arctic-Rodz]

How much is the oil change on the ecodiesel? And how much is the fluid?

10 k mile oil change intervals is quite a bit.
My Hemi can't get passed 13 city / 18 highway.

That ecodiesel is rated to 20 city / 28 highway that's a HUGE difference if you ask me.

Diesel in my area is only about 15 cents per gallon more for diesel than 93 Oct Gasoline

 

[Adept]

I'd like to have one as a commuter

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk

 

[Andy578]

How much is the oil change on the ecodiesel? And how much is the fluid?

10 k mile oil change intervals is quite a bit.
My Hemi can't get passed 13 city / 18 highway.

That ecodiesel is rated to 20 city / 28 highway that's a HUGE difference if you ask me.

Diesel in my area is only about 15 cents per gallon more for diesel than 93 Oct Gasoline

DEF will vary depending on how much you drive but I've heard it can need filled anywhere from every month to every few months. It'll probably run $150-200 a year. As for oil changes the dealer told me it runs about $200 due to requiring a special synthetic. So if you do 4 changes a year it adds up

The difference between the hemi and diesel is about 10mpg(imperial) so again it fully depends how much you drive and again the biggest difference is when towing. Diesel can also get quite expensive during winter

 

[dsent]

Hey Guys,

When we switched all our vehicles diesel my wife had a hard time adjusting.

She kept seeing 87 oct cheaper than diesel and saying I want my gas car back.

I had to show her the real math.

Cost of gallon of gas/diesel divided by mpg is cost per mile.

Her Old Nissan AWD Murano cost .18 per mile her Diesel VW Jetta .09 per mile.

She was really convinced when we filled up her Jetta and drove 650 miles from Conway SC to Pittsburgh PA at 70-80 mph up the interstate on 14.5 gallon of Diesel.


I have had my new 14 Jeep Eco Diesel Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 for 6 months and average 27 mpg combined which cost .11 per mile.

I got 6 free oil changes each from my dealer when I purchased both my cummins and Jeep Eco.



14 Jeep Eco dash Shot flat level road cruise set at 55mph getting 39mpg current,average on the tank 27.1 with range of 193 on a little over 1/4 tank remaining!! yahoooooo

 

[AOFA]

All these points are valid, depending on how much you drive and if you tow.
You have to take into account the resale on a diesel as well.
the oil change interval from what I have read is 16K Km, or 10K miles. the DEF is suppose to last 10K km and is 15.00 per jug. Not a huge deal there at all.

So with some quick math, a couple hundred dollars a year extra for oil changes and a few jugs for DEF, would be $300.00 MAX more maintenance per year. Deal breaker? for me NO.

 

[RangerGress]

RangerGress has been posting lots of information on his EcoDiesel.

Lots of EcoDiesel threads in various forums. There are also a couple forums expressly for the EcoDiesel.

DEF. The cost of DEF is so close to zero it's a non-issue.

Oil changes. There's a number of discussions at bitog re. inexpensive oil solutions for the EcoDiesel. Lots of oil engineers (tribologist) there discussing oil chemistry and analysis results. Give them a couple more months and they'll have a half dozen good oil recommendations that are reasonably priced. bitog=www.BobIsTheOilGuy.com.

The mpg of the EcoDiesel is darn impressive. If you tow a decent load with a V8 gas engine, the mpg of the EcoDiesel will blow you away.

 

[craa349]

There is an eco diesel forum for the ram 1500

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[terb]

DEF runs 3-5 dollars per gallon and 1 gallon last 1000-1500 miles.

 

[Andy578]

DEF runs 3-5 dollars per gallon and 1 gallon last 1000-1500 miles.

it's about $10 for 2.5 gallon here. if you drive 15k miles per year that's about $50. not much true but it's still something on top of other maintenance along with the extra cost of the engine and with diesel sometimes taking big jumps during winter

 

[NorthStar1]

I just purchased a new 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn with the 5.7. I was moving out of a 2013 Laramie Longhorn with the 5.7L and wanted to upgrade to the 8-speed transmission but was on the fence as to the engine. I test drove four different Ecodiesels and three different 5.7L all with the 8-speed transmission.

Why did I purchase the 5.7 instead of the Ecodiesel? After driving both and comparing not only mileage difference but also a variety of factors including fuel differential, DEF although cheap at Sam's Club, oil changes, issues with obtaining parts as admitted by both dealers I shopped at, and the fact I wasn't sold on the Ecodiesel made my choice easy. Added to all of this is the fact I rarely tow but do haul a variety of items in the bed of my truck - although, like most guys on here, I'm sure the bed paint is almost as new when I trade/sell as the day I purchased it.

