Neverending DPF issues - Trade in for Cummins or Hemi?

[cnovel]

my 2015 had nothing but problems with the def system,,limp mode 400 miles from anywhere with a 3 foot rv,,egr clogged at 22,000 was first problem,,guy said you need to get on the highway to regen,,I said I just pulled in from leadville,colorado,around 1000 miles,,how much more do you reccomend ? always had to argue to get dealer to pay as it was ongoing,until 65,000 miles,,and then the egr,the cooler,filter and all the other dpf stuff just dissappeaed from the truck,,divine intervention ? I think so ,, no more problems ,,but your still in colorado,,that is the problem

 

[Choupique]

OP should get a gasoline heavy duty truck. All of the big 3 have fantastic offerings right now in that segment.

The DEF systems do not like to be cold at all, they don't like short trips at all. Short trips in the cold really suck. DEF freezes at I believe 35*F. Starting in the cold, the truck has a lot of work to do before it starts working right. It has to start, thaw all the DEF, get the exhaust temps up enough for everything to start working, constant freeze/thaw cycles help DEF degrade more rapidly, and short trips/low mileage means you don't cycle through it as often and DEF quality suffers. The EGR system has to work its butt off, the list goes on and on and on.

Just get a gas truck and don't worry about any of that crap. It'll be much cheaper, probably last longer, and is far less likely to strand you. OP just isn't a good candidate for a modern diesel.

 

[tjfdesmo]

DEF freezes at 12F.

 

[mtnrider]

I live in a small town with no interstate nearby, at 6000 ft elevation, with long winters, which adds to all of the DPF issues. This truck is absolutely not dependable and RAM needs to read about the issues and make some changes!

I lived in Colorado for years. My house was at 7200ft and I constantly traveled to our place in the mountains that was over 10000ft and never had a single issue. You just have a lemon truck. Could happen with any engine, model, or brand.

 

[Scottly]

They are all prone to the possibility of emissions problems. I have to say, though, one of my friends has a 2020 L5P Duramax, and he idles that thing an unbelievable amount, like hours on end, and has had zero issues. It defies logic.

The Cummins tends to be a very "sooty" engine. The L5P, not so much.

 

[Choupique]

I idle my Cummins ALOT. Entire days sometimes. It's better to idle for 8 hours than it is to take 32 separate 15 minute trips. Those days of long idling typically have a long drive there and a long drive back, so it doesn't bother me.

It's also important to know when you are in a regen or in SOx management mode so you don't shut the truck down mid event.

 

[NotSoFast]

I had issues with my 2020 2500 Cummins. I live at 7000 feet and get some cold winters. The DPF filter started plugging up when I wasn't working the truck hard enough last fall. It went into limp mode and the dealer forced 2 manual regen cycles, but the DPF was always going up and down, partially plugged up and going into regen mode. Finally I hooked up the trailer and got onto the freeway. After 150 miles at 75 mph it became happy. Didn't run a regen cycle, just got it good and hot and ran it hard. It has been fine ever since. That might do the trick for the OP.

 

[DeltaRingo]

I wonder if writing a letter to RAM would get anywhere? Our dealer told us to try the NCDS Warranty Dispute method, and we did and they did not find in our favor because so far the warranty has covered the DPF issues. They really didn't care that it had been in the shop for over 5 months. Since the NCDS hearing, it's been in the shop twice and they replaced the whole exhaust system again. It's totally crazy. The Colorado Lemon Law only gives you 1 year. I am considering writing a letter to RAM to see what they say.
I'd really love to know if their engineers are fixing this issue on 2024 trucks, and/or would love for RAM to buy it back for more than just a trade in value.

 

[Mark_ram]

Just adding to your list of woes. My 6.7 HD 3500 at 300 mi short of 60k just went in for a new DPF system. Tons of regen issues for life of vehicle and I have spent most of my time on it pulling a 33 ft rv around. I'm afraid to drive it around town now! Sadly I need the power and the engine braking... Ram has problems.

 

[nlambert182]

Just adding to your list of woes. My 6.7 HD 3500 at 300 mi short of 60k just went in for a new DPF system. Tons of regen issues for life of vehicle and I have spent most of my time on it pulling a 33 ft rv around. I'm afraid to drive it around town now! Sadly I need the power and the engine braking... Ram has problems.

No.... this isn't a Ram issue. This is an EPA mandated issue that is across the board on all diesel trucks.