So, the bottom line comes down to if you really need it. For me, there was a clear choice plus the fact I really didn't care for what appeared to be a lack of acceleration with the Ecodiesel whereas the 5.7 appeared - to me - to have a considerable edge. Granted, I've owned three Cummins and two Duramax in my life but the little 3.0 just seemed to small for a Laramie Longhorn truck.

To each their own but I'm averaging 24.2 on the highway which is 90% of my driving thus I can't complain.

Again, my own opinion so for the guys just itching to flame away concerning my thoughts on the Ecodiesel - no offense intended. To each their own...

 

[AOFA]

North.. you averaging 24.2 MPG on the highway?!?! I have never heard of a number that high out of a Hemi.

 

[NorthStar1]

Driving from Pearland to Houston, 20 miles one way, 60 mph, have the ECO option turned on so I keep it in the ECO mode as much as possible. Driving very light but yes, I have been getting it since I purchased the truck. The key is to not get all over it, keep the speed under 65 and all is good. Push it over 62 and you can see the mileage drop precipitously. And yes, it's getting considerably better mileage than my 2013 which didn't have the 8-speed auto thus I'm attributing it to the 8-speed and ECO.

EPA rating is 17/22 thus when I got 24.2, I recalculated to ensure I didn't screw up the math. Will keep you posted when/if it drops as I too can't believe this will last but again, a lot has to do with how they are driven. Back in the early 1980's, I had an Isuzu Pup Diesel work truck which was one of fourteen in a fleet. My truck consistently got better mileage than everyone else but again it had to do with the fact I was light on the accelerator whereas most guys were flooring them. To each their own...with my Laramie Longhorn, it's so damned comfortable I don't mind spending a little longer in the truck to get there and saving fuel to do so...

P.S. Granted, I did get stuck in traffic twice and watched the mileage go to heck but that's going to happen with any large engine. Even then, the "diesel premium" still doesn't make it worth it to me.

 

[Andy578]

North.. you averaging 24.2 MPG on the highway?!?! I have never heard of a number that high out of a Hemi.

i'm getting about 25. most speed limits here are 80km/h with the major highways being 100km/h and simply staying around the limit helps a lot. also accelerate slowly and be as smooth on the throttle as possible

 

[VirtualRAM]

I'm surprised so many are willing to jump in on a first year engine. Is this not a new engine, that's been proven somewhere else?

 

[NorthStar1]

Actually Motori has been building diesels in Italy since the 1940's and make solid engines. They've been used in everything from General Motors to Range Rovers. They also were the ones utilized in the Liberty CRD. With that said, they're asking way to much for those engines as an upgrade and they shouldn't cost any more than a 5.7L. Give Ram time and they'll be eliminating the cost increase.

Now, if we were talking about the Cummins being in a half ton, then we're talking an entirely different engine well worth the upgrade however the internals on a Motori are nothing like the stoutness of the Cummins.

Like I said, I would have easily purchased one if I had the need but absent that it simply didn't make sense to pay the "diesel premium".

 

[Tuffguy707]

If you get def at the truck stop or at certain stations that carry it at the pump you only pay around $2 a gallon for it. My cummins powered 13' runs 5.5 gallons of def about every 5-7k miles so its no issue at all. Im sure the 3.0 VM diesel doesn't burn anymore def than my 3500 with the 6.7 cummins if driven correctly. As in don't let it idle a lot like no more than 5 mins at a time as idling is not good for a diesel engine and it blogs the dpf which make the engine regen more often. Im sure the VM diesel has a high idle feature like the other diesel trucks do which you can rev them up by setting the cruise or if the temp is below 40 degrees which will cause the truck to automatically idle up. correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Oilbelcher]

Just got my Ecodiesel today. It confirmed what I expected, I can drive fast and hard, and get great mileage. I don't have to stress about driving like a ***** (if goal is to save gas costs). I was driving 90mph and getting 25-26. Getting 30 at 70mph. The air suspension in Aero mode and the running boards helped.

Like my last diesel cars, I can lay into the throttle and lose little compared to a gas engine. When gas engines are worked, their efficiency drops quickly. No egg shells between my right foot and the pedal... Have fun and pass by the gas station... Plus, diesels respond well to cheap tuner mods.